Best of
Activism

2015

Freedom Is a Constant Struggle


Angela Y. Davis - 2015
    Davis illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world.Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism for today's struggles, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles, from the Black Freedom Movement to the South African anti-Apartheid movement. She highlights connections and analyzes today's struggles against state terror, from Ferguson to Palestine.Facing a world of outrageous injustice, Davis challenges us to imagine and build the movement for human liberation. And in doing so, she reminds us that "Freedom is a constant struggle."

Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America


Ari Berman - 2015
    The act enfranchised millions of Americans and is widely regarded as the crowning achievement of the civil rights movement. And yet, fifty years later, we are still fighting heated battles over race, representation, and political power, with lawmakers devising new strategies to keep minorities out of the voting booth and with the Supreme Court declaring a key part of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional.Berman brings the struggle over voting rights to life through meticulous archival research, in-depth interviews with major figures in the debate, and incisive on-the-ground reporting. In vivid prose, he takes the reader from the demonstrations of the civil rights era to the halls of Congress to the chambers of the Supreme Court. At this important moment in history, Give Us the Ballot provides new insight into one of the most vital political and civil rights issues of our time.A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, NonfictionA New York Times Notable Book of 2015A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2015A Boston Globe Best Book of 2015A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2015An NPR Best Book of 2015Countless books have been written about the civil rights movement, but far less attention has been paid to what happened after the dramatic passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in 1965 and the turbulent forces it unleashed. Give Us the Ballot tells this story for the first time.

Building a Movement to End the New Jim Crow: an organizing guide


Daniel Hunter - 2015
    Learn about your role in movement-building and how to pick and build campaigns that contribute towards a bigger mass movement against the largest penal system in the world. This important new resource offers examples from this and other movements, time-tested organizing techniques, and vision to inspire, challenge, and motivate.

Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation


Sunaura Taylor - 2015
    Fusing philosophy, memoir, science, and the radical truths these disciplines can bring—whether about factory farming, disability oppression, or our assumptions of human superiority over animals—Taylor draws attention to new worlds of experience and empathy that can open up important avenues of solidarity across species and ability. Beasts of Burden is a wonderfully engaging and elegantly written work, both philosophical and personal, by a brilliant new voice.

Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World


Srdja Popovic - 2015
    Otpor’s methods . . . have been adopted by democracy movements around the world. The Egyptian opposition used them to topple Hosni Mubarak. In Lebanon, the Serbs helped the Cedar Revolution extricate the country from Syrian control. In Maldives, their methods were the key to overthrowing a dictator who had held power for thirty years. In many other countries, people have used what Canvas teaches to accomplish other political goals, such as fighting corruption or protecting the environment.”—The New York Times“A clear, well-constructed, and easily applicable set of principles for any David facing any Goliath (sans slingshot, of course) . . . By the end of Blueprint, the idea that a punch is no match for a punch line feels like anything but a joke.”—The Boston Globe“An entertaining primer on the theory and practice of peaceful protest.”—The Guardian “With this wonderful book, Srdja Popovic is inspiring ordinary people facing injustice and oppression to use this tool kit to challenge their oppressors and create something much better. When I was growing up, we dreamed that young people could bring down those who misused their power and create a more just and democratic society. For Srdja Popovic, living in Belgrade in 1998, this same dream was potentially a much more dangerous idea. But with an extraordinarily courageous group of students that formed Otpor!, Srdja used imagination, invention, cunning, and lots of humor to create a movement that not only succeeded in toppling the brutal dictator Slobodan Milošević but has become a blueprint for nonviolent revolution around the world. Srdja rules!”—Peter Gabriel   “Blueprint for Revolution is not only a spirited guide to changing the world but a breakthrough in the annals of advice for those who seek justice and democracy. It asks (and not heavy-handedly): As long as you want to change the world, why not do it joyfully? It’s not just funny. It’s seriously funny. No joke.”—Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties and Occupy Nation

Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make a Difference


William MacAskill - 2015
    We donate our time and money to charities and causes we deem worthy, choose careers we consider meaningful, and patronize businesses and buy products we believe make the world a better place. Unfortunately, we often base these decisions on assumptions and emotions rather than facts. As a result, even our best intentions often lead to ineffective—and sometimes downright harmful—outcomes. How can we do better? While a researcher at Oxford, trying to figure out which career would allow him to have the greatest impact, William MacAskill confronted this problem head on. He discovered that much of the potential for change was being squandered by lack of information, bad data, and our own prejudice. As an antidote, he and his colleagues developed effective altruism, a practical, data-driven approach that allows each of us to make a tremendous difference regardless of our resources. Effective altruists believe that it’s not enough to simply do good; we must do good better. At the core of this philosophy are five key questions that help guide our altruistic decisions: How many people benefit, and by how much? Is this the most effective thing I can do? Is this area neglected? What would have happened otherwise? What are the chances of success, and how good would success be? By applying these questions to real-life scenarios, MacAskill shows how many of our assumptions about doing good are misguided. For instance, he argues one can potentially save more lives by becoming a plastic surgeon rather than a heart surgeon; measuring overhead costs is an inaccurate gauge of a charity’s effectiveness; and, it generally doesn’t make sense for individuals to donate to disaster relief. MacAskill urges us to think differently, set aside biases, and use evidence and careful reasoning rather than act on impulse. When we do this—when we apply the head and the heart to each of our altruistic endeavors—we find that each of us has the power to do an astonishing amount of good.

Light in the Dark/Luz en lo Oscuro: Rewriting Identity, Spirituality, Reality


Gloria E. Anzaldúa - 2015
    Anzaldúa's mature thought and the most comprehensive presentation of her philosophy. Throughout, Anzaldúa weaves personal narratives into deeply engaging theoretical readings to comment on numerous contemporary issues—including the September 11 attacks, neocolonial practices in the art world, and coalitional politics. She valorizes subaltern forms and methods of knowing, being, and creating that have been marginalized by Western thought, and theorizes her writing process as a fully embodied artistic and political practice. Resituating Anzaldúa's work within Continental philosophy and new materialism, Light in the Dark takes Anzaldúan scholarship in new directions.

Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret


Keegan Kuhn - 2015
    This companion to the documentary Cowspiracy explores the impacts of the most environmentally destructive industry on the planet: animal agriculture. The award-winning documentary Cowspiracy presents alarming truths about the effects of animal agriculture on the planet. One of the leading causes of deforestation, greenhouse gas production, water use, species extinction, ocean dead-zones, and a host of other ills, animal agriculture is a major threat to the future of all species, and one of the environmental industry’s best-kept secrets. The Sustainability Secret expands upon Cowspiracy in every way. Journey with authors Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn as they discover one shocking statistic after another and interview leading businesses, environmental organizations, and political groups about the subject of animal agriculture and its disastrous effects. Extended transcripts, updated statistics, tips on becoming vegan, and comprehensive reading lists provide an in-depth overview of this planetary crisis and demonstrate effective ways to offset the damage through personal dietary choices. Firmly rooted in science and supporting research, The Sustainability Secret reveals the absolutely devastating environmental impact of the meat and dairy industry and offers a path to global sustainability for a growing population

Granddaddy's Turn: A Journey to the Ballot Box


Michael S. Bandy - 2015
    history.Life on the farm with Granddaddy is full of hard work, but despite all the chores, Granddaddy always makes time for play, especially fishing trips. Even when there isn’t a bite to catch, he reminds young Michael that it takes patience to get what’s coming to you. One morning, when Granddaddy heads into town in his fancy suit, Michael knows that something very special must be happening—and sure enough, everyone is lined up at the town hall! For the very first time, Granddaddy is allowed to vote, and he couldn’t be more proud. But can Michael be patient when it seems that justice just can’t come soon enough? This powerful and touching true-life story shares one boy’s perspective of growing up in the segregated South, while beautiful illustrations depict the rural setting in tender detail.

Counting on Community


Innosanto Nagara - 2015
    Counting up from one stuffed piñata to ten hefty hens—and always counting on each other—children are encouraged to recognize the value of their community, the joys inherent in healthy eco-friendly activities, and the agency they posses to make change. A broad and inspiring vision of diversity is told through stories in words and pictures. And of course, there is a duck to find on every page!

Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt


Chris Hedges - 2015
    We are again riding the crest of a revolutionary epic, much like 1848 or 1917, from the Arab Spring to movements against austerity in Greece to the Occupy movement. In Wages of Rebellion, Chris Hedges—who has chronicled the malaise and sickness of a society in terminal moral decline in his books Empire of Illusion and Death of the Liberal Class—investigates what social and psychological factors cause revolution, rebellion, and resistance. Drawing on an ambitious overview of prominent philosophers, historians, and literary figures he shows not only the harbingers of a coming crisis but also the nascent seeds of rebellion. Hedges' message is clear: popular uprisings in the United States and around the world are inevitable in the face of environmental destruction and wealth polarization.Focusing on the stories of rebels from around the world and throughout history, Hedges investigates what it takes to be a rebel in modern times. Utilizing the work of Reinhold Niebuhr, Hedges describes the motivation that guides the actions of rebels as “sublime madness” — the state of passion that causes the rebel to engage in an unavailing fight against overwhelmingly powerful and oppressive forces. For Hedges, resistance is carried out not for its success, but as a moral imperative that affirms life. Those who rise up against the odds will be those endowed with this “sublime madness.”From South African activists who dedicated their lives to ending apartheid, to contemporary anti-fracking protests in Alberta, Canada, to whistleblowers in pursuit of transparency, Wages of Rebellion shows the cost of a life committed to speaking the truth and demanding justice. Hedges has penned an indispensable guide to rebellion.

The End of the Megamachine


Fabian Scheidler - 2015
    Spanning 5000 years of history, the book shows how the three tyrannies of militarized states, capital accumulation and ideological power have been steering both ecosystems and societies to the brink of collapse. With the growing instability of the Megamachine in the 21st century, new dangers open up as well as new possibilities for systemic change, to which everyone can contribute.

Dixie be Damned: 300 Years of Insurrection in the American South


Neal Shirley - 2015
    Here, seven accounts of insurrectionary episodes in Southern history are tied together into a larger narrative about the long arc of revolt in the South. Countering images of the region as pacified and universally conservative, this adventurous alternative history covers slave rebellions, stockade burnings, multiracial banditry, labour struggles, prison uprisings, urban riots, and more.

Compañeras: Zapatista Women's Stories


Hilary Klein - 2015
    Political leaders. Promoters of health and education. Members of economic cooperatives. These are just some of the prominent, everyday roles held by women in the Zapatista autonomous region in Chiapas, where women’s participation has proved indispensable to the creation and maintenance of an alternative, democratic society.  Compañeras is the untold story of the women of the Zapatista movement, gathered by longtime community organizer Hilary Klein. The Zapatista women’s own recollections of their lives, struggles, and critical involvement bring to light the tremendous transformation of gender roles that has occurred in this culture of revolution, and are instructive for everyone committed to examining how existing grassroots alternatives to global capitalism can guide the way toward justice, equality, and democracy.

Remnants: A Memoir of Spirit, Activism, and Mothering


Rachel E. Harding - 2015
    Remnants, a multigenre memoir, demonstrates how Freeney Harding's spiritual life and social justice activism were integral to the instincts of mothering, healing, and community-building. Following Freeney Harding’s death in 2004, her daughter Rachel finished this decade-long collaboration, using recorded interviews, memories of her mother, and her mother's journal entries, fiction, and previously published essays.

100 Acts of Minor Dissent


Mark Thomas - 2015
    Mark Thomas' fourth book is a funny account of a challenge that had national repercussions. The challenge was to perform 100 acts of dissent within the year or donate £1000 to UKIP. (Nothing like a little incentive.) The targets were multiple; from corporate greed and public service inanities to infringements of rights. This is his account of the adventure and is sure to inspire. This book contains many photos and graphics, and so has been produced as a fixed-format colour ebook. It is only recommended for the newer, colour ebook readers.

Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy, and Childbirth


Julia Chinyere Oparah - 2015
    In the United States, black women are over three times more likely to perish from pregnancy-related complications than white women; their babies are half as likely to survive the first year. Many black women experience policing, coercion, and disempowerment during pregnancy and childbirth and are disconnected from alternative birthing traditions. This book places black women's voices at the center of the debate on what should be done to fix the broken maternity system and foregrounds black women's agency in the emerging birth justice movement. Mixing scholarly, activist, and personal perspectives, the book shows readers how they too can change lives, one birth at a time.

Do It Like a Woman... and Change the World


Caroline Criado Pérez - 2015
    Most of these women are cut off from the rhetoric and theory of Western feminism; many are active in deeply patriarchal and socially restrictive societies; some may not even describe themselves as feminists. Nevertheless, these women are proving to themselves, and to the world, that a powerful force for change can sometimes start with a single brave action.In Do It Like A Woman, Caroline Criado-Perez, an outspoken activist and campaigner, uncovers these stories and investigates what they mean for the feminist movement as a whole. She gathers together stories from beatboxers in Malta and prostitutes in Merseyside to fighter pilots in Afghanistan and doctors in Portugal, and shows how women are taking positive, practical steps to challenge injustice or inequality, and change their world. While some of these stories (the Everyday Sexism campaign and the trial of Pussy Riot) are already known, the majority of the stories here have not yet been told, and demand to be heard.

