 |
Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America (Polemics) |
Bumpercrop
of Refusal,
April 23, 2007By |
James R. Tracy - See
all my reviews |
This review is from: Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America (Polemics)
Too often, discussion about the viability of change sprouting from the electoral system is shrunk to fit bumperstickers. Even harder to find is nuanced analysis when the politics of protest--direct action, and mob action become the issue of the day. Challenging Authority: How Ordinary People Change America by Francis Fox Piven offers readers a history lesson of the ways in which progressive change has in the past, actually happened--a complex dance between disruptive populist forces and the formal electoral system……
Delusional Democracy
For anyone
who wants an honest look at today's government. May 3, 2008
By |
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See
all my reviews |
This review is from: Delutional Democracy
Could a second American Revolution be required to set America on the correct path once more? "Delusional Democracy: Fixing the Republic without overthrowing the Government" is a deftly written call to action - not to overthrow the government, no, but to do whatever they can to set our democratic institution on the right path once more, to cut through the oceans of false information and misrepresentation that do no right for its citizens. Offering advice and protocol to save America while there's still time, "Delusional Democracy: Fixing the Republic without Overthrowing the Government" is highly recommended to community library political shelves everywhere and for anyone who wants an honest look at today's government.
The Problem of the Media
Media?
Propaganda Machine.,
March 29, 2006
By |
Thomas Fleenor |
…….. McChesney does not stop at the line of criticizing the current journalistic regime and its anti-democratic systems of "professionalism" and obtuse neutrality, but instead goes on to make vital connections between a capitalism gone crazy (hyper-capitalism) and the entertainment industry. I think if any regular American took the time to sit down and ready chapter four of The Problem of the Media s/he would find that s/he intuitively knew about the detrimental affects of massive media conglomerates, oligopolistic market controls, and the current manifestation of an increasingly intrusive and overbearing advertising/public relations sector……
 |
The Political Economy of Media: Enduring Issues, Emerging Dilemmas |
5.0
out of 5 stars great book!, September 10, 2008
By |
Madiha A. Hashmi
"binge reader" (Dubai) - See
all my reviews |
McChesney's
book has the power to ignite a strong movement against the corporate control of
mass media institutions. It is one of the most pressing and relevant issues
faced by the world that demands immediate action and active campaigning.
The Creature from Jekyll Island
The Creature from Jekyll Island, March 2, 2009
By |
Robert Lynn
"Free Man" |
If you want to learn what is going on with the national bailouts and how the cartel banking system has been destroying the American Public quality of life, check out this book. Just about every page is listed with footnote references for the defined facts. This book is what I would consider in the movie the Matrix to be the "Red Pill". If you do not want to see what is behind the wizard's curtain, do not read this book. Rest assured, reading this book will enhance your vision and you will never view the world the same ever again!
 |
Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free |
The Most
Clear and Complete expose' of Fed Res Banking Yet, April 24, 2009
By |
Singin' in the Sun
"theSingingSocialworker" |
This review is from: Web of Debt: The Shocking Truth About Our Money System and How We Can Break Free (Revised and Updated) (Paperback)
……. As Ellen Brown so eloquently explains, these private banking corporations managed to convince Congress to grant them the unique privilege to legally create new "money" out of thin air, and lend it to the rest of society at a profit. That "profit" does not merely consist of usurious interest rates... NOOOO... when you learn and comprehend that these banks ALSO created the PRINCIPAL via nothing but a bookkeeping entry in the course of the lending process, you may suddenly realize, as I did, that these banks are not merely making INTEREST off these loans... THEY ARE MAKING THE PRINCIPAL, TOO... because we are repaying principal that they have created out of nothing except their unique gov't-granted privilege to do so…..
Bad Money
The decline
of the US Empire,
May 31, 2009
By |
G. Denutte "A
concerned citizen" |
The author shows that the actual debt bubble can only be compared to the huge debt bubble of 1933, just before FDR devalued the US dollar with 40 %. In 1933 the total credit market debt as a share of US gross domestic product reached 287 %, whereas in 2006 this was a staggering 335 %. Just as in the `30s, the US are entering a new era of Great Depression, but this time, it is very likely it will mean the decline of the US Empire. This amazing thought is well supported with historical and current evidence by the author…..
