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

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.

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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."