Antagonists, Advocates and Allies: The Wake-Up Call Guide for White Women Who Want to Become Allies With Black Women


Catrice M. Jackson - 2015
    This is your WAKE UP CALL; a dramatically sobering reality check to wake you up from the detrimental denial of your White Privilege. Antagonists, Advocates and Allies delivers uncomfortable truths and painful realities about the conscious and unintentional pain you have inflicted on Black women, women of color and shares how you must use your power to eliminate racism and stop the hypocrisy within the feminine movement. The “American Feminist” movement is exclusive; it was created by White women, for White women and it caters to White women. Racism and White Privilege, the bedrock of American feminism; must be aggressively broken down and rebuilt with deliberate inclusion and conscious honoring of Black women, women of color.Antagonists, Advocates and Allies boldly beckons White women to come from behind their White Picket Fence, enter the classroom of “Living While Black and Brown 101”, take a seat, don’t talk, listen and finally hear what you’ve failed to hear for centuries. The elimination of racism starts and ends with you. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and get to work.

The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming


Natasha Bowens - 2015
    Many people visualize sun-roughened skin, faded overalls, and calloused hands—hands that are usually white. While there's no doubt the growing trend of organic farming and homesteading is changing how the farmer is portrayed in mainstream media, farmers of color are still largely left out of the picture.The Color of Food seeks to rectify this. By recognizing the critical issues that lie at the intersection of race and food, this stunning collection of portraits and stories challenges the status quo of agrarian identity. Author, photographer, and biracial farmer Natasha Bowens's quest to explore her own roots in the soil leads her to unearth a larger story, weaving together the seemingly forgotten history of agriculture for people of color, the issues they face today, and the culture and resilience they bring to food and farming.The Color of Food teaches us that the food and farm movement is about more than buying local and protecting our soil. It is about preserving culture and community, digging deeply into the places we've overlooked, and honoring those who have come before us. Blending storytelling, photography, oral history, and unique insight, these pages remind us that true food sovereignty means a place at the table for everyone.Natasha Bowens is an author, farmer, and creator of the multimedia project The Color of Food. Her advocacy focuses on food sovereignty and social issues.

Inglorious: Conflict in the Uplands


Mark Avery - 2015
    It is also peculiarly British in that it is deeply rooted in the British class system. Grouse shooting is big business, backed by powerful, wealthy lobbying groups, with tendrils running throughout British society.Inglorious makes the case for banning driven grouse shooting. Mark Avery explains why he has, after many years of soul-searching, come down in favor of an outright ban. There is too much illegal killing of wildlife, such as Buzzards, Golden Eagles, and, most egregiously of all, Hen Harriers; and, as a land use, it wrecks the ecology of the hills. However, grouse shooting is economically important, and it is a great British tradition. All of these, and other points of view, are given fair and detailed treatment and analysis, with testimony from a range of people on opposite sides of the debate.The book also sets out Avery's campaign with Chris Packham to gain support for the proposal to ban grouse shooting, culminating in "Hen Harrier Day," timed to coincide with the "Glorious" 12th. Ever controversial, Mark Avery is guaranteed to stir up a debate about field sports, the countryside, and big business in a book that all conservationists will want to read.

Deep Diversity: Overcoming Us vs. Them


Shakil Choudhury - 2015
    them” is an unfortunate but normal part of the human experience due to reasons of both nature and nurture.To really work through issues of racial difference and foster greater levels of fairness and inclusion, argues Shakil Choudhury, requires an understanding of the human mind—its conscious and unconscious dimensions. Deep Diversity integrates Choudhury’s twenty years of experience with interviews with researchers in social neuroscience, implicit bias, psychology, and mindfulness. Using a compassionate but challenging approach, Choudhury helps readers identify their own bias and offers practical ways to break the “prejudice habits” we have all learned, in order to tackle systemic discrimination.

Black Quantum Futurism: Theory & Practice (Vol. 1)


Rasheedah Phillips - 2015
    This vision and practice derives its facets, tenets, and qualities from quantum physics, futurist traditions, and Black/African cultural traditions of consciousness, time, and space. Inside of the space where these three traditions intersect exists a creative plane that allows for the ability of African-descended people to see "into," choose, or create the impending future. Featuring visions by Rasheedah Phillips, Moor Mother Goddess, Warren C. Longmire, Almah Lavon, Joy Kmt, Thomas Stanley, PhD, and Nikitah Okembe-RA Imani, PhD.

Decolonizing Solidarity: Dilemmas and Directions for Supporters of Indigenous Struggles


Clare Land - 2015
    Blending key theoretical and practical questions, Land argues that the predominant impulses which drive middle-class settler activists to support Indigenous people cannot lead to successful alliances and meaningful social change unless they are significantly transformed through a process of both public political action and critical self-reflection.Based on a wealth of in-depth, original research, and focussing in particular on Australia, where – despite strident challenges – the vestiges of British law and cultural power have restrained the nation's emergence out of colonizing dynamics, Decolonizing Solidarity provides a vital resource for those involved in Indigenous activism and scholarship.

Rhythm and Resistance: Teaching Poetry for Social Justice


Linda Christensen - 2015
    Rhythm and Resistance reclaims poetry as a necessary part of a larger vision of what it means to teach for justice.

Settler: Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada


Emma Battell Lowman - 2015
    But what does it mean to be Settler? And why does it matter?Through an engaging, and sometimes enraging, look at the relationships between Canada and Indigenous nations, Settler: Identity and Colonialism in 21st Century Canada explains what it means to be Settler and argues that accepting this identity is an important first step towards changing those relationships. Being Settler means understanding that Canada is deeply entangled in the violence of colonialism, and that this colonialism and pervasive violence continue to define contemporary political, economic and cultural life in Canada. It also means accepting our responsibility to struggle for change. Settler offers important ways forward -- ways to decolonize relationships between Settler Canadians and Indigenous peoples -- so that we can find new ways of being on the land, together.This book presents a serious challenge. It offers no easy road, and lets no one off the hook. It will unsettle, but only to help Settler people find a pathway for transformative change, one that prepares us to imagine and move towards just and beneficial relationships with Indigenous nations. And this way forward may mean leaving much of what we know as Canada behind.

Tools for Grassroots Activists: Best Practices for Success in the Environmental Movement


Nora Gallagher - 2015
    Now Patagonia has captured Tools' best wisdom and advice into a book, creating a resource for any organization hoping to hone core skills like campaign and communication strategy, grassroots organizing, and lobbying as well as working with business, fundraising in uncertain times and using new technologies. Patagonia hopes the book will be dog-eared and scribbled in; a solid, inspiring guide and reliable companion. The book is organized in two sections: Strategies, and Tools. Each chapter, written by a respected expert in the field, covers essential principals as well as best practices. A hands-on case study accompanies each chapter and demonstrates the principles in action. Sprinkled throughout are inspirational thoughts from acclaimed activists, such as Jane Goodall, Bill McKibben, Wade Davis, Annie Leonard, and Terry Tempest Williams. An activist's companion in the environmental movement.