Economic Apartheid In America
5.0
out of 5 stars Informative, important, and easy to read, April 17, 2007
By A. J. Shank (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews |
With clarity and conviction, Economic Apartheid In America details the reasons for this country's increasing disparity between the wealthiest and everyone else. It begins with a discussion of the societal risks economic inequality poses, including a decrease in family security, threats to our democratic institutions, and the decay of social cohesion. The book indicates that families in all but the highest earning brackets face declining real incomes, increasing personal debt, a virtual disappearance in both retirement and personal savings, and unavailable or unaffordable health care coverage. In addition, education and child care costs are on the rise and the federal minimum wage is so outdated it can no longer realistically keep a family of four above the poverty line.
LIMITS TO GROWTH
Overshoot
and collapse?,
December 5, 2004
By |
R. Hutchinson "autonomeus" |
It's been 30 years since the publication of the original LIMITS TO GROWTH, and according to the updated computer model (World3), overhoot and collapse is still the most likely outcome of current trends -- too many humans, consuming too much and polluting too much, are already in a condition of overshoot (by about 20%), and will most likely go charging on until crashing back to Earth, with population and consumption reduced back beneath the carrying capacity of the environment. Using World3 and a mountain of data, the authors show that improved technologies and efficient markets, while necessary, will not be sufficient to prevent overshoot and collapse -- it will also be necessary to radically restructure society to reduce our reckless squandering of the Earth's resources.
 |
Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class - And What We Can Do about It |
Corporations
vs. the Middle Class,
August 6, 2008
By S.
Carroll
- See
all my reviews
I bought this book because I am an avid listener of Thom Hartmann's talk radio program on Air America. He frequently engages conservative commentators in a level-headed, respectful dialoge. His understanding of economic history is outstanding, albeit biased in favor of populism. His book has delivered just the way I anticipated -- straightforward, witty and easily understandable. I will read many more Hartmann titles in the future. Thom Hartmann and Rachel Maddow are my two favorite talk show hosts because they are brilliant and well-informed and don't just shout down the opposition.
The Global Class War
The
Nightmare of NAFTA and it's Beneficiaries., September 8, 2008
By |
Scripture Studier |
Mr.
Faux does a superb job of explaining the NAFTA debacle and it's far-reaching
implications for not only America, but our neighbors as well.
He describes neo-liberalism as a vision of society in which competition for
wealth is the only recognized value and virtually all social decisions are left
to unregulated markets.
NAFTA was an oppurtunity for America's elites to make the rules in a global
economy that would benefit them and their corporate clients……..
NAFTA's biggest goal was to chase down profits and cheap labor anywhere in the world. An excellent example is the Sunbeam Corporation and Mr. Coffee. The American workers were dumped for cheaper Mexican labor, and the Mexican labor was eventually dumped for even cheaper Chinese labor. Other human collateral damage were the small Mexican farms…..
The Shock Doctrine
Eye
& mind opener,
May 19, 2009
By C.
W. Grommett "greywethr"
(Hatfield, PA, USA) - See
all my reviews
This is one of the most shocking books I've ever read. It has opened my eyes to the corruption of government, and the propaganda that paints pure capitalism as a false god. Unfortunately, it has also shown me that the USA isn't the "good guys" we portray ourselves to be, but a bunch of greedy multinationals. I've long known that every war since the dawn of time has been started for greed; more land, more people, more religious converts, more money, more resources, more power, etc. However, I didn't know quite how ingrained it was, how tightly knit politics and economics really are. Everything one does affects the other. Now everything I see, read, and hear take on more meaning, and I understand more because I can read into the reality of it all, instead of just getting what's on the surface. I sometimes miss my blissful ignorance, but I truly am thankful for this book arming me with awareness. Well, this and other books, movies, and documentaries. Trust me, you want this book.
The Soul of Capitalism
This is not a political polemic, March 16, 2009
By |
Robert Olsen |
The print marketplace is being swamped with political polemics written for the "choir". This book is different in that presents a well documented review of the history and deficiencies of U.S. Capitalism. The emphasis is on the growing separation between democratic ideals and the influence of wealth and priviledge in the Country. The author presents numerous ideas for change which are well worth consideration and of a practical bent. The authors focus on the moral and efficiency issues surrounding the corporate form is especially enlightening given the current financial market meltdown. As an Economist I would highly recommend it to those interested in political economy.
The War at Home
The War At
Home,
February 9, 2006
By |
Bruce E. Dettman (San Francisco) - See
all my reviews |
No
dispensable academic tome, THE WAR AT HOME, while providing a monumentally
researched analysis of those well-orchestrated government abuses designed and
implemented over the last three decades to enlarge and reward corporate America
at the expense of labor, the small business man and the American family, also
functions as a kind of workbook or primer for change.
