"Ancient Futures" is a written account of the Ladakh culture. In this book, the author analyzes and reveals how the high quality of life that was enjoyed in a bleak and hostile country. The book also talks about how the progress that was happening throughout could be seen as both great and harmful. "Ancient Futures  raises questions about the whole notion of progress, and explores the base causes of industrial society. The book also suggests that it is possible to continue to enjoy a simple life without having to make changes to culture. One aspect of Ladakh culture that is talked about throughout the book, is family. Ladakh families spend all day together through work, festivity, and spirituality. In Ladakhi culture, families work together day in and day out. "I walked out onto the balcony. Whole families - grandfathers, parents, children - were working in the fields, some cutting, some stacking, others winnowing  (22) . The agricultural cycle in Ladakh begins between February and June, and on an eastern exposure high above the village, a large pile of stones acts as an agricultural calendar. Together, these families work together in the fields cultivating plants with their limited resources. "The average family holding is about five acres; occasionally a household might have as many as ten. Optimum acreage is determined by the size of the family, roughly one acre per working member of the household  (11) . Ladakh families only have as much land as they can handle by themselves. Beyond the land that these families own, land isn't of much use to the Ladakh culture. With an altitude of 10,000 feet, Ladakh's don't have much of a choice on what they can plant. About two-thirds of the fields are planted with barley, while the other third is wheat. Some of the families have small fields of peas and gardens of turnips. "The closeness between the people and the land and the animals they depended on was deeply touching  (29) . Anima