Ocean Country: One Woman's Voyage from Peril to Hope in her Quest To Save the Seas


Liz Cunningham - 2015
    But most importantly it is the story of finding true hope in the midst of one of the greatest crises to face humankind, the rapidly degrading state of our environment. After a near-drowning accident in which she was temporarily paralyzed, Liz Cunningham crisscrosses the globe in an effort to understand the threats to our dazzling but endangered oceans. This intimate account charts her thrilling journey through unexpected encounters with conservationists, fishermen, sea nomads, and scientists in the Mediterranean, Sulawesi, the Turks and Caicos Islands, and Papua, New Guinea.

Ethical Loneliness: The Injustice of Not Being Heard


Jill Stauffer - 2015
    It is the result of multiple lapses on the part of human beings and political institutions that, in failing to listen well to survivors, deny them redress by negating their testimony and thwarting their claims for justice.Jill Stauffer examines the root causes of ethical loneliness and how those in power revise history to serve their own ends rather than the needs of the abandoned. Out of this discussion, difficult truths about the desire and potential for political forgiveness, transitional justice, and political reconciliation emerge. Moving beyond a singular focus on truth commissions and legal trials, she considers more closely what is lost in the wake of oppression and violence, how selves and worlds are built and demolished, and who is responsible for re-creating lives after they are destroyed.Stauffer boldly argues that rebuilding worlds and just institutions after violence is a broad obligation and that those who care about justice must first confront their own assumptions about autonomy, liberty, and responsibility before an effective response to violence can take place. In building her claims, Stauffer draws on the work of Emmanuel Levinas, Jean Améry, Eve Sedgwick, and Friedrich Nietzsche, as well as concrete cases of justice and injustice across the world.

Creating Cities


Marcus Westbury - 2015
    Three years later the world’s largest travel publisher, Lonely Planet, named it one of the Top Ten cities to visit in the world.Creating Cities is about the unlikely events in between. How a failed idea to start a bar morphed into a scheme that has helped transform Newcastle, launched more than two hundred creative and community projects across Australia and is fast becoming a model for cities and towns around the world.In an engaging, thoughtful and observational style, Marcus Westbury argues that most towns and cities are wasting their most obvious opportunities: the talent, imagination, and passion of the people that live there. In a globalised age, local creativity has access to new possibilities that most places have barely begun to grasp.Marcus weaves a local story of how identifying and fixing small scale failures in Newcastle into a larger set of ideas and “why-to” strategy with potential applications in cities and towns around the world. Creating Cities is an inspiring must read for creative people, civic and business leaders, town planners, citizens and anyone who cares about the communities that they live in.

After


Fatimah Asghar - 2015
    Weaving magic realism and formal experimentation, Asghar rewinds through a hectic journey filled with abuse and unbelonging. Mythical creatures, strange settings, and disjointed memories combine to chronicle the journey of a woman who learns her body through the eyes and hands of others, before defining it for herself.

Revolution Manifesto: Understanding Marx and Lenin's Theory of Revolution


Party for Socialism and Liberation - 2015
    In the everyday struggles of working class and oppressed people the state often presents itself as the main enemy. Can anything be done to change this reality? Is this just the way it is and always will be?This volume answers the question of why the capitalist government and its enforcers are set up against the people, and why, in order to win radical change, we need a revolution that builds a new state on new foundations. Revolution Manifesto revisits the theories of the state first developed by Marx, Engels and especially Lenin in his groundbreaking work "The State and Revolution." Nearly a century later, Lenin's analysis on the class nature of the state, and the need to overthrow it, has been proven true time and again. Examining the historical experience of revolutions in France, Russia and Cuba, as well as precolonial Indigenous societies, the book asks: do we even need a state? What are the possibilities for revolutionary states to "wither away" completely?As struggles against exploitation and oppression continue to heat up, this book is a must read for all those serious about understanding and resolving the serious injustices facing our world. This publication reflects the views of the Party for Socialism and Liberation."Anyone who aspires ... to understand the theory of modern communism must study Lenin's pamphlet "The State and Revolution." ... The book's primary objective was to rescue Marxism from its devolution into a doctrine of reform, to restore Marxism as a doctrine of revolution."-From Revolution Manifesto

Invisible in Austin: Life and Labor in an American City


Javier Auyero - 2015
    But as in many American cities, poverty and penury are booming along with wealth and material abundance in contemporary Austin. Rich and poor residents lead increasingly separate lives as growing socioeconomic inequality underscores residential, class, racial, and ethnic segregation.In Invisible in Austin, the award-winning sociologist Javier Auyero and a team of graduate students explore the lives of those working at the bottom of the social order: house cleaners, office-machine repairers, cab drivers, restaurant cooks and dishwashers, exotic dancers, musicians, and roofers, among others. Recounting their subjects’ life stories with empathy and sociological insight, the authors show us how these lives are driven by a complex mix of individual and social forces. These poignant stories compel us to see how poor people who provide indispensable services for all city residents struggle daily with substandard housing, inadequate public services and schools, and environmental risks. Timely and essential reading, Invisible in Austin makes visible the growing gap between rich and poor that is reconfiguring the cityscape of one of America’s most dynamic places, as low-wage workers are forced to the social and symbolic margins.

Raising Mixed Race: Multiracial Asian Children in a Post-Racial World


Sharon H. Chang - 2015
    In the last decade, we have also seen a sudden massive shift in America s racial makeup with the majority of the current under-5 age population being children of color. Asian and multiracial are the fastest growing self-identified groups in the United States. More than 2 million people indicated being mixed race Asian on the 2010 Census.Yet young multiracial Asian children are vastly underrepresented in the literature on racial identity. Why? And what are these children learning about themselves in an era that tries to be ahistorical, believes the race problem has been solved, and believes that mixed-race people are proof of it? This book is drawn from extensive research and interviews with 68 parents of multiracial children. It is the first to examine the complex task of supporting our youngest around being 2 or more races and Asian while living amongst post-racial ideologies.

The Wild in You: Voices from the Forest and the Sea


Lorna Crozier - 2015
    Together, Crozier and McAllister crystallize an ecosystem as powerful as the grizzly bear and as fragile as a crane fly’s wing." —Eliza Robertson, author of WallflowersA gorgeous and stirring collection of photos and poems from photographer Ian McAllister and Governor General’s Award-winning poet Lorna Crozier that reveals how the startling wildness of the natural world is mirrored in the human heart.A testament to the miraculous beings that share our planet and the places where they live, The Wild in You is a creative collaboration between one of our time’s best nature photographers and one of North America’s most talented and critically acclaimed poets. Inspired by the majestic and savage beauty of McAllister’s photographs, Crozier translates the wild emotion of land and sea into the language of the human heart. Featuring over thirty beautiful full-size photographs of wolves, bears, sea lions, jellyfish, and other wild creatures paired with thirty original poems, The Wild in You challenges the reader to a deeper understanding of the connection between humans, animals, and our earth.