Rasmus carefully breaks the book down into separate chronological studies of
such issues as Health Care, Free Trade, Tax Shifts and Social Security,
methodically walks the reader through a mind field of crippling historical
developments characterized by corporate malfeasance and political chicanery,
then offers possible approaches and even solutions to the multi-layered problems.
Wealth and Democracy
A Re-Gilded
Age,
December 24, 2003
By |
John C. Landon
"nemonemini" |
It would be hard to write a clearer indictment of the dynamics of politics and money than this history-expose. It covers not only in American history, but the entire sequence of cutting edge economies-empires, from sixteenth century Spain, seventeenth century Holland, nineteenth century England, and finally twentieth century North America. Laid out in a series the Faustian game of prosperous nations finally declining is grim, and the entire question ends off key with the case of the American economy and what it has been up to in the last twenty-five years. It's hard to resist the conclusion, given the facts, that the business class left to its devices is a menace to living populations of citizens, who they leave in the lurch after the cresting of the tide. Let us hope that current crop of economic hyenas can be stopped in time so that the great American democracy might survive into the next century. In the meantime, by the reckoning of the author, the dry rot has more than begun to set in. At least, given a clear history, we can learn, and react to the fleecing going on even now. Filled with a lot of good data, and historical snapshots from the entire modern era, this book is well worth reading for its convincing slow-motion portrait of the economic plight of nations.
 |
Blowback, Second Edition: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire (American Empire Project) |
Pull Your
Head Out or Die With It In The Sand, July 16, 2007
By |
This book deserves five stars, but I can tell you it's nothing like listening to this man speak in person. As in "Blowback" he lays it all out on the table. Sadly he says, "We just may have gone pass the point of no return." Americans now know that authors like Chalmers Johnson, Norm Chomsky, Webster Griffin Tarpley and Paul Waldman are not just over-educated nay sayers. We know that we're in real trouble, we just don't know what to do about it. If 9/11 proved nothing else, it proved that aircraft carriers, F16's, and smart bombs are useless against terrorists and apathy. Dr. Johnson summarizes the status quo: "We have a strong civil society that could, in theory, overcome the entrenched interests of the armed forces and the military-industrial complex. At this late date, however, it is difficult to imagine how Congress, much like the Roman senate in the last days of the republic, could be brought back to life and cleansed of its endemic corruption……
Hegemony Or Survival
Urgent
And Important. ,
December 31, 2006
By |
Mr. Fellini
"Fellini" |
Noam Chomsky's "Hegemony Or Survival" is a vital tool that presents a stripped, realistic view of American foreign policy. Fully supported by facts and well-documented events, Chomsky dissects a very real danger in our world today: Out of control imperialism and materialism that is costing lives and causing wars. This isn't about Communism, Capitalism or Socialism, it is about people with power bullying and intimidating others, it is about the cold hard facts of our history and how the past affects the present. There are those here who happily bash Chomsky because his facts do not fit their view of the world, a typical right-wing ploy readily used by the Bush White House to justify war in Iraq (and maybe war with Iran soon). In "Hegemony Or Survival" we read the long sad story of U.S. aggression in Latin America and Ronald Reagan's vicious terrorist campaign in Nicaragua against the Sandinista revolution and ongoing U.S. aggression against Cuba. Essentially the U.S. has taken the stance that Latin America is our "backyard" and we can assassinate and manipulate as we see fit, is it any wonder why Hugo Chavez is so popular? Chomsky chronicles all the U.S. funding Saddam Hussein received and how friendly we were to the guy before letting him get the noose (photos of Saddam shaking hands with Donald Rumsfeld are widely available online). Chomsky does not justify the September 11 attacks, in fact he condemns them and calls them horrendous acts, but he does force us to look at the tough historical reality that criminal acts such as 9/11 are easily instigated by our own colonial adventures abroad…….
 |
Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal, and the Selling of the Iraq War |
Inside
Story on Bush's Foreign Policy, February 24, 2009
By |
Lorin Engquist |
This
is an excellent book for those who want to find out what really led up to the
invasion of Iraq.
Hubris provides a very detailed account of how the Bush Administration decided
to invade Iraq. It debunks the myth that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz,
etc. actually believed that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction by
demonstrating that they instead purposely ignored evidence to the contrary in
order to "sell" the war. On at least one occasion when such evidence
was presented to them, they replied, "Give us something we can use."
