Ever since humans first gathered around a cooking fire, they have toyed with big ideas for a better community. Many have felt passionate and hopeful about creating a utopian society. For some, that has meant abandoning their homeland and traditions, and pushing into the wilderness to realize their dreams. Those ground-breaking communities are long gone, but today you can still visit many of their physical ruins, some of which have been preserved in parks or heritage sites. When you wander the grounds of ancient sites, you can marvel at the people’s optimism and zeal. Imagine the courage it took to abandon what they knew, board a rickety ship with only the threadbare clothes on their backs, and arrive in North America with dreams and—maybe—practical plans.

A handful of dreams did come true, while others faded away. Sometimes egos or hero worship hindered common sense. Some leaders could lure followers, but had no idea how to attract and manage enough money for the project. In this collection, you’ll find the inspiring and often heartbreaking stories of twenty North American communal experiments, and you will marvel at how far people will go to live life the way they think it should be lived.

John W. Friesen, PhD, DMin, is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Calgary, where he conducts research in Aboriginal education and teacher training. An ordained clergyman with the All Native Circle Conference of the United Church of Canada, he has authored or co-authored more than 50 books.

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Virginia Lyons Friesen, PhD, is a sessional instructor in the Faculty of Communication and Culture at the University of Calgary and a frequent instructor at Old Sun College in Siksika, Alberta. She has co-presented a number of papers at academic conferences and has co-authored several books.

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