A New Buddhist Path: Enlightenment, Evolution, and Ethics in the Modern World


David R. Loy - 2015
    Loy addresses head-on the most pressing issues of Buddhist philosophy in our time. What is the meaning of enlightenment--is it an escape from the world, or is it a form of psychological healing? How can one reconcile modern scientific theory with ancient religious teachings? What is our role in the universe? Loy shows us that neither Buddhism nor secular society by itself is sufficient to answer these questions. Instead, he investigates the unexpected intersections of the two. Through this exchange, he uncovers a new Buddhist way, one that is faithful to the important traditions of Buddhism but compatible with modernity. This way, we can see the world as it is truly is, realize our indivisibility from it, and learn that the world's problems are our problems. This is a new path for a new world.

Streetopia


Erick Lyle - 2015
    The resulting exhibition, "Streetopia," was a massive anti-gentrification art fair that took place in venues throughout the city, featuring daily free talks, performances, skillshares and a free community kitchen out of the gallery. This book brings together all of the art and ephemera from the now-infamous show, featuring work by Swoon, Barry McGee, Emory Douglas, Monica Canilao, Rigo 23, Xara Thustra, Ryder Cooley and many more. Essays and interviews with key participants consider the effectiveness of "Streetopia"'s projects while offering a deeper rumination on the continuing search for community in today's increasingly homogenous and gentrified cities.

Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice


Les Leopold - 2015
    In 1970, the ratio of pay between the top 100 CEOs and the average worker was 45 to 1. Today it is a shocking 829 to one! During that time a new economic philosophy set in that cut taxes, deregulated finance, and trimmed social spending. Those policies set in motion a process that greatly expanded the power of financial interests to accelerate inequality. But how exactly does that happen?Using easy-to-understand charts and graphs, Runaway Inequality explains the process by which corporation after corporation falls victim to systematic wealth extraction by banks, private equity firms, and hedge funds. It reveals how financial strip-mining puts enormous downward pressure on jobs, wages, benefits, and working conditions, while boosting the incomes of financial elites.But Runaway Inequality does more than make sense of our economic plight. It also shows why virtually all the key issues that we face--from climate change to the exploding prison population--are intimately connected to rising economic inequality.Most importantly, Runaway Inequality calls upon us to build a common movement to tackle the sources of increasing income and wealth inequality. As the author makes clear, the problem will not cure itself. It will take enormous energy and dedication to bring economic justice and fairness back to American society.The book is divided into four parts:Part I: What is the fundamental cause of runaway economic inequality? What has made our economy less fair and left most of us less secure?Part II: How does the United States really compare with other major developed countries? How do we stack up on quality of life, health, and well-being?Part III: What does economic inequality have to do with so many of the critical issues we face, including taxes, debt, education, criminal justice, racism, climate change, foreign trade, and war?Part IV: What concrete steps can we take to begin building a fair and just society?From the book: "There is nothing in the economic universe that will automatically rescue us from runaway inequality. There is no pendulum, no invisible political force that 'naturally' will swing back towards economic fairness. Either we wage a large-scale battle for economic, social, and environmental justice, or we will witness the continued deterioration of the world we inhabit. The arc of capitalism does not bend towards justice. We must bend it."

Witness: Passing the Torch of Holocaust Memory to New Generations


Eli Rubenstein - 2015
    Once they are no longer able to, who will tell their stories?For more than 25 years the March of the Living has brought together survivors and students from all over the world to ensure that first-hand accounts of the Holocaust are not lost. During their visits to Poland, where millions of innocent people were enslaved and murdered by Nazi Germany during WWII, survivors, those who helped them, and liberators all share their memories with young people. As they walk through concentration camps, ghettos, and towns depleted of Jewish communities, a special bond forms as the original witnesses to the Holocaust pass their mantle to a new generation whose task it is to remember what they hear and see. Moving photographs and firsthand accounts show us the remarkable passing of the torch to the young of many faiths and cultures who become the new witnesses, carrying the torch toward a future of peace. Based on an acclaimed exhibit of photographs launched at the United Nations.Message from His Holiness, Pope Francis:"I ask you to convey to the organizers of the March of the Living my closeness to them and their mission. All the efforts for fighting in favor of life are praiseworthy and have to be supported without any kind of discrimination. For this reason I am very close to these initiatives, that are not only against death but also against the thousands of discriminatory phobias that enslave and kill."

Our Bodies, Our Bikes


Elly Blue - 2015
    Through personal stories, how-to guidelines, and factual information, contributors explore the intersection of cycling and women's health, from bike fit to clothing, from periods to childbirth, from media representation to gender presentation and reproductive rights. Our diverse contributors demystify and elucidate women's issues in cycling in a practical, friendly, and down to earth manner.

Letters to a New Vegan: Words to Inform, Inspire, and Support a Vegan Lifestyle


Lantern Books - 2015
    You've just started out on your vegan journey and you're feeling isolated and wondering how to deal with friends and family. You've been a vegan for so long that you've forgotten the original impetus for your making the change and want to feel renewed. This book is for you.In the spirit of Rainer Maria Rilke’s Letters to a Young Poet and conceived of as a modern-day vade mecum, Letters to a New Vegan consists of 32 humorous, evocative, spirited, and even tender epistles offering advice, counsel, and inspiration from activists and leaders who’ve followed the vegan path for years. The aim is to ignite, sustain, and refresh the passion and commitment of those who want to live more consciously and compassionately on the planet, with other people, and with themselves.With contributions from:Demetrius BagleyRick BogleMaddie CartwrightAnne DinshahAshley CurtisTracy CurtisKara DavisKaren Davis, Ph.D.Jason DerryDaniel EarleJean ForstIselin GambertLara GoodmanRuby GoodmanJennifer GloodtJulie HananSangamithra IyerKare KapelnikovaShelly KaplanMadeleine LifseyAlexa McCormackJacqueline MorrVictoria MoranLinda NelsonIngrid E. NewkirkKeane SouthardLynn PaulyGretchen PrimackBeth Lily RedwoodDaniel RedwoodMartin RoweKurt SchwemmerAngela SeiwMark Turner

Nonviolence Now!: Living the 1963 Birmingham Campaign's Promise of Peace


Alycee J. Lane - 2015
    Martin Luther King, Jr., the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights—volunteers were asked to sign a pledge to be nonviolent, no matter the provocation or from whom it came. Using the campaign's "commitment card," Alycee Lane explores the profound implications of the card's commandments and shows how they point to an even richer and more encompassing dedication to nonviolence against self, others, and the planet as a whole. In arguing that nonviolence also entails mindfulness, lovingkindness, and generosity, Nonviolence Now! offers us a new pledge, one that includes the continuing struggle to realize justice and the vision of King's Beloved Community but extends to the varied but no less critical challenges that present themselves to us today.

