Resource Type: Book/ebook

The Way of Coyote: Shared Journeys in the Urban Wilds

Book: “With The Way of Coyote, Gavin Van Horn reveals the stupendous diversity of species that can flourish in urban landscapes like Chicago. That isn’t to say city living is without its challenges. Chicago has been altered dramatically over a relatively short timespan—its soils covered by concrete, its wetlands drained and refilled, its river diverted and made to flow in the opposite direction. The stories in The Way of Coyote occasionally lament lost abundance, but they also point toward incredible adaptability and resilience, such as that displayed by beavers plying the waters of human-constructed canals or peregrine falcons raising their young atop towering skyscrapers. Van Horn populates his stories with a remarkable range of urban wildlife and probes the philosophical and religious dimensions of what it means to coexist, drawing frequently from the wisdom of three unconventional guides—wildlife ecologist Aldo Leopold, Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu, and the North American trickster figure Coyote. Ultimately, Van Horn sees vast potential for a more vibrant collective of ecological citizens as we take our cues from landscapes past and present. Part urban nature travelogue, part philosophical reflection on the role wildlife can play in waking us to a shared sense of place and fate, The Way of Coyote is a deeply personal journey that questions how we might best reconcile our own needs with the needs of other creatures in our shared urban habitats.”

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The Virtues of Ignorance: Complexity, Sustainability, and the Limits of Knowledge

Book: “Human dependence on technology has increased exponentially over the past several centuries, and so too has the notion that we can fix environmental problems with scientific applications. The Virtues of Ignorance: Complexity, Sustainability, and the Limits of Knowledge proposes an alternative to this hubristic, shortsighted, and dangerous worldview. The contributors argue that uncritical faith in scientific knowledge has created many of the problems now threatening the planet and that our wholesale reliance on scientific progress is both untenable and myopic. Bill Vitek, Wes Jackson, and a diverse group of thinkers, including Wendell Berry, Anna Peterson, and Robert Root-Bernstein, offer profound arguments for the advantages of an ignorance-based worldview. Their essays explore this philosophy from numerous perspectives, including its origins, its essence, and how its implementation can preserve vital natural resources for posterity. All conclude that we must simply accept the proposition that our ignorance far exceeds our knowledge and always will. Rejecting the belief that science and technology are benignly at the service of society, the authors argue that recognizing ignorance might be the only path to reliable knowledge. They also uncover an interesting paradox: knowledge and insight accumulate fastest in the minds of those who hold an ignorance-based worldview, for by examining the alternatives to a technology-based culture, they expand their imaginations. Demonstrating that knowledge-based worldviews are more dangerous than useful, The Virtues of Ignorance looks closely at the relationship between the land and the future generations who will depend on it. The authors argue that we can never improve upon nature but that we can, by putting this new perspective to work in our professional and personal lives, live sustainably on Earth.”

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The Trajectory of Change

Book: “The Trajectory of Change charts a course for the growing, international movement against corporate globalization. Michael Albert, a longtime activist and analyst of popular struggles, challenges the movement to reach out to “ordinary people” by demonstrating how their lives are negatively affected by creeping corporatism. Albert connects issues confronting working people in the United States (such as access to health care, workplace rights and safety, declining wages, and unemployment) to a critique of institutions that currently dominate the global economy. And he offers a compelling argument for a strategy based on civil disobedience and protest rather than individual acts of vandalism or violence. Albert also suggests reasons for the recent revival of political protest, from the Battle in Seattle to the demonstrations in Quebec, Canada, and Genoa, Italy. At the same time, he argues that it isn’t enough for protesters to stand against global economic injustice. To be effective, Albert argues that we need to develop a clear vision of what we stand for. He makes the case for collectively creating a vision of a participatory, democratic, and egalitarian society.”

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The Ultimate Vegan Guide, The Complete First Edition

“I’ve made the first edition of my Ultimate Vegan Guide available for free reading right from this page, since I would hate to think that anyone interested in eating fewer animal products might be hindered by the cost of learning how to do it.” Book: “You could be the world’s next vegan. It’s easy if you know how, and this uniquely helpful book tells you everything you need to know. Every topic related to vegan living is covered including cooking, nutrition, food shopping, travel, dining out, and much more. You’ll get clear and straightforward guidance from Erik Marcus, a vegan of thirty years and counting. Join the thousands of people who’ve used this book to easily and successfully transition to a vegan lifestyle.”

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The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World

Book: “Is There No Other Way? is the mature work of one of the world’s most widely respected peace scholars and activists. Beginning with the achievements of Mahatma Gandhi, and following the legacy of nonviolence through the struggles against Nazism in Europe, racism in America, oppression in China and Latin America, and ethnic conflicts in Africa and Bosnia, Nagler unveils a hidden history. Nonviolence, he proposes, has proven its power against arms and social injustice wherever it has been correctly understood and applied. Nagler’s approach is not only historical, but also spiritual. He argues, drawing upon the experience of Gandhi and other activists, that the shift to nonviolence begins within the individual, through the reshaping and re-visioning of how one understands the world. He then shows how from changes in the individual, changes in the larger community follow. Is There No Other Way? is a provocative and emotionally powerful document that challenges readers’ assumptions about the workings of power in their homes and communities, as well as the larger political arena.”

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The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

Book: “The shock doctrine is the unofficial story of how the “free market” came to dominate the world, from Chile to Russia, China to Iraq, South Africa to Canada. But it is a story radically different from the one usually told. It is a story about violence and shock perpetrated on people, on countries, on economies. About a program of social and economic engineering that is driving our world, that Naomi Klein calls “disaster capitalism.” Based on breakthrough historical research and four years of on-the-ground reporting in disaster zones, Klein explodes the myth that the global free market triumphed democratically, and that unfettered capitalism goes hand-in-hand with democracy. Instead, she argues it has consistently relied on violence and shock, and reveals the puppet strings behind the critical events of the last four decades. “The shock doctrine” is the influential but little understood theory that in order to push through profoundly unpopular policies that enrich the few and impoverish the many, there needs to be some kind of collective crisis or disaster – either real or manufactured. A crisis that opens up a “window of opportunity” – when people and societies are too disoriented to protect their own interests – for radically remaking countries using the trademark tactic of rapid-fire economic shock therapy and, all too often, less metaphorical forms of shock: the shock of the police truncheon, the Taser gun or the electric prod in the prison cell… Naomi Klein has once again written a book that will change the way we see the world.”

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The Revolution Where You Live: Stories from a 12,000-Mile Journey Through a New America

Book: “Discover the Real Revolution Unfolding across America. America faces huge challenges—climate change, social injustice, racist violence, economic insecurity. Journalist Sarah van Gelder suspected that there were solutions, and she went looking for them, not in the centers of power, where people are richly rewarded for their allegiance to the status quo, but off the beaten track, in rural communities, small towns, and neglected urban neighborhoods. She bought a used pickup truck and camper and set off on a 12,000-mile journey through eighteen states, dozens of cities and towns, and five Indian reservations. From the ranches of Montana to the coalfields of Kentucky to the urban cores of Chicago and Detroit, van Gelder discovered people and communities who are remaking America from the ground up. Join her as she meets the quirky and the committed, the local heroes and the healers who, under the mass media’s radar, are getting stuff done. The common thread running through their work was best summed up by a phrase she saw on a mural in Newark: “We the People LOVE This Place.” That connection we each have to our physical and ecological place, and to our human community, is where we find our power and our best hopes for a new America.”

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The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex

Book: “A trillion-dollar industry, the US non-profit sector is one of the world’s largest economies. From art museums and university hospitals to think tanks and church charities, over 1.5 million organizations of staggering diversity share the tax-exempt 501(c)(3) designation, if little else. Many social justice organizations have joined this world, often blunting political goals to satisfy government and foundation mandates. But even as funding shrinks, many activists often find it difficult to imagine movement-building outside the non-profit model. The Revolution Will Not Be Funded gathers essays by radical activists, educators, and non-profit staff from around the globe who critically rethink the long-term consequences of what they call the “non-profit industrial complex.” Drawing on their own experiences, the contributors track the history of non-profits and provide strategies to transform and work outside them. Urgent and visionary, The Revolution Will Not Be Funded presents a biting critique of the quietly devastating role the non-profit industrial complex plays in managing dissent.”

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The Price Of Freedom: Political Philosophy From Thoreau’s Journals

Book: “Excerpts from Thoreau’s journals concerning civil disobedience, conscience, law, government, slavery, war, and economics. These passages are what Thoreau considered to be “the price of freedom” – his attempts to mine the richest vein of observations about human conscience and political philosophy, and to present what he found free from all censorship.”

