bookclubs
Social Issues Reading Club
If you wonder how society works, what the big issues are, and who's making the world turn, consider joining or starting a social issues book club. It works like any other book club—you get a few good readers together to discuss a featured title. The difference is that you'll find new ways to impact your world, as you read challenging books on a range of societal and global issues.
list of our recent titles
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life , by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp
Our book club enjoyed this selection for its comic
relief, except when it edged into light cynicism.
Kingsolver truly has a way with words, as she
chronicles her family's year-long effort to live on
locally-grown food—an effort mostly achieved and
only sometimes compromised for the sake of peace and
sanity.
The best part of the book is the running narrative on
Lily's chickens. Will the littlest family member sell
the number of eggs she needs to break even? Will she
find a rooster who's more than macho, to take care of
the hens? And so on. All in all, the book is a great
read for anyone who hasn't yet considered the power of
his/her fork in this world.
Radical Simplicity: Small Footprints on a Finite Earth , by Jim Merkel
Merkel's call to simplicity is a strong pull in the
opposite direction of Cradle to Cradle. Seeing the
earth as a limited place of production and resources,
he urgently suggests that we tighten our belts and cut
our consumption. Merkel himself was a military arms
salesperson until he was confronted with images of the
Exxon Valdez spill. These images of humanity's
destruction sent him in a new direction—one he hopes
we'll seriously consider.
The book is more like a collection of fleshed out
notebook entries, with no strong unifying narrative;
it also spends a great deal of time on how to
calculate one's ecological footprint. Regardless, our
group found his message timely. After all, we
consumers are not yet free, in a world that offers too
many harmful products and too many opportunities to
sell ourselves into debt.
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things , by William McDonough and Michael Braungart
This book tells much of the story that Living
Downstream tells: we live in a toxic world. From our
couch cushions to our carpets, life preservers to
running shoes, we are constantly being exposed to
carcinogenic and otherwise harmful materials.
In light of this and in spite of this, McDonough and
Braungart don't suggest we should stop consuming.
Using the example of the ant in nature, they remind us
that all living things consume. The question is what
we consume and how we dispose of it.
Taking a visionary stance, the authors suggest it's
time for designers to take responsibility for
developing products that are harmless, even
beneficial. Our reading group found the book a little
idealistic, but inspiring nonetheless.
Living Downstream: An Ecologist Looks at Cancer and the Environment , by Sandra Steingraber
One
in three Americans are now expected to get cancer. Many of us have already lived
this statistic ourselves, or with friends and family. We've experienced
difficult losses and occasional triumphs, making this selection both timely and
compelling. Written by Sandra Steingraber—a poet, biologist and cancer survivor—this
book combines poignant reflection and hard science in an attempt to unravel the
mystery of our world's unprecedented cancer story. Overall, Living Downstream is
a sobering, bracing, yet gracious read.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Make a Big Difference , by Malcolm Gladwell
Not
an obvious choice for a social issues reading club, we decided to read this one
anyhow. After all, we are people looking to make changes in our communities and
larger society. This book, though business oriented, offered insight on how we
can make our ideas and actions "tip" into the mainstream—much like a
company might make its product tip to success in the consumer market. If you
like psychological studies and anecdotes, you'll appreciate the approach of
The Tipping Point
.
Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy , by Kevin Bales
As
the world's foremost slavery expert, Bales takes us on a sobering tour across
the globe. From the coal-making batterias of Brazil to the brothels of Thailand,
from the brick factories of Pakistan to the bonded-labor farms of India, he
looks into the eyes of the oppressed and gives voice to their cries. We could
not walk away from this book unchanged... and some of us are even reading our
barbecue coal bags now, unwilling to toss a burger onto a fire made with the
embers of someone's lost freedom and suffering soul.
Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash , by Elizabeth Royte
Beginning
in her New York kitchen, Royte explores trash from the ground up. Weighing and
categorizing her castoffs is the first step, and a sloppy one at that. But, it
provides ample questions that fuel a journey into wetlands and scrap yards,
recycling plants and landfills. Always witty and informative, Royte learns and
passes on astonishing and sometimes melancholy facts. An eye-opener for the avid
consumer and the reluctant conserver, Garbage Land gives us the dirt on our
behavior, and can inspire us to rethink our lifestyles and promote solutions.
Altogether, a clean read, despite its trashy subject.
Savages , by Joe Kane
A
gripping account of cultural and material clashes in the Oriente. Kane's bias
against certain evangelical's influence on native tribes might be hard for some
readers to swallow, but his story is well worth the read. First-hand reporting
of oil in all the wrong places shatters our visions of pristine Ecuadorian
rainforests. And, we are compelled to ask, who will step in to defend God's
exquisite creation?
The Overspent American , by Juliet B. Schor
How
does spending money relate to our desire for a respectable identity? Why do we
want things? And, why don't we feel satisfied when we get them? Juliet B. Schor
answers these vital questions, which offers hope to people who are running on
financial empty. Altogether, she helps us reflect on the questionable aspects of
the American Dream.
Savage Inequalities , by Jonathan Kozol
Are
all schools created equal? This is the question Kozol addresses as he travels
from the Bronx to Riverdale, St. Louis to Appalachia. Readers will be surprised
to discover third-world conditions right here in America. Though Kozol's account
borders on the sensational, its observations demand, at minimum, a personal
evaluation of attitudes. We can't help but reflect on issues of fairness in a
country that promises the same dream to all its residents.
Seeds of Deception , by Jeffrey Smith
Genetic
engineering is a hot topic, and it should be, according to Jeffrey Smith. His
thoroughly-researched book looks at everything from science to FDA policy to
some very interesting wild-life responses (Why do the pigs avoid GM corn? Why do
the cows walk a distance to get God's original variety?) A fascinating,
informative read, for anyone who cares about what they eat and has questions
about the wisdom of altering seeds that have served us well for thousands of
years.
Hope's Edge , by Frances Moore Lappe & Anna Lappe
Despite
her tendency to idealize all that is natural, "innocent", and peasant-driven,
Lappe provides incredible food for thought on a range of citizen's movements
across the world. From Brazil's landless people's movement to India's seed
savers, from Wisconsin's organic movement to Grameen Bank's micro-lending
program, we who would like to impact our world can find inspiration by observing
the incredible resolve and creativity of people like Kenyan Nobel prize winner
Wangari (planter of 2,000,000 plus trees) as they work for change.
The Eden Club
Do you have children who want to make a difference in their world? Consider starting an Eden Club. It's simple to do. Invite a few children to gather regularly for science readings and activities. They'll develop a sense of appreciation for creation and gain new knowledge that will prepare them to face the world's environmental challenges.
list of our recent titles
- Pearl Moscowitz's Last Stand (using her wily, amusing ideas, this grandmother saves the final neighborhood gingko tree)
- Let's Try it Out: Air
- I Face the Wind
- Air is All Around Us
- The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story
- Under the Moon (a baby mouse learns about her special habitat)
- Nature Spy (a child notices beautiful patterns in nature)
excellent all-around resource book for activities
-
Earth Child:
Games, Stories, Activities & Ideas About Living Lightly on Planet Earth
bible memory verses
- Psalm 96:12 "Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the LORD... "
- Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God..."
- Psalm 104:24 "...the earth is full of your creatures."
- Luke 1:53 "He has filled the hungry with good things."
- Psalm 104: 12,13 "By the streams, the birds of the air have their habitation... "
- Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