Spiritual Activism: Leadership as Service


Alastair McIntosh - 2015
    For activists, spiritual philosophy is rising up the agenda because it offers distinct, tried and tested approaches to deep questions: Where did it all go wrong? What does it mean to be human? What is the place of leadership? What is the nature of power?The book begins by defining spirituality for a modern audience of all faiths and beliefs, and goes on to consider the problems and necessities of true leadership. Drawing on a rich history of spirituality and activism, from The Bhagavad Gita, to the Hebrew prophets, to Carl Jung, it is both guide and inspiration for people involved in activism for social or environmental justice.The text is enriched with tales from the authors’ own experiences. It contains case studies of inspirational spiritual activists (including Mama Efua, Desmond Tutu, Gerrard Winstanley, Sojourner Truth and Julia Butterfly Hill), which demonstrate the transformative power of spiritual principles in action.

Those Kids, Our Schools: Race and Reform in an American High School


Shayla Reese Griffin - 2015
    In its hallways, classrooms, lunchrooms, and staff meetings, she uncovered the disturbing ways in which racial tensions and prejudices persist and are reinforced. Students engaged in patterns of behavior that underscored racial hierarchies. Teachers—no matter how intellectually committed to equity and diversity—often lacked the skills, resources, or authority to address racial issues, while administrators failed to acknowledge racial tensions or recognize how school practices and policies perpetuated racial inequality. This astute and thoughtful book offers a revealing glimpse into the world of young people struggling with the legacy of racism. More important, it highlights the disservice being done to all students in our schools when educators fail to critically interrogate issues of race. Griffin’s perceptive analysis illuminates the persistent influence of race in our education system and shows how—with appropriate support—teachers and students can develop the capacity to address racial issues and dynamics in schools in a frank and constructive way.

The FIRE Economy: New Zealand's Reckoning


Jane Kelsey - 2015
    Its rise has transformed our political, economic and social landscapes, supported by a neoliberal regime that celebrates markets, profit and risk. From rising inequality and ballooning household debt to a global financial crisis and fiscal austerity, the neoliberal ‘orthodoxy’ has brought instability and empowered the few. Yet it remains remarkably resilient, even resurgent, in New Zealand and abroad.In 1995 Jane Kelsey set out a groundbreaking account of the neoliberal revolution in The New Zealand Experiment. Now she marshals an exceptional range of evidence to show how this transfer of wealth and power has been systematically embedded over three decades.Today organisations and commentators once at the vanguard of neoliberal reform, including the IMF and Financial Times journalist Martin Wolf, are warning the current model is unsustainable. A post-neoliberal era beckons. In The FIRE Economy Kelsey identifies the risks posed by FIRE and the barriers embedded neoliberalism presents to a progressive, post-neoliberal transformation – and urges us to act. This is a book New Zealand cannot afford to ignore.

The Art of the Possible: An Everyday Guide to Politics


Edward Keenan - 2015
    Not so fast! As The Art of the Possible explains, everyone is a politician — even young people who aren’t yet eligible to vote. We all have influence over how politics function.But what are politics, and why do we need them? This book answers the universal query in nine short chapters that explain everything from why we form societies and the basic types of governments to the power of public opinion, methods of rhetoric, and the reasons why politicians “lie.”Written in an accessible, conversational voice and packed with anecdotes and case studies from across history and around the world, this book helps foster independent thought and curiosity about how a government works — or doesn’t work. Readers will come away equipped with the knowledge they need to understand current events and elections, and maybe even be empowered to civic action themselves.Informational text features: table of contents, chapters, diagrams, sidebars, in-text definitions of key terms, glossary, index, and sources

Queer Lovers and Hateful Others: Diversity, Racism and the Militarisation of Intimacy


Jin Haritaworn - 2015
    As images of same-sex intimacy have become an ordinary part of the Western mainstream and discourse, Haritaworn shows that politicians and pundits have used that acceptance as a weapon to attack “Muslim homophobia” to promote their Islamophobic agendas. Haritaworn argues that this is simply the newest wrinkle in a long history of the deliberate misuse of colonized and racialized intimacies, and he raises provocative questions about how we should think about identity and how we should enact it in political practice. What, he asks, would it mean to really decolonize gender and sexuality?

Truth, Justice, and the American Whore


Siouxsie Q. - 2015
    A uniquely thrilling book that features striking images of and probing words by the most American whore there is!

Clandestine Occupations: An Imaginary History


Diana Block - 2015
    When Luba’s collective is targeted by an FBI sting, she escapes with her baby but leaves behind a sensitive envelope that is being safeguarded by a friend. When the FBI come looking for Luba, the friend must decide whether to cooperate in the search for the woman she loves. Ten years later when Luba emerges from clandestinity, she discovers that the FBI sting was orchestrated by another activist friend who had become an FBI informant. Told from the points of view of five different women who cross paths with Luba over four decades, Clandestine Occupations explores the difficult decisions that activists confront about the boundaries of legality and speculates about the scope of clandestine action in the future. It is a thought-provoking reflection on the risks and sacrifices of political activism as well as the damaging reverberations of disaffection and cynicism.

Puna Wai Korero: An Anthology of Maori Poetry in English


Reina Whaitiri - 2015
    The voices are many and diverse: confident, angry, traditional, respectful, experimental, despairing, and full of hope, expressing a range of poetic techniques and the full scope of what it is to be Maori. There are poems from all walks of life and modes of writing: laments for koro and hopes for mokopuna, celebrations of the land and anger at its abuse, retellings of myth and reclamations of history. Puna Wai Korero collects work from the many iwi and hapu of Aotearoa as well as Maori living in Australia and around the world, featuring the work of Hone Tuwhare, J. C. Sturm, Trixie Te Arama Menzies, Keri Hulme, Apirana Taylor, Roma Potiki, Hinemoana Baker, Tracey Tawhiao and others – as well as writers better known for forms other than poetry such as Witi Ihimaera, Paula Morris, and Ngahuia Te Awekotuku.

Stars for Freedom: Hollywood, Black Celebrities, and the Civil Rights Movement


Emilie Raymond - 2015
    However, that wasn't always the case. As Emilie Raymond shows, during the civil rights movement the Stars for Freedom - a handful of celebrities both black and white - risked their careers by crusading for racial equality, and forged the role of celebrity in American political culture.Focusing on the "Leading Six" trailblazers - Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dick Gregory, and Sidney Poitier - Raymond reveals how they not only advanced the civil rights movement in front of the cameras, but also worked tirelessly behind the scenes, raising money for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legal defense, leading membership drives for the NAACP, and personally engaging with workaday activists to boost morale.Through meticulous research, engaging writing, and new interviews with key players, Raymond traces the careers of the Leading Six against the backdrop of the movement. Perhaps most revealing is the new light she sheds on Sammy Davis, Jr., exploring how his controversial public image allowed him to raise more money for the movement than any other celebrity. The result is an entertaining and informative book that will appeal to film buffs and civil rights historians alike, as well as to anyone interested in the rise of celebrity power in American society.A Capell Family BookA V Ethel Willis White Book

Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands But Most Christians Have Never Really Tried


Ronald J. Sider - 2015
    Nonviolent protesters defied the Soviet Empire's communist rulers, Gandhi's nonviolent revolution defeated the British Empire, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s peaceful civil-rights crusade changed American history. Recent scholarship shows that nonviolent revolutions against injustice and dictatorship are actually more successful than violent campaigns. In this book, noted theologian and bestselling author Ron Sider argues that the search for peaceful alternatives to violence is not only a practical necessity in the wake of the twentieth century--the most bloody in human history--but also a moral demand of the Christian faith. He presents compelling examples of how nonviolent action has been practiced in history and in current social-political situations to promote peace and oppose injustice, showing that this path is a successful and viable alternative to violence.