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The Question of the Animal and Religion: Theoretical Stakes, Practical Implications

Book: “Through an absorbing investigation into recent, high-profile scandals involving one of the largest kosher slaughterhouses in the world, located unexpectedly in Postville, Iowa, Aaron S. Gross makes a powerful case for elevating the category of the animal in the study of religion. Major theorists have almost without exception approached religion as a phenomenon that radically marks humans off from other animals, but Gross rejects this paradigm, instead matching religion more closely with the life sciences to better theorize human nature. Gross begins with a detailed account of the scandals at Agriprocessors and their significance for the American and international Jewish community. He argues that without a proper theorization of “animals and religion,” we cannot fully understand religiously and ethically motivated diets and how and why the events at Agriprocessors took place. Subsequent chapters recognize the significance of animals to the study of religion in the work of Ernst Cassirer, Emile Durkheim, Mircea Eliade, Jonathan Z. Smith, and Jacques Derrida and the value of indigenous peoples’ understanding of animals to the study of religion in our daily lives. Gross concludes by extending the Agribusiness scandal to the activities at slaughterhouses of all kinds, calling attention to the religiosity informing the regulation of “secular” slaughterhouses and its implications for our relationship with and self-imagination through animals.”

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The Power of Non-Violence

Book: “The idea of non-violence (passive-resistance) has always seemed beautiful but too good to be true. As a practical proposition it arouses scepticism and ridicule. But Mr Gregg is strangely convincing. He marshals the whole weight of contemporary knowledge,and uses the experience of Gandhi,who has employed non-violence methods on a wider scale and with greater success than any other figure in history. Non-violent resistance is the doctrine of absolute pacificism. In theory, it recognizes no use of violence as legitimate in practice it includes all human relations,national and social as well as individual. Contents Include Modern Examples of Non-Violent Resistance Moral Jiu-Jitsu What Happens Utilising Emotional Energy How is Mass Non-Violent Resistance An Effective Substitute for War The Class Struggle and Non-Violent Resistance Non-Violence and the State Further Political Aspects Biological Considerations Doubts and Queries Preperation for Non-Violence Further Understanding Self Discipline Group Training and Discipline Notes by Chapters”

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The Post-Corporate World: Life After Capitalism

Book: “There is a deep chasm between the promises of the new global capitalism and the reality of social breakdown, spiritual emptiness, and environmental destruction it is leaving in its wake. In this important book, David Korten makes a compelling and well-documented case that capitalism is actually delivering a fatal blow not only to life, but also to democracy and the market…Korten outlines numerous specific actions to free the creative powers of individuals and societies through the realization of real democracy, the local rooting of capital through stakeholder ownership, and a restructuring of the rules of commerce to create “mindful market” economies that combine market principles with a culture that nurtures social bonding and responsibility.”

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The Passage to Cosmos: Alexander Von Humboldt and the Shaping of America

Book: “Explorer, scientist, writer, and humanist, Alexander von Humboldt was the most famous intellectual of the age that began with Napoleon and ended with Darwin. With Cosmos, the book that crowned his career, Humboldt offered to the world his vision of humans and nature as integrated halves of a single whole. In it, Humboldt espoused the idea that, while the universe of nature exists apart from human purpose, its beauty and order, the very idea of the whole it composes, are human achievements: cosmos comes into being in the dance of world and mind, subject and object, science and poetry. Humboldt’s science laid the foundations for ecology and inspired the theories of his most important scientific disciple, Charles Darwin. In the United States, his ideas shaped the work of Emerson, Thoreau, Poe, and Whitman. They helped spark the American environmental movement through followers like John Muir and George Perkins Marsh. And they even bolstered efforts to free the slaves and honor the rights of Indians. Laura Dassow Walls here traces Humboldt’s ideas for Cosmos to his 1799 journey to the Americas, where he first experienced the diversity of nature and of the world’s peoples—and envisioned a new cosmopolitanism that would link ideas, disciplines, and nations into a global web of knowledge and cultures. In reclaiming Humboldt’s transcultural and transdisciplinary project, Walls situates America in a lively and contested field of ideas, actions, and interests, and reaches beyond to a new worldview that integrates the natural and social sciences, the arts, and the humanities. To the end of his life, Humboldt called himself “half an American,” but ironically his legacy has largely faded in the United States. The Passage to Cosmos will reintroduce this seminal thinker to a new audience and return America to its rightful place in the story of his life, work, and enduring legacy.”

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The Path of Most Resistance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Nonviolent Campaigns

Book: “The Path of Most Resistance: A Step-by-Step Guide to Planning Nonviolent Campaigns is a practical guide for activists and organizers of all levels, who wish to grow their nonviolent resistance activities into a more strategic, fixed-term campaign. It guides readers through the campaign planning process, breaking it down into several steps and providing tools and exercises for each step. Upon finishing the book, readers will have what they need to guide their peers through the process of planning a campaign. This process, as laid out in the guide, is estimated to take about 12 hours from start to finish. The guide is divided into two parts. The first lays out and contextualizes campaign planning tools and their objectives. It also explains the logic behind these tools, and how they can be modified to better suit a particular group’s context. The second part provides easily reproducible and shareable lesson plans for using each of those tools, and explores how to embed the tools in the wider planning process.”

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The New Good Life: Living Better Than Ever in an Age of Less

Book: “How do you define the good life? For many, success is measured not by health and happiness but by financial wealth. But such a worldview overlooks the important things in life: personal contentment, family time, spirituality, and the health of the planet and those living on it. A preoccupation with money and possessions is not only unhealthy, it can also drain the true joy from life. In recent years, millions have watched their American Dreams go up in smoke. The international financial collapse, inflation, massive layoffs, and burgeoning consumer debt have left people in dire financial straits—including John Robbins, a crusader for planet-friendly food and lifestyle choices, who lost his entire savings in an investment scam. But Robbins soon realized that there was an upside to our collective financial downturn: Curtailed consumerism could lead us to reassess our lives and values. The New Good Life provides a philosophical and prescriptive path from conspicuous consumption to conscious consumption. Where the old view of success was measured by cash, stocks, and various luxuries, the new view will be guided by financial restraint and a new awareness of what truly matters. A passionate manifesto on finding meaning beyond money and status, this book delivers a sound blueprint for living well on less.”

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The New Zealand Experiment: A World Model for Structural Adjustment?

Book: “Jane Kelsey’s was a questioning and challenging voice when she wrote this passionate critique of New Zealand’s economic policies in the 1980s and 90s. The social and economic consequences of a decade of market-based reforms are laid bare in this statistically rich and rhetorically powerful work. Drawing on a wide array of sources, Kelsey’s analysis delves into every aspect of the structural reforms that were to have such vast consequences for New Zealand society. Her analysis of those policies and their consequences gains a fresh – and sobering – perspective in the light of the recent global financial crisis.”

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The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century

Book: “A world dominated by America and driven by cheap oil, easy credit, and conspicuous consumption is unraveling before our eyes. In this powerful, deeply humanistic book, Grace Lee Boggs, a legendary figure in the struggle for justice in America, shrewdly assesses the current crisis―political, economical, and environmental―and shows how to create the radical social change we need to confront new realities. A vibrant, inspirational force, Boggs has participated in all of the twentieth century’s major social movements―for civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, and more. She draws from seven decades of activist experience, and a rigorous commitment to critical thinking, to redefine “revolution” for our times. From her home in Detroit, she reveals how hope and creativity are overcoming despair and decay within the most devastated urban communities. Her book is a manifesto for creating alternative modes of work, politics, and human interaction that will collectively constitute the next American Revolution.”

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The Nonviolence Handbook: A Guide for Practical Action

“Love Is Stronger Than Hate. “Nonviolence is not the recourse of the weak but actually calls for an uncommon kind of strength; it is not a refraining from something but the engaging of a positive force,” renowned peace activist Michael Nagler writes. Here he offers a step-by-step guide to creatively using nonviolence to confront any problem and to build change movements capable of restructuring the very bedrock of society. Nagler identifies some specific tactical mistakes made by unsuccessful nonviolent actions such as the Tiananmen Square demonstrations and the Occupy protests and includes stories of successful nonviolent resistance from around the world, including an example from Nazi Germany. And he shows that nonviolence is more than a tactic—it is a way of living that will enrich every area of our lives.”