The authors were no doubt better able to dig up this dirt because by the time
they wrote the book, the post-invasion search had proved conclusively that
Saddam did not have any WMDs. But the book details all of the people, including
some at the CIA, who had concluded BEFORE THE INVASION that Saddam did not have
WMDs……
 |
The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men, and a Republic in Peril |
Excellent
critique of American militarism and the Iraq war, October 30, 2008
By |
Allan H. Clark |
Eugene
Jarecki, director of the powerful film Why We Fight, has now given us a written
account of American militarism in The American Way of War. There is substantial
overlap between the film and the book--they may be viewed as telling the same
story. It is, however, a story well worth telling twice. The film has greater
visual impact and the book has more content.
Partisans will be inclined to read the book and see the film as indictments of
the Bush administration's conduct of the war in Iraq. Book and film do
certainly achieve that--but Jarecki's aim, especially in the book, is broader
and more substantive. He traces the long history of American militarism that
has culminated in an unnecessary war. This book ought to encourage a thoughtful
and thorough re-examination of American military policies and structures.
Jarecki traces the growth of expansionist American foreign policy from the
birth of the republic to the present day, reminding us of history we all know, but
may not have connected to our present posture as the world's sole superpower.
Viewing history through the lens of the Iraq disaster, he sees the war as a
logical consequence of a lengthy expansion of American state interests, rather
than simply a right-wing aberration. The roots of our difficulties run deeper
in our history than at first imagined.
The Complex
Even
Eisenhower Didn't See This Coming , March 31, 2008
By |
Sergio |
This is a fast paced compelling read. Packed with startling revelations that will horrify some, while wowing others. Nick Turse opens our eyes, as to how pervasive the Military Industrial Complex has become in our lives. He lifts the curtain on billions of dollars of Pentagon waste that Americans tolerate without question. He details for the reader the extent of how the military has garrisoned the globe. Sounding a warning to teens that "Uncle Sam Wants You" and will do almost anything toward that end, makes this mandatory reading for young men and women as well as their parents. Sci-fi, buffs might find cool the idea of militarized moths, or spying spiders, but the programs Dr.Turse sheds light on, are cause for grave concern. Throughout the book the author's clever wit is apparent and the level of research admirable. If you think the Military Industrial Complex is all guns, planes, missiles and tanks you should read The Complex. If you think that we as citizens are in control of the military you must read The Complex.
Beyond Oil
A
fine introduction to fossil fuels …… September 27, 2006.
By |
Donald Wulfinghoff
"author, Energy Efficiency... |
For
everyone who wants a quick and credible answer to the question, "Are we
really running out of fossil fuels?", this is the book. Kenneth Deffeyes
explains why your life and the lives of your children may soon become
unimaginably different from what our comfortable generation expects. His book
will make you a better citizen and a cocktail party expert, while providing you
with a few evenings of top quality entertainment……
….A petroleum geologist who began his career working with M. King Hubbert,
Deffeyes provides the easiest interpretation of Hubbert's method of predicting
the depletion of resources. Deffeyes doesn't explain Hubbert's underlying
rationale, which was murky, but he clarifies the "Hubbert curve" in a
wonderful way. This analysis, along with its limitations, should be understood
by every educated citizen……
Party's Over
A
Thoughtful and Balanced Overview of Peak Oil, September 3, 2007
By |
C. Douglas Craft
"Artist and Scientist" |
This review is from: Party's Over (Paperback)
I
discovered Peak Oil in August 2006 through James Kunstler's 'The Long
Emergency,' and since then I have read almost every book available on this
subject, including all of Heinberg's books. I have even written my own essay
for friends and family - which can be downloaded from my website at
http://www.dougcraftfineart.com. This book is a great overview of the Peak Oil
and energy depletion crisis facing us, and I recommend it for anyone looking
for a comprehensive and thoughtful overview of this difficult subject.
Whether you are a pessimist or optimist, the facts surrounding this issue and
the nature of resource depletion are simply unassailable from an honest
scientific evaluation. Peak Oil and energy depletion - coupled with climate
change and exponentially growing population - are deadly serious issues
representing the most calamitous crisis we humans have ever faced. Ever. The
problem simply cannot be sugar coated…….
The Long Emergency
The
decline of the oil age, December 20, 2008
By |
Joe T. Buchanan |
Kunstler
begins with the premise that we, i.e. the US and the world are running out of
oil. Who can question that premise besides those with vested financial
interests in keeping it a secret? If one accepts his premise that oil is a
diminishing commodity, the only salient question remaining is, what happens as
a decline becomes obvious in the global market?
