Graphic Organizer, Chapters 13-15, Pg132-168

The section all starts out with Brende learning about a sort of secretetive meeting called a council. The council is "the Minimites form of self government." People would speak their minds, from the oldest members of society first, then youngest. The main thing discussed at the meetings is the use of technology. In this example it was focused on the use of telephones. Next he joins the Millers to help them with threshing. Threshing, is the process of loosening the edible part of cereal grain from the scaly, the unedible covering that surrounds it. Brende overworked himself in the warm weather and suffered a heatstroke. He gets back to threshing after taking about 5 days off to re-cooperate. He noticed how long it takes to complete the threshing process, and questions whether or not that the society is productive. He comes to a conclusion about the community. While the more advanced farms around were falling, due to competitiveness and financial problems. He noticed that the Minimite community wasnt having these problems as there hasnt been one of these cases since the community was established 15 years ago. The main factor is that the community was debt free, as he said the main currency is labor.