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The Mobilisation Cookbook

“A Greenpeace guide to cooking up people powered campaigns…Learn the “key ingredients” of people-powered campaigns and approaches for becoming more engagement-centric.” 44 page pdf available in Arabic, Chinese (Hong Kong), Chinese (Taiwan), French, Slovenian and Spanish.

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The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically

Book: “From the ethicist the New Yorker calls “the most influential living philosopher,” a new way of thinking about living ethically. Peter Singer’s books and ideas have been disturbing our complacency ever since the appearance of Animal Liberation. Now he directs our attention to a new movement in which his own ideas have played a crucial role: effective altruism. Effective altruism is built upon the simple but profound idea that living a fully ethical life involves doing the “most good you can do.” Such a life requires an unsentimental view of charitable giving: to be a worthy recipient of our support, an organization must be able to demonstrate that it will do more good with our money or our time than other options open to us. Singer introduces us to an array of remarkable people who are restructuring their lives in accordance with these ideas, and shows how living altruistically often leads to greater personal fulfillment than living for oneself. The Most Good You Can Do develops the challenges Singer has made, in the New York Times and Washington Post, to those who donate to the arts, and to charities focused on helping our fellow citizens, rather than those for whom we can do the most good. Effective altruists are extending our knowledge of the possibilities of living less selfishly, and of allowing reason, rather than emotion, to determine how we live. The Most Good You Can Do offers new hope for our ability to tackle the world’s most pressing problems.”

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The Meat You Eat: How Corporate Farming Has Endangered America’s Food Supply

Book: “In this eye-opening book, Sierra Club Director Ken Midkiff exposes the dangers posed by corporate control of agriculture (agribusiness)–to our health, and to the health of the nation’s economy, security, and the environment. The Meat You Eat explores the current practices of the corporations taking over the raising and slaughtering of farm animals (and farmed fish, such as salmon). These companies use a model that has transformed livestock farming from quality-driven family-owned operations into big businesses concerned with volume, efficiency, uniformity, and profits above all. Midkiff reveals the true cost of agribusiness on all levels-environmental, financial, moral, legal, and medical-balancing startling truths with practical solutions. Rather than advocate a vegan or vegetarian diet, Midkiff argues that using and supporting local farmers will improve the quality of life for us all, as well as for the animals whose meat we eat. Complete with resource sections about where to find local farmers and lists of agribusiness culprits, the book encourages us to take an active interest in what we put on our plates and in our mouths, and use the power of our pocketbooks to make it clear that our health, our environment, and our communities are of vital importance. With a foreword by Wendell Berry, hailed by The New York Times Books Review as the “great moral essayist of our day,” The Meat You Eat is an informative and ringing call to arms.”

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The Mindful Vegan: A 30-Day Plan for Finding Health, Balance, Peace, and Happiness

Book: “Are you ready to get to the roots of your challenges around food– whether it’s gratuitous snacking,compulsive or emotional eating, indulging cravings, overeating, or other disheartening habits? Be ready to get mindful. Mindfulness can be the deciding factor between your successful adoption of a healthy vegan diet and repeated frustrating attempts. This simple technique goes under the surface of what is hampering your happiness, providing a sought-after solution to many of life’s ups and downs by rewiring your reactivity to challenges. Certified mindfulness meditation facilitator, award winning health educator, and longtime vegan advocate Lani Muelrath has been practicing mindfulness meditation for 25 years. In The Mindful Vegan, she teaches you how to practice mindfulness and shows how it can bring freedom and a new joy to your eating– and living– experience.”

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The Little Book of Courageous Living

“With grace, acuity, and humor, Miki Kashtan has shared with thousands of people on five continents how to live from love, courage and truth – in every moment, in thought, word, and deed. By integrating these three hallmarks of nonviolence into daily life, radical shifts happen…you begin to choose how to respond to life, rather than merely reacting; you no longer settle for solutions that work only for you or only for others; and, more and more, you step into leadership by taking responsibility for the whole in every situation. This little book contains 200 concise, evocative distillations of her wisdom, illustrated with powerful and original images. The Little Book of Courageous Living is an invitation to you to begin to build your own courageous life.”

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The Little Book of Restorative Justice

“Howard Zehr is the father of Restorative Justice and is known worldwide for his pioneering work in transforming understandings of justice. Here he proposes workable principles and practices for making Restorative Justice possible in this revised and updated edition of his bestselling, seminal book on the movement. (The original edition has sold more than 110,000 copies.) Restorative Justice, with its emphasis on identifying the justice needs of everyone involved in a crime, is a worldwide movement of growing influence that is helping victims and communities heal, while holding criminals accountable for their actions. This is not soft-on-crime, feel-good philosophy, but rather a concrete effort to bring justice and healing to everyone involved in a crime. In The Little Book of Restorative Justice, Zehr first explores how restorative justice is different from criminal justice. Then, before letting those appealing observations drift out of reach into theoretical space, Zehr presents Restorative Justice practices. Zehr undertakes a massive and complex subject and puts it in graspable from, without reducing or trivializing it. This resource is also suitable for academic classes and workshops, for conferences and trainings, as well as for the layperson interested in understanding this innovative and influential movement.”

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The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education: Fostering Responsibility, Healing, and Hope in Schools

“Much more than a response to harm, restorative justice nurtures relational, interconnected school cultures. The wisdom embedded within its principles and practices is being welcomed at a time when exclusionary discipline and zero tolerance policies are recognized as perpetuating student apathy, disproportionality, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Relying on the wisdom of early proponents of restorative justice, the daily experiences of educators, and the authors’ extensive experience as classroom teachers and researchers, this Little Book guides the growth of restorative justice in education (RJE) into the future. Incorporating activities, stories, and examples throughout the book, three major interconnected and equally important aspects of restorative justice in education are explained and applied: creating just and equitable learning environments; building and maintaining healthy relationships; healing harm and transforming conflict. The Little Book of Restorative Justice in Education is a reference that practitioners can turn to repeatedly for clarity and consistency as they implement restorative justice in educational settings.”

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The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty

Book: “For the first time in history, eradicating world poverty is within our reach. Yet around the world, a billion people struggle to live each day on less than many of us pay for bottled water. In The Life You Can Save, Peter Singer uses ethical arguments, illuminating examples, and case studies of charitable giving to show that our current response to world poverty is not only insufficient but morally indefensible. The Life You Can Save teaches us to be a part of the solution, helping others as we help ourselves.”

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The Lifelong Activist: How to Change the World without Losing Your Way

Book: “The Lifelong Activist is a guide to living a joyful and productive life that includes a strong progressive mission. It offers simple and clear instructions that help you figure out the form your authentic life should take, and live that life with a maximum of joy and productivity, and a minimum of fear, guilt and shame. The book’s sections are: -Managing Your Mission (figuring out your authentic mission). -Managing Your Time (building a schedule that allows you to realize that mission). -Managing Your Fears (beating perfectionism, procrastination and blocks to success, so you can follow your schedule). -Managing Your Relationships (leveraging your strengths with those of others). The Lifelong Activist is for liberal activists, artists, campaign workers, labor organizers, volunteers, students, teachers, human services workers, and entrepreneurs, but anyone can use it and learn from it. It can act as a useful handbook for students and young people at the beginning of their careers; those contemplating a career or path change; and those at risk for burnout will find it particularly useful.”

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The Little Book of Circle Processes : A New/Old Approach to Peacemaking

“Our ancestors gathered around a fire in a circle, families gather around their kitchen tables in circles, and now we are gathering in circles as communities to solve problems. This peacemaking practice draws on the ancient Native American tradition of a talking piece and combines that with concepts of democracy and inclusivity. Peacemaking circles are used in neighborhoods to provide support for those harmed by crime and to decide sentences for those who commit crime, in schools to create positive classroom climates and resolve behavior problems, in the workplace to deal with conflict, and in social services to develop more organic support systems for people struggling to get their lives together. The circle process hinges on storytelling. It is an effort bringing astonishing results around the country. A title in The Little Books of Justice and Peacebuilding Series.”

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The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight: Waking Up to Personal and Global Transformation

Book: “A call to consciousness combining spirituality and ecology that offers hope for the future. As the world’s population explodes, cultures and species are wiped out, and we have now reached the halfway point of our supplies of oil, humans the world over are confronting difficult choices about how to create a future that works. Thom Hartmann proposes that the only lasting solution to the crises we face is to re-learn the lessons our ancient ancestors knew — those which allowed them to live sustainably for hundreds of thousands of years — but which we’ve forgotten. Hartmann shows how to find this new yet ancient way of seeing the world and the life on and in it, allowing us to touch that place where the survival of humanity may be found.”

