I could not have made this journey without the support and help of people I met throughout my four and a half months on the road. And I couldn’t have started off without the staff, board, and supporters of YES! Magazine. YES! gave me the flexibility to be out of the office, a network to draw on for leads and hospitality, and support for my travels. Stephen Miller, now YES! senior editor, created a website to tell the stories from the road as I traveled, complete with an interactive map, and acted as my main editor and liaison. Christa Hillstrom, YES! senior editor, introduced me to Cedar Gillette and Christa Monette, who told me about the extraordinary things happening in Fort Berthold and on the Turtle Mountain Reservation. I especially want to thank YES! executive director Fran Korten, who supported my plan to make this trip and write this book. Fran and David Korten have been extraordinary colleagues since we founded YES! and have influenced my understanding of the world in countless ways.
Knowing Akaya Windwood has been life changing. On more than one occasion, including when I decided to take this trip, her clarity and wisdom have helped me understand what I needed to do.
I also want to thank Kate Ahvakana and Toma Villa for their extraordinary painting of my camper, Roger van Gelder for getting my truck prepared mechanically to make the trip, and my kids, Martha and Alex van Gelder, for always supporting me.
I am grateful to Steve Piersanti and the staff at Berrett-Koehler for their support for this book project; it is truly wonderful to work with a publisher that is so ethical and professional. I thank Paul Dunn for the photograph of the truck and me, and YES! Magazine’s Tracy Loeffelholz Dunn and Jennifer Lufton for consulting on the cover design.
The following people read all or parts of the book and gave me helpful insights and feedback: Charlotte Ashlock, Dee Axelrod, Amity Bacon, Peter Block, Britt Bravo, Tracey Briggs, David Korten, Fran Korten, Steve Piersanti, George Price, Robin Simons, Katie Vastola, Ed Whitfield, and Akaya Windwood.
Finally, the trip and this book wouldn’t have been possible without all the people quoted in the book—I am grateful to you for your time. The following people hosted me, showed me around their community, shared their knowledge, and introduced me to other people I needed to know: Ada Smith, Alaina Buffalo Spirit, Christa Monette, Claudia S. Brown, Cristina Turino, David Orr, Ed Whitfield, Elaine Heath, Elizabeth Barnett, Fred Carter, George Siemon, Gregg MacDonald, Halima Cassells, James Lamar Gibson, Dr. Jifunza Wright Carter, Jim Embry, Jim Webb, Joan Kresich, Kathy Evans, Kristen Barker, Keith Aziz Hamilton, Lama Tsomo, Linn DeNesti, Ma Teresa Lomeli Penman, Madhu Suri Prakash, Matthew Smith, Maura Stephens, Megan Hollingsworth, Nicolle and Thomas Gonzales, Kim Mitchell, Kim Sherobbi, Pam McMichael, Paul Wheaton, Paulette Moore, Peter Block, Richard Feldman, Roodline Volcy, Sara Hess, Tawana Petty, Tim Allanbrook, and Todd Rusk.
I also want to thank the following people for sharing their ideas and insights with me and connecting me to others: Adela Nieves, Aisha Ellis, Alexander Gibson, Alexis Bonogofsky, Andrew Kang Bartlett, Anthony Schuman, Bayard P. Love, Betty Knighton, Bill Moyer, Brett Jones, Bryce Detroit, Burt Lauderdale, Carl Stauffer, Carol Marsh, Cedar Gillette, Charline Watts, Cheri Bryant Hamilton, Chris Brown, Dante Garcia, Colin Lauderdale, Dara Cooper, David Anderson Hooker, Elandria Williams, Ellen Vera, Erika Allen, Fania Davis, Flequer Vera, Freddy Lane, Garlin Gilchrist II, George Price, Godfrey L. Simmons Jr., Jackson Koeppel, Jacob Hundt, Jeff Cohen, Jeff Furman, Jeff Smith, Jewell Praying Wolf James, Jo An Gaines, Jocelyn Campbell, Jodie Evans, Jodie Geddes, Joyce Johnson, Julia Putnam, Kara Kaufman, Kat Gjovik, Kaye Kirsch, Kurt Boshart, Laura Gwen Haber, Lil Erikson, Liz Walker, Lucianne Siers, Marc McCord, Marnie Thompson, Mary Louise Frampton, Matt Turino, Nick Engelfried, Omavi Shukur, Prairie Rose Seminole, Reuben George, Reverend Joan Ross, Richard Conlin, Richard Westheimer, Rebecca Kemble, Sarah Chalmers, Shea Howell, Steve Charter, Ted Howard, Grace Lee Boggs, Trevor Phillips, Tribal Chairman Richard McCloud, Victor Garcia, Walter Brueggemann, Wayne Curtis, Myrtle Denise Thompson, Wes Magruder, Will Allen, William Copeland, and Zoltan Grossman.
And I want to especially thank my fiancée, Dee Axelrod, for her steadfast support during the long months I was traveling and writing, for sharing her wisdom and insights on the topics in this book, and for her invaluable feedback on the manuscript. I can’t imagine this project could have been possible without her support.