The Butterfly Prison


Tamara Pearson - 2015
    They stole the world’s flowers and replaced them with plastic ones, they stole art and replaced it with pomposity, and they stole delight and replaced it with canned laughter. They stole beauty.” The Butterfly Prison is a tapestry of vignettes, weaving the hushed up stories of the world with the lives of Paz and Mella. As they both fight for dignity, Paz, who dreams up photos, faces the abandonment of his town and must resist police harassment, while Mella, who always whispers, must learn to lead. Their different decisions in the face of oppression make the novel a compelling story of choices, consequences, battles, systematic injustice, and the inner magic of humanity.Tender, candid, and thought provoking, The Butterfly Prison employs raw lyrical prose to reflect on and redefine our notions of beauty, freedom, heroes, criminals, and poverty.-"In language that bounces and jabs like a prize fighter, Tamara Pearson has given us novel that spans the globe, mixing unforgettable stories with the politics of power. Supremely readable and supremely insightful." – Greg Palast, author of the New York Times bestsellers, Billionaires & Ballot Bandits and The Best Democracy Money Can Buy"Pearson’s writing is poetic, haunting, and acidic. In the Butterfly Prison, she interweaves compelling characters with the much larger issues of war, ecological collapse, and human suffering. This is a meditation on the similarities and differences of the prisons that people are forced to live in and the ways that they resist their imprisonment. This is a story about the power of human creativity in the face of indifference and violence. It is a reminder of the importance of imagination and creating new stories as weapons against evil and self-annihilation." – Mai’a Williams, co-editor of Revolutionary Mothering"I loved this. Some of it made me want to turn the text into artwork. So fucking beautiful and heart exploding," – Margaret Allum, Green Left Weekly"With unsettling metaphors and an intense narrative thread, Tamara Pearson makes you work for it. But you’ll be glad you did. This is a genuinely original, and tender insight into the forgotten lives and dreams that long to break through the cracks in the paving stones of our broken societies." – Iain Bruce, Film maker, journalist, and author of various non fiction books including The Porto Alegre Alternative: Direct Democracy in Action."This is a novel that talks about the hardest things, and in such an engrossing way. The character Paz just blew me away." – Michael Fox, co-director of documentary Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas and co-author of both Venezuela Speaks!: Voices from the Grassroots and Latin America’s Turbulent Transitions"Tamara Pearson has drawn upon her extensive experience observing Latin American political movements to write this promising new novel." – George Ciccariello-Maher, author of We Created Chavez: A People’s History of the Venezuelan Revolution"I strongly recommend Tamara Pearson’s novel La Belleza, for its political and social insight, uniqueness, and moving prose. This is a powerful novel that has an impact, it will stay relevant for a very long time." –Michael Albert, author and co-author of over twenty books, including Looking Forward, Thought Dreams: Radical Theory for the 21st Century, and Parecon: Life after Capitalism."In “The Butterfly Prison,” Tamara Pearson does a fascinating job of injecting political statements into a story about very likeable human beings, victims of social injustice. She is especially effective in her colorful use of words to provide vivid descriptions." – Steve Ellner, author and editor of a range of non-fiction books, including Rethinking Venezuelan Politics: Class, Polarization and the Chávez Phenomenon.“The Butterfly Prison tells of undeclared wars, of stolen stories, of crises declared only when the rich are worried, not when millions of children are dying. The imperative for a different world cries out from every page.” – Mike Cole, co-author (with Sara Motta) of Constructing Twenty-First Century Socialism in Latin America: The Role of Radical Education.

The Social Justice Warrior's Guide to the High Holy Days


Dane Kuttler - 2015
    This incredible book contains more than 40 prose poems to complement the liturgy of the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah.​A must for Jews, activists, queers, and anyone who's ever found themselves on the margins of a religion who's looking for a meaningful, irreverent, poetic way in.

Crashing the Party: Legacies and Lessons from the RNC 2000


Kris Hermes - 2015
    These concerted efforts to spy on Americans and undermine meaningful social change are greatly enhanced by the coordination of numerous local, state, and federal agencies often operating at the behest of private corporations. Crashing the Party shows how these developments—normally associated with the realities of a post–9/11 world—were already being set in motion during the Republican National Convention protests in 2000. It also documents how, in response, dissidents confronted new forms of political repression by pushing legal boundaries and establishing new models of collective resistance. Crashing the Party explains how the events of 2000 acted as a testing ground in which Philadelphia Police Commissioner John Timoney was able to develop repressive methods of policing that have been used extensively across the U.S. ever since. At the same time, these events also provided a laboratory for the radical, innovative, and confrontational forms of legal support carried out by R2K Legal, a defendant-led collective that raised unprecedented amounts of money for legal defense, used a unique form of court solidarity to overcome hundreds of serious charges, and implemented a PR campaign that turned the tide of public opinion in favor of dissidents. While much has been written about the global-justice era of struggle, little attention has been paid to the legal struggles of the period or the renewed use of solidarity tactics in jail and the courtroom that made them possible. By analyzing the successes and failures of these tactics, Crashing the Party offers rare insight into the mechanics and concrete effects of such resistance. In this way, it is an invaluable resource for those seeking to confront today’s renewed counterintelligence tactics.

Keywords for Disability Studies


Rachel Adams - 2015
    The volume engages some of the most pressing debates of our time, such as prenatal testing, euthanasia, accessibility in public transportation and the workplace, post-traumatic stress, and questions about the beginning and end of life. Each of the 60 essays in Keywords for Disability Studies focuses on a distinct critical concept, including ethics, medicalization, performance, reproduction, identity, and stigma, among others. Although the essays recognize that disability is often used as an umbrella term, the contributors to the volume avoid treating individual disabilities as keywords, and instead interrogate concepts that encompass different components of the social and bodily experience of disability. The essays approach disability as an embodied condition, a mutable historical phenomenon, and a social, political, and cultural identity. An invaluable resource for students and scholars alike, Keywords for Disability Studies brings the debates that have often remained internal to disability studies into a wider field of critical discourse, providing opportunities for fresh theoretical considerations of the field s core presuppositions through a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

The Brown Agenda: My Mission to Clean Up the World's Most Life-Threatening Pollution


Richard Fuller - 2015
    One in seven people in low- and middle-income countries die as a result of it. Simply put, pollution is now the world’s most prevalent health risk.And yet, while most everyone has heard about “going green,” few are aware of the more dire and sinister “brown” pollution—places where man-made toxic pollutants have taken root and spread. Brown sites poison millions of people every year, causing needless suffering and death.After witnessing several brown sites firsthand and meeting families trapped by poverty in these toxic hot spots, environmentalist Richard Fuller founded the Blacksmith Institute, now renamed Pure Earth, a global nonprofit that initiates large-scale cleanups of some of the most polluted places on earth.The Brown Agenda details Fuller’s inspirational journey—from his dangerous yet ultimately successful fight to save hundreds of thousands of acres in the Amazon rain forest to his creation of Pure Earth.In this vivid account of his perilous travels to the earth’s most toxic locations, Fuller introduces readers to the plight of the “poisoned poor,” and suggests specific ways people everywhere can help combat pollution all over the world.