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The Inner Circle: Large Corporations and the Rise of Business Political Activity in the U.S. and U.K.

Book: “Driven by declining profits and government regulation, a new form of class-wide business leadership has emerged: a transcorporate network that is giving a new coherence and power to business in both America and Britain. This book delineates the “inner circle” of top executives who play a leading role in this network, advising the highest levels of government and working to promote a political environment favorable to all business.”

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The Harmonious Wheatsmith

eBook: “Recent history has seen western farmers teaching Africans how to plough like they do in the rich clay lands of Shropshire, and the results have been a disaster. Permaculture, in its heady youth, had Australians teaching Europeans how to do desert work in those same heavy clays. A balance has to come and we will then have chance to do what is sensible in each place. ‘The Harmonious Wheatsmith’ details the method that Marc Bonfils developed for growing grains without ploughing. It is compatible with the awe-inspiring work of Masanobu Fukuoka in Japan (‘The One Straw Revolution’) and so it has been called the Fukuoka-Bonfils method. The value in terms of the erosion of soils speaks for itself. But beyond that I was fascinated by the time scale of the plantings. Marc, communicating through the late Emilia Hazelip, was adamant that his work should not be tainted by being published with any details of bio-dynamic farming, which also has a strong emphasis on timings. So I honoured that request and held off adding anything weirder than his own work. But now I think ‘wouldn’t it be interesting if the grain development of Hugo Erbe were to be the missing piece in getting the Fukuoka-Bonfils method to work more widely’? This was the first book what I wrote – and I had a lot of assistance, primarily from Graham Bell. Graham was very patient since it took a long time to get the illustrations done as my genius illustrator fulfilled another aspect of artistic talent in relation to punctuality. After that it wasn’t very helpful to hear that some people hated the illustrations. Sorry guys, I still think they are great.”

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The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community

Book: “In The Great Turning, David Korten argues that “Empire,” the organization of society through hierarchy and violence has always resulted in misery for the many and fortune for the few, but now it threatens the very future of humanity as Empire has become unsustainable and destructive. Korten traces the roots of Empire and charts the evolution of its instruments of control, from absolute monarchies to the multinational institutions of the global economy. He describes efforts to develop democratic alternatives to Empire, such as the founding of the United States and shows how elitists with an imperial agenda have undermined the “American experiment.” Empire is not inevitable, and we can turn away from it. Korten draws on evidence from evolutionary theory, developmental psychology, and religious teachings to show that a life-centered, egalitarian, sustainable, democratic “Earth Community” is possible.”

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The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights

“Buddhism ought to be an animal rights religion par excellence. It has long held that all life forms are sacred and considers kindness and compassion the highest virtues. Moreover, Buddhism explicitly includes animals in its moral universe. Buddhist rules of conduct—including the first precept, “Do not kill”—apply to our treatment of animals as well as to our treatment of other human beings. Consequently, we would expect Buddhism to oppose all forms of animal exploitation, and there is, in fact, wide agreement that most forms of animal exploitation are contrary to Buddhist teaching. Yet many Buddhists eat meat―although many do not―and monks, priests, and scholars sometimes defend meat-eating as consistent with Buddhist teaching. The Great Compassion studies the various strains of Buddhism and the sutras that command respect for all life. Norm Phelps, a longtime student of Buddhism and an acquaintance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, answers the central questions of whether Buddhism demands vegetarianism and whether the Buddha ate meat. He is not afraid to examine anti-animal statements in Buddhist lore―particularly the issues of whether Buddhists in non-historically Buddhist countries need to keep or to jettison the practices of their historical homelands.”

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The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World

Book: “In 1987, John Robbins published Diet for a New America, which was an early version of this book, and he started the food revolution. He continues to work tirelessly to promote conscious food choices more than 20 years later. First published in 2001, The Food Revolution is still one of the most frequently cited and talked about books of the food-politics revolution. It was one of the very first books to discuss the negative health effects of eating genetically modified foods and animal products of all kinds, to expose the dangers inherent in our factory farming system, and to advocate a complete plant-based diet. The book garnered endorsements by everyone from Paul Hawken to Neal Donald Walsch, Marianne Williamson to Julia Butterfly Hill. After ten years in print, The Food Revolution is timelier than ever–and a very compelling read. The 10th anniversary edition has an updated, new contemporary look and a new introduction by the author.”

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The Expanding Circle: Ethics, Evolution, and Moral Progress

Book: “What is ethics? Where do moral standards come from? Are they based on emotions, reason, or some innate sense of right and wrong? For many scientists, the key lies entirely in biology–especially in Darwinian theories of evolution and self-preservation. But if evolution is a struggle for survival, why are we still capable of altruism? In his classic study The Expanding Circle, Peter Singer argues that altruism began as a genetically based drive to protect one’s kin and community members but has developed into a consciously chosen ethic with an expanding circle of moral concern. Drawing on philosophy and evolutionary psychology, he demonstrates that human ethics cannot be explained by biology alone. Rather, it is our capacity for reasoning that makes moral progress possible. In a new afterword, Singer takes stock of his argument in light of recent research on the evolution of morality.”

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The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter

Book: “Peter Singer, the groundbreaking ethicist whom The New Yorker calls the most influential philosopher alive teams up again with Jim Mason, his coauthor on the acclaimed Animal Factories, to set their critical sights on the food we buy and eat: where it comes from, how it is produced, and whether it was raised humanely. The Ethics of What We Eat explores the impact our food choices have on humans, animals, and the environment. Recognizing that not all of us will become vegetarians, Singer and Mason offer ways to make healthful, humane food choices. As they point out: You can be ethical without being fanatical.”

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The Enigma of Capital: And the Crises of Capitalism

Book: “For three centuries the capitalist system has shaped western society, informed its rulers, and conditioned the lives of its people. Has the time come to move beyond it? Using his unrivalled knowledge of the subject, Harvey lays bare the follies of the international financial system, looking at the nature of capitalism, how it works and why sometimes it doesn’t. He examines the vast flows of money that surge round the world in daily volumes well in excess of the sum of all its economies. He looks at the cycles of boom and bust in the world’s housing and stock markets and shows that periodic episodes of meltdown are not only inevitable in the capitalist system but essential to its survival. The Enigma of Capital is a timely call-to-arms for the end of the capitalism, and makes a compelling case for a new social order that would allow us to live within a system that could be responsible, just and humane.”

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The Everything Vegan Pregnancy Book: All You Need to Know for a Healthy Pregnancy that Fits Your Lifestyle

Book: “Do I need more protein? Am I getting enough nutrients for the baby? How do I defend my decision to stay vegan? These questions and more are on the minds of vegan moms-to-be who want to maintain their lifestyle but still nurture a healthy baby. Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief because a vegan pregnancy is not only possible, it’s also healthy and completely safe. With this helpful guide, you will learn about all aspects of vegan pregnancy from conception to bringing home baby, including: Which foods to eat (and avoid) to get optimum nutrients for you and babyHow to deal with disapproval from family and friendsMethods to ensure a vegan-friendly hospital birthSetting up a vegan nursery for the baby Packed with information for both moms and dads, including 150 nutritious and healthy recipes for the whole family, this book is the ultimate resource for parents who want the best for their baby-without sacrificing the vegan life!”

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The Driftless Reader

Book: “The Driftless Reader gathers writings that highlight the unique natural and cultural history, landscape, and literature of this region that encompasses southwestern Wisconsin and adjacent Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois. The more than eighty selected texts include writings by Black Hawk, Mark Twain, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frank Lloyd Wright, Aldo Leopold, David Rhodes, and many other Native people, explorers, scientists, historians, farmers, songwriters, journalists, and poets. Paintings, photographs, maps, and other images complement the texts, providing a deeper appreciation of this region’s layered natural and human history.”

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The Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications

Book: “The Dietitian’s Guide to Vegetarian Diets: Issues and Applications provides the most up-to-date information on vegetarian diets. Written for dietitians and other health care professionals, the Third Edition can be used as an aid for counseling vegetarian clients and those interested in becoming vegetarian or serve as a textbook for classroom study for students who have completed introductory coursework in nutrition. Evidence-based and thoroughly referenced, this text includes case-studies, sample menus, and counseling points to help students apply material to the real world.”

