The Spirit of Repair
Michael Schwalbe
Foreword by Douglas Harper
Throwaway culture encourages us to replace the worn and broken with the new—at great cost to the planet, our pocketbooks, and our understanding of the material world. In The Spirit of Repair, sociologist and photographer Michael Schwalbe explores the ideas and values that move people to help their neighbors repair, rather than replace, the appliances, electronic devices, furniture, clothes, and other objects that sustain everyday life. Through interviews and portraits, Schwalbe brings to light the spirit of repair, showing how the seeds of a sustainable economy are rooted in thrift, the joys of teaching and learning, mutual aid, and the satisfaction of putting things right.
Published by Horse & Buggy Press, Durham, North Carolina.
Hardcover. 143 pages. © 2026.
ISBN: 979-8-234-05353-4
Proceeds from the sale of this book on repaircafenc.org benefit Repair Café North Carolina. Thank you for your support.
Coming August 2026
Sociologist Michael Schwalbe explores the ideas and people who connect with their neighbors through the shared activity of repairing the everyday household items that fill our world.
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About the Author
Michael Schwalbe is a documentary photographer and professor emeritus of sociology at North Carolina State University. He is the author of Unlocking the Iron Cage: The Men’s Movement, Gender Politics, and American Culture (Oxford University Press), The Sociologically Examined Life: Pieces of the Conversation (Oxford University Press), Remembering Reet and Shine: Two Black Men, One Struggle (University Press of Mississippi), Smoke Damage: Voices from the Front Lines of America’s Tobacco Wars (Borderland Books), Making a Difference: Using Sociology to Create a Better World (Oxford University Press), and other books. In the 1970s, he earned money for college by working in machine shops and factories and by repairing used cars. He lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.