Subtle Activism: The Inner Dimension of Social and Planetary Transformation


David Nicol - 2015
    Subtle activism represents a bridge between the consciousness movement and the movements for peace, environmental sustainability, and social justice. It is not a substitute for physical action but rather a potentially crucial component of a more integrated approach to social change. Although ancient lore is rife with tales of shamans and adepts intervening on spiritual levels for the benefit of humanity, this book is the first comprehensive treatment of this topic. Nicol grounds his consideration in the available scientific research and in dialogue with a broad range of thinkers in the fields of consciousness studies, transpersonal theory, and New Paradigm thought.

Queer as Fuck: A Collection of Queer Self-Acceptance, Queer Struggle, Queer Love and Queer Loss


Taylor Heywood - 2015
    Featuring 20 queer poems, Taylor creates a narrative anyone can relate to, and breaks the rules in all of the right ways. Taylor Heywood (she/her they/them) is a queer, trans, femme poet, community organizer, and activist from the occupied land now known as Kitchener-Waterloo. Taylor pulls from personal experiences with gender identity, sexuality, and mental illness to provide a raw, authentic portal into their life, and to educate people through the art of poetry. Weaving together personal experiences, a knowledge that comes from years of experience, and a delicate understanding of the beauty of language, Taylor creates poetry that breaks your heart than holds your hand as you stitch it back together. Taylor writes poetry with the intent to upset, because the comfortable must be held accountable.Taylor organizes poetry events, and gives lectures and workshops on poetry and queer topics, and is probably breaking the law right now. Taylor is on the board of Plan B Co-operative KW (planbcoopkw.com) and is on the board of Spoken Word Canada (spokenwordcanada.com).Taylor aims to spread the truth, dispel the myths, and fascinate the mind.The words are already written - will you read them?

True Colors: Celebrating the Truth and Beauty of the Real You


Susan Cottrell - 2015
    A fullsize workbook, "True Colors" brings healing from parent, family, church and community wounds - for people who are LGBTQ and their families. It is time to heal! It is time to celebrate! "For anyone who has been spiritually hurt by the church, by parents or family members, Susan Cottrell's True Colors is a personal, intimate, powerful tool for genuine self-healing." - Meghan Stabler, National Board of Directors, The Human Rights Campaign. "You can almost hear Susan whispering between the lines 'God loves you exactly as you are. Quit being afraid. Quit hiding. Love yourself as God loves you. Begin your new life as a self-loving LGBTQ person and let the healing begin.'" - From the special foreword by Dr. Mel White, author of "Stranger at the Gate""It’s the book that I wish I’d had available to me when I was coming out and struggling with all of the 'debris' that my evangelical church had left me with. It’s a book that I immediately want to buy in multiple copies to pass along to friends, particularly those who are just starting the coming out process." - Kirsti Reeve, MA, LPC, NCC, Christian Feminism Today, Catholic Charities

The Art of the Animal: Fourteen Women Artists Explore "The Sexual Politics of Meat"


Kathryn Eddy - 2015
    The book was inspired by The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist Vegetarian Critical Theory by Carol J. Adams, who has written an afterword. The foreword is by Keri Cronin, Associate Professor in the Visual Arts Department at Brock University, Canada. Carolyn Merino Mullin, director of the Museum of Animals and Society in Los Angeles, for which the book serves as a catalog for an exhibition of the artists’ work in Fall 2015, has also contributed an essay.

Like a Girl: An Anthology for Plan


Mirren HoganCoralyn Swift - 2015
    'Like a Girl' is a celebration of the strength and resilience of women, told in a variety of genres and voices, the proceeds of which will help empower girls and women all over the world. Featuring stories and poems by Jeanette O'Hagan, Avril Sabine, V. Hartman Di Santo, Kathryn Hagan, Mary Grace, Coralyn Swift, Christina Aitken, Mark Taylor, D.L Richardson, Mimi Emmanuel, Erin Yoshikawa, Druscilla Morgan, Michelle John and Mirren Hogan.

Critical Animal and Media Studies: Communication for Nonhuman Animal Advocacy


Núria Almiron - 2015
    Contributors examine the convergence of media and animal ethics from theoretical, philosophical, discursive, social constructionist, and political economic perspectives. The book is divided into three sections: foundations, representation, and responsibility, outlining the different disciplinary approaches' application to media studies and covering how non-human animals, and the relationship between humans and non-humans, are represented by the mass media, concluding with suggestions for how the media, as a major producer of cultural norms and values related to non-human animals and how we treat them, might improve such representations.

The Empires' Edge: Militarization, Resistance, and Transcending Hegemony in the Pacific


Sasha Davis - 2015
    Due to China’s rising economic and military strength, North Korea’s nuclear tests and missile launches, tense international disputes over small island groups in the seas around Asia, and the United States pivoting a majority of its military forces to the region, the islands of the western Pacific have increasingly become the center of global attention. While the Pacific is a cur- rent hotbed of geopolitical rivalry and intense militarization, the region is also something else: a homeland to the hundreds of millions of people that inhabit it.Based on a decade of research in the region, The Empires’ Edge examines the tremendous damage the militarization of the Pacific has wrought on its people and environments. Furthermore, Davis details how contemporary social movements in this region are affecting global geopolitics by challenging the military use of Pacific islands and by developing a demilitarized view of security based on affinity, mutual aid, and international solidarity. Through an examination of “sacrificed” is- lands from across the region—including Bikini Atoll, Okinawa, Hawai‘i, and Guam—The Empires’ Edge makes the case that the great political contest of the twenty-first century is not about which country gets hegemony in a global system but rather about the choice be- tween perpetuating a system of international relations based on domination or pursuing a more egalitarian and cooperative future.

The Big Gay Alphabet Coloring Book


Jacinta Bunnell - 2015
    Each unique page, made up of inked and framed line drawings with beautiful typography, is reminiscent of a handsomely designed, vintage children’s alphabet book and aims to bring greater understanding of gender fluidity, gender diversity, and sexual orientation.

Civic Engagement and Social Media: Political Participation Beyond Protest


Julie Uldam - 2015
    This book addresses questions like what happens after the moment of protest and global visibility and whether social media can also help sustain civic engagement beyond protest.