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The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World

Book: “Here, from a brilliant young writer, is a paradigm-shifting history of both a utopian concept and global movement—the idea of the Third World. The Darker Nations traces the intellectual origins and the political history of the twentieth century attempt to knit together the world’s impoverished countries in opposition to the United States and Soviet spheres of influence in the decades following World War II. Spanning every continent of the global South, Vijay Prashad’s fascinating narrative takes us from the birth of postcolonial nations after World War II to the downfall and corruption of nationalist regimes. A breakthrough book of cutting-edge scholarship, it includes vivid portraits of Third World giants like India’s Nehru, Egypt’s Nasser, and Indonesia’s Sukarno—as well as scores of extraordinary but now-forgotten intellectuals, artists, and freedom fighters. The Darker Nations restores to memory the vibrant though flawed idea of the Third World, whose demise, Prashad ultimately argues, has produced a much impoverished international political arena.”

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The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy

Book: “In this riveting anatomy of authoritarianism, acclaimed journalist William Dobson takes us inside the battle between dictators and those who would challenge their rule. Recent history has seen an incredible moment in the war between dictators and democracy—with waves of protests sweeping Syria and Yemen, and despots falling in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya. But the Arab Spring is only the latest front in a global battle between freedom and repression, a battle that, until recently, dictators have been winning hands-down. The problem is that today’s authoritarians are not like the frozen-in-time, ready-to-crack regimes of Burma and North Korea. They are ever-morphing, technologically savvy, and internationally connected, and have replaced more brutal forms of intimidation with subtle coercion. The Dictator’s Learning Curve explains this historic moment and provides crucial insight into the fight for democracy.”

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The Bioneers: Declarations of Interdependence

Book: “This seminal book presents the fascinating stories of 14 bioneers at the forefront of technological and social innovation inspired by natural systems. First published in 1997, it introduced the emerging bioneers landscape and helped define the culture of restoration. Among the beautifully etched portraits are John Todd, Vandana Shiva, Wil- liam McDonough, John Perkins, Kat Harrison, Ana Edey and Joshua Mailman. Learn some of what and who inspired the creation of Bioneers.”

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The Barefoot Guide 3: Mobilizing Religious Health Assets for Transformation

Book: “Health, freedom and social justice cannot be separated. Anyone who loves a neighborhood, a nation or a small planet enough to work for its future, inevitably measures success by its health and well-being. How long do the neighbors live, and with what degree of freedom from the burden of illness? Do they have water, food, shelter and access to medical services? Martin Luther King, who fought and died for political rights, could say that “of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.” Health is one way to describe our capacity to be alive and to play our role as members of families and neighborhoods, indeed as citizens. But how does one choose life for the community? How do we as leaders make sure that our lives are about life and health?”

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The Barefoot Guide One: Working with Organisations and Social Change

Book: “This is a practical, do-it-yourself guide for leaders and facilitators wanting to help organisations to function and to develop in more healthy, human and effective ways as they strive to make their contributions to a more humane society. It has been developed by the Barefoot Collective. The guide, with its supporting website, includes tried and tested concepts, approaches, stories and activities. Its purpose is to help stimulate and enrich the practice of anyone supporting organisations and social movements in their challenges of working, learning, growing and changing to meet the needs of our complex world. Although it is aimed at leaders and facilitators of civil society organisations, we hope it will be useful to anyone interested in fostering healthy human organisation in any sphere of life. The Barefoot Guide is offered free to the world and can be downloaded below. In the Resource Library will you also find additional downloadable exercises, readings, case studies and diagrams to accompany the Barefoot Guide.” Download free copies (multiple languages) or buy hard copies (English only).

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The Barefoot Guide Two: Learning Practices in Organisations and Social Change

Book: “The Barefoot Guide 2 is a free, downloadable and practical resource for leaders, facilitators and practitioners involved in social change who want to improve and enrich their learning processes. But this is not just another book on organisational learning and social change. It is different in many ways. It is different in that it was not written by one person. Neither is it a collection of essays written by different people. This book is the joint effort of a group of development practitioners from across the globe. We have created something that will help us and others to start, and continue, the journey towards learning and social change. We (the writers) are all passionate about learning and have brought our different experience and expertise to the book. It includes topics as diverse as community mobilising and development, adult learning, funding, evaluation, facilitation, and creative writing.” Download free copies (multiple languages) or buy hard copies (English only).

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The Animals’ Vegan Manifesto

Book: “Sue Coe’s advocacy of animal rights is unmatched in its eloquence, forcefulness, and lasting impact. She does so with a combination of extraordinary images and few words. In her unstinting insistence on tolerance and love, Coe brings us to a life-affirming philosophy that values compassion over greed, community over self, and life over capital. In 115 black-and-white woodcut illustrations for The Animals’ Vegan Manifesto, Sue Coe unleashes an outraged cry for action that takes its rightful place alongside the other great manifestos of history. As a prize-winning artist, she bears witness to unspeakable crimes, and has long advocated that we human beings must take more responsibility for ourselves, our fellow species, and the planet. Her illustrations, in the tradition of Goya, Kollwitz, and Grosz, will be familiar to many; her paintings, drawings and prints have been exhibited in galleries and museum around the world, including New York’s Museum of Modern Art.”

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The Art of Disappearing: The Buddha’s Path to Lasting Joy

“Whether mere bumps in the road or genuine crises, we live in a world of unwanted events that no willpower can prevent. In The Art of Disappearing, Ajahn Brahm helps us learn to abandon the headwind of false expectations and follow instead the Buddha’s path of understanding. Releasing our attachment to past and future, to self and other, we can directly experience the natural state of serenity underlying all our thoughts and discover the bliss of the present moment. In that space, we learn what it is to disappear. Ajahn Brahm, an unparalleled guide to the bliss of meditation, makes the journey as fun as it is rewarding. The Art of Disappearing, comprised of a series of teachings Ajahn Brahm gave to the monks of Bodhinyana Monastery, where he serves as abbot, offers a unique glimpse into the mind of one of contemporary Buddhism’s most engaging figures.”

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The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World

Book: “Blending common sense and modern psychiatry, The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World applies Buddhist tradition to twenty-first-century struggles in a relevant way. The result is a wise approach to dealing with human problems that is both optimistic and realistic, even in the most challenging times. How can we expect to find happiness and meaning in our lives when the modern world seems such an unhappy place? His Holiness the Dalai Lama has suffered enormously throughout his life, yet he always seems to be smiling and serene. How does he do it? In The Art of Happiness in a Troubled World, Dr. Cutler walks readers through the Dalai Lama’s philosophy on how to achieve peace of mind and come to terms with life’s inherent suffering. Together, the two examine the roots of many of the problems facing the world and show us how we can approach these calamities in a way that alleviates suffering, and helps us along in our personal quests to be happy. Through stories, meditations, and in-depth conversations, the Dalai Lama teaches readers to identify the cultural influences and ways of thinking that lead to personal unhappiness, making sense of the hardships we face personally, as well as the afflictions suffered by others.”

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The Animal Activist’s Handbook: Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today’s World

Book: “Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich take the plight of the world’s animals seriously and have dedicated their lives to ending their suffering. The Animal Activist’s Handbook argues that meaning in life is to be found, quite simply, in turning away from the futile pursuit of “more,” and focusing instead on leaving the planet a better place than you found it. The critical component of creating a better world for all is thoughtful, deliberate, and dedicated activism that takes suffering seriously. The authors build a ground-up case for reasoned, impassioned, and joyous activism that makes the most difference possible, and suggest a variety of ways to live a meaningful life through effective and efficient advocacy.”

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The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation? (Critical Perspectives on Animals: Theory, Culture, Science, and Law)

Book: “Gary L. Francione is a law professor and leading philosopher of animal rights theory. Robert Garner is a political theorist specializing in the philosophy and politics of animal protection. Francione maintains that we have no moral justification for using nonhumans and argues that because animals are property—or economic commodities—laws or industry practices requiring “humane” treatment will, as a general matter, fail to provide any meaningful level of protection. Garner favors a version of animal rights that focuses on eliminating animal suffering and adopts a protectionist approach, maintaining that although the traditional animal-welfare ethic is philosophically flawed, it can contribute strategically to the achievement of animal-rights ends. As they spar, Francione and Garner deconstruct the animal protection movement in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe, and elsewhere, discussing the practices of such organizations as PETA, which joins with McDonald’s and other animal users to “improve” the slaughter of animals. They also examine American and European laws and campaigns from both the rights and welfare perspectives, identifying weaknesses and strengths that give shape to future legislation and action.”

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The Accidental Activist

Book: “Not every activist starts out with the goal of changing the world. Some have their life shaped by chance, quirks of timing, and strange coincidences. And an unwillingness—or simple inability—to fully ignore the horrors perpetrated on animals today. Since Matt Ball learned of factory farms well over a quarter century ago, his journey has been anything but linear. Instead, his evolution has been fraught with denial, regression, conflicts, and failures. Matt’s evolution shows that not every activist is a confident extrovert with all the answers. His struggles—often publicly played out in written form, in newsletters, mailings, blogs—have influenced, directly and indirectly, countless individuals. Even though accidental and reluctant, the hard-learned but ultimately pragmatic lessons Matt shares in this book are changing the world. Having learned from years of mistakes, his insights can help others be effective and, hopefully, happier as well. As Peter Singer notes, “A new future is in sight, one that Matt, Vegan Outreach, and other advocates are hard at work creating.” This book can help each of us be a part of bringing about this new future.”

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The Activists’ Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Participatory Democracy

Book: “‘The Activists’ Handbook’ is a powerful guide to grassroots activism. A priceless resource for everyone ready to make a difference, environmental activist Aidan Ricketts offers a step-by-step handbook for citizens eager to start or get involved in grassroots movements and beyond. Providing all essential practical tools, methods and strategies needed for a successful campaign and extensively discussing legal and ethical issues, this book empowers its readers to effectively promote their cause. Lots of ready-to-use documents and comprehensive information on digital activism and group strategy make this book an essential companion for any campaign. Including case studies from the US, UK, Canada and Australia, this is the ultimate guidebook to participatory democracy.”

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The Amoral Elephant: Globalization and the Struggle for Social Justice in the Twenty-First Century

Book: “The Amoral Elephant examines the implications of globalization, drawing parallels to earlier stages of capitalist development to demonstrate the social burdens arising from the exploding financial markets. Tabb describes how international institutions, most importantly the International Monetary Fund and the WTO have focused on neoliberal goals to erode the welfare state and shift wealth from the poor to the rich. Moreover, he shows how regulatory frameworks—such as the proposed Multilateral Agreement on Investment, NAFTA, and the misleadingly named “Africa Growth and Opportunity Act”—are designed by these powerful institutions to provide greater freedom and opportunity for capital at the expense of social needs.”

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The Age of Thrivability

“The Age of Thrivability is a promising new era that awaits us, if only enough of us choose to align with life actively and intentionally in our work and in our communities. The journey into thrivability requires a shift in both perspective and practice. The good news is: there are plenty of signposts pointing the way — and there are even more pioneers blazing a trail, with approaches that are both more joyful and more effective. “

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

Book: “One of the most inspiring and impactful books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has captivated readers for 25 years. It has transformed the lives of presidents and CEOs, educators and parents—in short, millions of people of all ages and occupations across the world. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Stephen Covey’s cherished classic commemorates his timeless wisdom, and encourages us to live a life of great and enduring purpose.”

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Terrorists or Freedom Fighters

Book: “The first anthology of writings on the history, ethics, politics and tactics of the Animal Liberation Front, Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? features both academic and activist perspectives and offers powerful insights into this international organization and its position within the animal rights movement. Calling on sources as venerable as Thomas Aquinas and as current as the Patriot Act—and, in some cases, personal experience—the contributors explore the history of civil disobedience and sabotage, and examine the philosophical and cultural meanings of words like “terrorism,” “democracy” and “freedom,” in a book that ultimately challenges the values and assumptions that pervade our culture. Contributors include Robin Webb, Rod Coronado, Ingrid Newkirk, Paul Watson, Karen Davis, Bruce Friedrich, pattrice jones and others.”

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Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion

Book: ““Destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” (Los Angeles Times)—Tattoos on the Heart is a series of parables about kinship and redemption from pastor, activist, and renowned speaker, Father Gregory Boyle. For twenty years, Father Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles—also known as the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he has distilled his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith. From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JC Penney fresh out of prison, you learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Pipi you learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Lulu you come to understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the dark—as Father Boyle phrases it, we can only shine a flashlight on a light switch in a darkened room. This is a motivating look at how to stay faithful in spite of failure, how to meet the world with a loving heart, and how to conquer shame with boundless, restorative love.”

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Teaching Defiance: Stories and Strategies for Activist Educators

Book: “Michael Newman—a two-time winner of the Cyril O. Houle Award for Outstanding Literature in Adult Education—examines the use of rational discourse, nonrational discourse, and storytelling to bring about personal and collective change. Using a powerful blend of theoretical discussion and step-by-step accounts of practice, Newman returns to what actually happens in that magical encounter between teacher and learner. He examines the educational use of emotions such as frustration, dismay, anger, hatred and love. He proposes ways of teaching and learning insight. He examines how educators can teach people to take effective action. And he discusses how educators and learners can work together to make that action morally justifiable. Newman argues that the educator’s role is to help people resist the controls imposed on them by others. The task, the challenge, the mission of the activist educator is to teach defiance.”

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Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

Book: “Why is it so hard to make lasting changes in our companies, in our communities, and in our own lives? The primary obstacle is a conflict that’s built into our brains, say Chip and Dan Heath, authors of the critically acclaimed bestseller Made to Stick. Psychologists have discovered that our minds are ruled by two different systems—the rational mind and the emotional mind—that compete for control. The rational mind wants a great beach body; the emotional mind wants that Oreo cookie. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort—but if it is overcome, change can come quickly…In a compelling, story-driven narrative, the Heaths bring together decades of counterintuitive research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how we can effect transformative change. Switch shows that successful changes follow a pattern, a pattern you can use to make the changes that matter to you, whether your interest is in changing the world or changing your waistline.”

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Strategy & Soul: a campaigner’s tale of fighting billionaires, corrupt officials, and Philadelphia casinos

Book: “When Daniel Hunter and Jethro Heiko began planning at a kitchen table, they knew that their movement would be outspent by hundreds of millions of dollars. They were up against powerful elected officials, private investigators, hired thugs, and the state supreme court. Even before they started, newspapers concluded the movement had no chance.This riveting David versus Goliath story is a rare first-person narrative, giving unparalled access to the behind-the-scenes of campaigns: the fervent worrying in late-night meetings, yelling matches behind church benches, and last-minute action planning outside judges’ chambers. It’s in the heat of these moments that the nuances of strategy come to life, showing what it takes to overpower billionaires for a cause you believe in. Written by an experienced and unusually self-reflective direct action organizer, this book might be the most enjoyable way you’ve ever empowered yourself to change the world.”

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Strategy For A Living Revolution

Book: “Gandhi taught that nonviolence is all-pervasive. A commitment to nonviolence is more than acting nonviolently in any given conflict; it’s also a commitment to the creation of a nonviolent society. A theory of nonviolent revolution is evolving that encompasses the broad institutional, economic, and social changes needed to dismantle the war system on which our society is now based. In Powerful Peacemaking, George Lakey lays out a flexible five-step model for bringing about these fundamental changes, on the individual and societal level, with lots of historical examples. Lakey’s twenty years’ experience in the trenches of nonviolent action puts inspiration, reality, and guts behind his words.”

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Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism

Book: “Animal protection is one of the most passionately debated issues of our day. In light of recent legislation and intensified pressure put on activists around the world, those advocates fighting for animal liberation or even animal welfare need a single resource covering the major, and some minor, models of animal activism. Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism brings together the most effective tactics for speaking out for animals and gives voice to activists from around the globe, who explain why their chosen models of activism have been successful — and how others can get involved.”

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Stories of the Great Turning

“This book tells stories of how ordinary people in their everyday lives have responded to the challenges of living more sustainably. In these difficult times, we need stories that engage, enchant and inspire. Most of all, we need stories of practical changes, of community action, of changing hearts and minds. This is a book that takes the question, “What can I do?” and sets out to find some answers using one of our species’ most vital skills: the ability to tell stories in which to spread knowledge, ideas, inspiration and hope. Read about the transformation of wasteland and the installation of water power, stories about reducing consumption and creating sustainable business, stories from people changing how they live their lives and the inner transformations this demands. “

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Strategic Action for Animals: A Handbook on Strategic Movement Building, Organizing, and Activism for Animal Liberation

Book: “The animal liberation movement is growing in size and strength, but so are the industries that exploit animals. These industries have vastly more resources at their disposal than activists do. Given this tremendous power differential, how can activists hope to compete? The good news is that there is a way to shift the balance of power in favor of the movement. And strategy is the way. In Strategic Action for Animals, Melanie Joy explains how to use strategy to exponentially increase the effectiveness of activism for animals. Drawing on diverse movements and sources, she offers tried and true tactics based on well-established principles and practices. She also explains how to address the most common problems that weaken the movement, such as dissidence among organizations and activists, inefficient campaigns, wasted resources, and high rates of burnout. Whether you are working alone or with a group, whether you are a seasoned activist or new to the movement, Strategic Action for Animals, can help you make the most of your efforts to make the world a better place for animals.”

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Strategy & Soul

Book: “Strategy and soul: a campaigner’s tale of fighting billionaires, corrupt officials, and philadelphia casinos. When Daniel Hunter and Jethro Heiko began planning at a kitchen table, they knew that their movement would be outspent by hundreds of millions of dollars. They were up against powerful elected officials, private investigators, hired thugs, and the state supreme court. Even before they started, newspapers concluded the movement had no chance. This riveting David versus Goliath story is a rare first-person narrative, giving unparalled access to the behind-the-scenes of campaigns: the fervent worrying in late-night meetings, yelling matches behind church benches, and last-minute action planning outside judges’ chambers. It’s in the heat of these moments that the nuances of strategy come to life, showing what it takes to overpower billionaires for a cause you believe in. Written by an experienced and unusually self-reflective direct action organizer, this book might be the most enjoyable way you’ve ever empowered yourself to change the world.”

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Stir It Up: Lessons in Community Organizing and Advocacy

Book: “Stir It Up–written by renowned activist and trainer Rinku Sen–identifies the key priorities and strategies that can help advance the mission of any social change group. This groundbreaking book addresses the unique challenges and opportunities the new global economy poses for activist groups and provides concrete guidance for community organizations of all orientations. Sponsored by the Ms. Foundation, Stir It Up draws on lessons learned from Sen’s groundbreaking work with women’s groups organizing for economic justice. Throughout the book, Sen walks readers through the steps of building and mobilizing a constituency and implementing key strategies that can effect social change. The book is filled with illustrative case studies that highlight best organizing practices in action and each chapter contains tools that can help groups tailor Sen’s model for their own organizational needs. Stir It Up will show your organization how to: -Design and conduct actions that further campaign goals. -Develop effective leaders. -Build strong alliances and networks. -Generate and use solid research. -Design an effective media strategy. -Put in place a plan for internal political education and consciousness-raising. With the information, tools, and suggestions outlined in this book your organization can use your “good idea” to change the world.”

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Spinning Threads of Radical Aliveness: Transcending the Legacy of Separation in Our Individual Lives

Book: “Do you carry within you a longing for an entirely different world? One which is aligned with our human needs, in which we collaborate with each other and the natural world, in which separation, scarcity, and powerlessness are a thing of the past? If so, this book will give you an extraordinary gift by serving as a blueprint for how you can become a one-person model of what life could be like. The key to this path is to radically change your relationship with your human needs, so that you can accept, even embrace them, and use them as guides for all your actions.”

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SPIN Works!: A Media Guidebook for Communicating Values and Shaping Opinion

Book: “SPIN Works! is an activist-friendly and extremely useful media guidebook produced by the SPIN Project (Strategic Press Information Network). This guidebook is full of media tips, tactics, strategies, and real-world examples, based on the SPIN Project’s work with hundreds of public interest organizations across the nation. It’s designed to give grassroots organizers and people interested in positive social change basic and advanced skills for shaping public opinion on their issues through the press. Written with flair, humor and practicality, the guidebook is divided into five sections: The basics, The message, Moving the message, Reacting to media coverage, and Media and community, plus an extensive resource section, numerous case studies, scores of “how to” check lists, several media “models” and much more.”

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Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in Challenging Times

Book: “Soul of a Citizen awakens within us the desire and the ability to make our voices heard and our actions count. We can lead lives worthy of our convictions. A book of inspiration and integrity, Soul of a Citizen is an antidote to the twin scourges of modern life–powerlessness and cynicism. In his evocative style, Paul Loeb tells moving stories of ordinary Americans who have found unexpected fulfillment in social involvement. Through their example and Loeb’s own wise and powerful lessons, we are compelled to move from passivity to participation. The reward of our action, we learn, is nothing less than a sense of connection and purpose not found in a purely personal life. Soul of a Citizen has become the handbook for budding social activists, veteran organizers, and anybody who wants to make a change—big or small—in the world around them. At this critical historical time , Paul Loeb’s completely revised edition—and inspiring message—is more urgently important than ever.”

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SNCC: The New Abolitionists (Radical 60s)

Book: “Howard Zinn tells the story of one of the most important political groups in American history. SNCC: The New Abolitionists influenced a generation of activists struggling for civil rights and seeking to learn from the successes and failures of those who built the fantastically influential Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. It is considered an indispensable study of the organization, of the 1960s, and of the process of social change. Includes a new introduction by the author.”

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Social Ecology: Applying Ecological Understanding to Our Lives and Our Planet

Book: “Social ecology addresses the burning question of how to apply ecological understanding to every aspect of our lives. The twenty-seven contributors, all of whom have directly or indirectly contributed to the teaching of social ecology in Australia and beyond, share their experiences in this “coming of age” anthology of keynote articles. These are of particular relevance to educators and students. The book provides a holistic framework for change, based on the interrelationships among the personal, social, environmental, and spiritual. It helps the reader realize how we got where we are and how to better understand sustainable, caring futures. Students from all disciplines can use this valuable resource to help enrich their learning with insights and principles from the field of social ecology. The introduction maps social ecology as an emerging field. Articles about place, story, nature, education, and community illustrate ways to apply our understanding of social ecology, systems theory, transformative learning, holistic education, empathic intelligence, sense of place, shamanic practices, poetic inquiry, archetypal theory, deep ecology, aesthetics, creativity, curriculum design, drama education, cross-cultural learning, and indigenous knowing. Includes inspiring stories of activists and community educators applying the wisdom of social ecology at the leading edge of change, including a chapter by tCA director James Whelan.”

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Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability

Book: “Smart by Nature: Schooling for Sustainability portrays the growing sustainability movement in K-12 education, showcasing inspiring stories of public, independent, and charter schools across the country. This 216-page book describes strategies for greening the campus and the curriculum, conducting environmental audits, rethinking school food, and transforming schools into models of sustainable community.”

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Small Acts of Resistance: How Courage, Tenacity, and a Bit of Ingenuity Can Change the World

Book: “In a world of Goliaths, we need stories of Davids to sustain us. With its gutsy, creative and rousing tales of ordinary people creating extraordinary change, Small Acts of Resistance proves that it is possible – armed with a little ingenuity and a lot of passion – to bring down dictators, change unfair laws, fight injustice and raise ones voice in freedom by defying those who would deny it. Spanning the globe and history, this puts a pop culture spin on human rights with its accessible and inspiring approach to international activism. Moving from Albania to Zimbabwe, and throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, Small Acts offers an engaging collection of over 100 stories celebrating courage, perseverance and the resilience of the human spirit.”

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Simply Vegan: Quick Vegetarian Meals

Book: “An extensive vegan nutrition section written by Reed Mangels, Ph.D. R.D., on topics such as Protein, Fat, Calcium, Iron, Vitamin B12, Pregnancy and the Vegan Diet. Over 160 Vegan recipes that can be prepared quickly.”

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Secrets and Lies: The Anatomy of an Anti-Environmental PR Campaign

Book: “What makes Secrets and Lies so unique and invaluable are the scores of documents upon which it is based – secret internal missives, strategies and tactics that served as the battle plan of the hidden propaganda war waged by a New Zealand state-owned logging company, Timberlands West Coast Limited, and its mercenary PR consultants. What Secrets and Lies describes is happening every day, in similar ways, on every issue of economic and political importance where public controversies rage or could erupt. The activities and events described here are not exceptions, they are the rule. What is exceptional is that they are revealed.”

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Seeds of Distrust : The Story of a GE Cover-up

Book: “In November, 2000, in the middle of the Royal Commission on genetic engineering, the Government learned that a shipment of GE contaminated sweet corn seeds had been planted in three regions of New Zealand. Imposing strict secrecy, Prime Minister Helen Clark took control of the issue and said that the crops must be pulled out. It is a story about the anti-democratic influence of big business, political expediency, abuse of power, manipulation of the news media and misleading a Royal Commission. Above all, it is about a serious breach of trust by the very people who had been saying ‘trust us’ over genetic engineering in New Zealand. This case study provides useful insights for activists who seek to influence government policy.”

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Secondary Traumatic Stress: Self-Care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers, and Educators

Book: “As our knowledge of traumatic stress grows, so too does our awareness of the high cost of caring. Beginning with the assumption that caring for people who have experienced highly stressful events puts the caregiver at risk for developing similar stress-related symptoms, this book brings together some of the best thinkers in the trauma field to write about the prevention and treatment of Secondary Traumatic Stress. This “cutting edge” material not only reflects the current state of knowledge about secondary traumatization, but in a personal way explores our ethical obligations to each other, to our communities, and to future trauma research. Revised, expanded edition includes a new preface and introduction, a revised chapter on telehealth, a new chapter on moderating secondary traumatic stress through administrative and policy action, an extensive bibliography, and a new index!”

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Sacred Economics

“Sacred Economics traces the history of money from ancient gift economies to modern capitalism, revealing how the money system has contributed to alienation, competition, and scarcity, destroyed community, and necessitated endless growth. “

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Sacred Plants—A Gift From the Gods

“Download the Free E-guide “Sacred Plants—A Gift From the Gods” In this e-guide, John Perkins, best-selling author and co-founder of Pachamama Alliance, discusses how plants can be vehicles of change—helping us to put aside assumptions so that we can be free to live more fulfilling lives. Download the full e-guide and: -Explore the four types of plants that are held sacred by most indigenous peoples. -Discover how plants can offer access to a deeper reality and greater understanding for personal, shamanic journeys. -Learn how plants can offer individual lessons that are as unique as we are.

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Rules for Radicals: A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals

“What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. The Prince was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. Rules for Radicals is written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away. In this book we are concerned with how to create mass organizations to seize power and give it to the people; to realize the democratic dream of equality, justice, peace, cooperation, equal and full opportunities for education, full and useful employment, health, and the creation of those circumstances in which man can have the chance to live by values that give meaning to life.”

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Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes

Book: “Katya Andresen, a veteran marketer and nonprofit professional, demystifies winning marketing campaigns by reducing them to ten essential rules and provides entertaining examples and simple steps for applying the rules ethically and effectively to good causes of all kinds. The Robin Hood rules steal from the winning formulas for selling socks, cigarettes, and even mattresses, with good advice for appealing to your audiences’ values, not your own; developing a strong, competitive stance; and injecting into every message four key elements that compel people to take notice. Andresen, who is also a former journalist, also reveals the best route to courting her former colleagues in the media and getting your message into their reporting.”

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Roots for Radicals

“Roots for Radicals is a distillation of the Industrial Areas Foundation philosophy and its unique approach to community organizing. The IAF is the oldest and largest institution for community organizing in the United States. For sixty years, its mission has been to train people to take responsibility for solving the problems in their own communities and to renew the interest of citizens in public life. The IAF, now headed by the author, Edward T. Chambers, has taken founder Saul Alinsky’s original vision, refined it, and created a sophisticated national network of citizens’ organizations. One of the key activities is its 10-day training sessions for community organizers.”

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Roots to Power: A Manual for Grassroots Organizing

“When ordinary people band together to gain more control over their life conditions, the first order of business is to organize in pursuit of collective action. This how-to manual presents strategies, tactics, methods, and techniques that community members can use to set their own goals, select issues, campaign for these issues, recruit members, develop leaders, hold effective meetings, conduct research, lobby politicians and legislators, and get the word out to the media. The author brings more than three decades of experience to the task of explaining root principles for developing and exercising collective power; he moves effortlessly from such broad discussions into providing specific tips for effective organizing methods and techniques. Armed with the information in this book, any community can bring about social change through collective action.”

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Roads to Dominion: Right-Wing Movements and Political Power in the United States

Book: “How did the American right wing, which began as a small clique of post-World War II conservative intellectuals, transform into well-heeled, grassroots movements representing millions of ordinary citizens? Providing insight into today’s headlines, Roads to Dominion answers this question with a compelling and thorough look at the broad range of right-wing movements in this country. Based on research that draws extensively from primary source literature, Sara Diamond traces the development of four types of right-wing movements over the past 50 yearsm-the anticommunist conservative movement, the racist Right, the Christian Right, and the neoconservativesm-and provides an astute historical analysis of each. Maintaining a nonjudgmental tone throughout the book, she explores these movements’ roles within the political process and examines their relationships with administrations in power.”

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Reveille for Radicals

Book: “Legendary community organizer Saul Alinsky inspired a generation of activists and politicians with Reveille for Radicals, the original handbook for social change. Alinsky writes both practically and philosophically, never wavering from his belief that the American dream can only be achieved by an active democratic citizenship. First published in 1946 and updated in 1969 with a new introduction and afterword, this classic volume is a bold call to action that still resonates today.”

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Reweaving Our Human Fabric: Working Together to Create a Nonviolent Future

“Imagine: A future world in which we all value people and life and participate in a flow of generosity. A world where sharing our gifts and the mundane tasks of life are both done with wholehearted willingness, free of coercion. A world where attending to everyone’s needs is the organizing principle. Miki Kashtan weaves together vivid social science fiction stories that bring that world to life with compelling nonfiction about how to get there.”

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Research Methods for Community Change: A Project-Based Approach

Book: “Everyone is a member of a community, and every community is continually changing. To successfully manage that change, community members need information. Research Methods for Community Change: A Project-Based Approach is an in-depth review of all of the research methods that communities use to solve problems, develop their resources, and protect their identities. With an engaging, friendly style and numerous real world examples, author Randy Stoecker shows readers how to use a project-based research model in the community. The four features of the model are: -Diagnosing a community condition. -Prescribing an intervention for the condition. -Implementing the prescription. -Evaluating its impact.”

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Resource Manual for a Living Revolution

Book: “An all time favourite of activist educators. Nicknamed ‘the Monster Manual’ this trainers’ manual made a big impact in Australian social change movements during the 1970s when it was used by trainers during the Franklin dam blockade. Coover and her co-authors were active members of the Quaker network Movement for a New Society. It remains one of the best sources for trainers working around facilitation, decision making and group maintenance. Out of print, but generally available from second hand through online bookstores.”

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Remembering Tomorrow: From SDS to Life After Capitalism: A Memoir

Book: “In this lucid political memoir, veteran anti-capitalist activist Michael Albert offers an ardent defense of the project to transform global inequality. Albert, a uniquely visionary figure, recounts a life of uncompromising commitment to creating change one step at a time. Whether chronicling the battles against the Vietnam War, those waged on Boston campuses, or the challenges of creating living, breathing alternative social models, Albert brings a keen and unwavering sense of justice to his work, pointing the way forward for the next generation.”

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Remaking Society

Book: “Remaking Society is a primer on Murray Bookchin’s ideas. In an accessible style it takes the reader through anthropology; the emergence of heirarchy and modern capitalism; technology; utopian radical solutions; urbanization and communities; and the ethics of social ecology – or towards a philosophy of nature and community. Murray Bookchin (1921 – 2006) was an American anarchist and libertarian socialist author, orator, historian, and political theorist. A pioneer in the ecology movement, Bookchin initiated the critical theory of social ecology within anarchist, libertarian socialist, and ecological thought. He was the author of two dozen books covering topics in politics, philosophy, history, urban affairs, and ecology.”

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Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook, a Moveable Feast

Book: “Beautifully designed A-Z of the totality of revolutionary politics. This brand new Crimethinc book is the action guide – the direct action guide. From affinity groups to wheatpasting, coalition building, hijacking events, mental health, pie-throwing, shoplifting, stenciling, supporting survivors of domestic violence, surviving a felony trial, torches, and whole bunch more. Incredible design, and lots of graphics give it that hip situ feel. Loads to read, to think about, and to do. At 650 pages, you could always throw the damn book at a suitable target. What are you waiting for?”

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Reclaiming Our Health: Exploding the Medical Myth and Embracing the Source of True Healing

Book: “Reclaiming Our Health is best-selling author John Robbins biggest and most important book to date. Elaborately researched and fluidly written, Reclaiming Our Health is a provocative and crystal-clear commentary on one of the most complex issues facing America today – national health care. In an epic look at the human and financial consequences of the polarization of traditional and alternative medicine, John Robbins calls for nothing short of a revolution in the basic beliefs on which traditional health care is provided. Robbins has written a masterpiece that will be as popular with people unhappy with the medical establishment as Diet for a New America is with critics of the meat industry. Although we spend $1 trillion each year on health care, the toll in human suffering from degenerative disease continues to rise and many in our country cannot afford basic health care. Meanwhile, women are growing increasingly frustrated with the care they receive from a male-dominated system; and the incidence of dangerous communicable diseases is growing. There are answers to these problems and the myriad others that we face, but the dogmatic and monopolistic beliefs held by modern medicine are preventing us from finding the. Reclaiming Our Health presents a brilliant, refreshing, and uplifting new vision of what health care might be.”

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