In my opinion, Kunstler does an exceptional job of sketching a post-oil world.
The only criticism I have of his portrait is that it is probably not bleak
enough. We are a world of 6-7 billion people who are sustained by an affordable
and available source of energy. When that source is no longer affordable and/or
available, I fear that his view of a changing society does not begin to
describe the ensuing chaos and disorder.
The author is making a classic Malthusian & Darwinian argument of vital
resource depletion and the impact it will have on human population. The only
conclusion one can draw is that the outcome will not be pleasant. Hundreds of
millions, perhaps billions, of people will starve or die until equilibrium is
regained. Kunstler might appear to those free market optimists as simply a
left-wing political nut job, extremist, but he raises crucially important
questions for all mankind that cannot be brushed aside with platitudes and the
hope of future technology……
Peak Everything
**** Don't judge by its
title,
October 5, 2008
By |
A. Friedman
"life enthusiast" |
Richard Heinberg is an excellent author, and I HIGHLY recommend that everyone
read his (other) book "Party's Over" for a riveting & sobering
understanding of peak oil! With that under our belts, many of us are now coming
to recognize peak population, peak food, peak pollution, peak global
temperature, peak fresh water, peak arable land, peak mineral resources, peak
ocean fisheries, peak species diversity, peak uranium, peak weaponry, peak
resource wars, peak wealth disparity, peak waste, peak life expectancy, etc.
Peak Everything! That's what I THOUGHT this book would address.
Instead, he has cobbled together a collection of essays on aesthetics,
psychology, language, and other aspects of peaking. Oh, it's okay stuff, but
it's not at all what I expected nor hoped to read……...
World
Made by Hand: A Novel (Hardcover)
**** Flawed but powerfully imagined scenes make a rewarding read, August 25, 2008
By |
Buck Rogers |
This review is from: World Made by Hand: A Novel (Hardcover)
"World Made by Hand" is a post-apocalyptic novel written by an author known for his non-fiction works on oil depletion and the unsustainable arrangement of America's cities and suburbs. This novel shows what the world might be like if the worst-case scenario involving Peak Oil and societal collapse comes to pass. In most cases, novels written by pundits are bare-bones plot boilers with poorly-imagined settings and shallow characters who spend most of their time delivering homilies about the author's pet causes. But Kunstler wrote several novels before becoming a pundit, and has real literary skill. This novel stands on its own as a worthwhile read, independent of Kunstler's non-fiction work on suburbia and peak oil……
Climate Solutions
Know
more about legislation …. fight global climate change, October 27, 2008
By |
L. Bernacchi
"Eco Lit's Legit" (Salt Lake City, UT) - See
all my reviews |
I have purchased four copies of this text in the hopes that the public will lobby for a 2009 carbon-cap system. We need solutions now, and Barnes outlines some possible market solutions for capping carbon and trading it. His single-line arguments serve well in quotidian conversation, while parts of the text are available free online to share with others. However, this particular edition is concise, accurate and offers further education tools. I hope that those who have received this quick guide to carbon mitigation from me will pass it on, and that you will too, because we are the people Barnes dedicates the book to: "fellow owners of our one sky."
With Speed and Violence
On
the Brink of Abrupt Climate Change, January 7, 2009
By |
Randy A. Stadt |
Fred
Pearce, in 37 short chapters, has given us a very readable account of the
current issues in the broad subject of global warming. I wish I could say it is
a reassuring read, but it is not. From melting glaciers to thawing permafrost,
the prognosis is not only not good but also possibly catastrophic.
The primary issue is the sensitivity of global temperatures to continued
"outside forcing" brought on by increases in greenhouse gases.
Conventional thinking, that of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC), predicts that rising emissions of carbon dioxide will produce a steady
rise in atmospheric concentrations and an equally steady rise in temperatures.
Pearce notes, however, that "the history of our planet's climate shows
that it does not do gradual change. Under pressure...it lurches - virtually
overnight."…..
Too Many People
Clear
and convincing,
May 8, 2002
By |
Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See
all my reviews |
In this modest little book, originally written as a handbook for Negative Population Growth, Inc., Lindsey Grant, a retired career U.S. government official and diplomat, explores the consequences of having six billion people on the planet, and how much worse things are going to get as our numbers increase.
Probably the two strongest arguments for reducing our population are those derived from pollution and from declining per capita food production. Up until recent years science and technology have always come up with innovations that increase food production so that it has kept up with our population growth. What Grant argues is that ability is now running up against some barriers that are not likely to be circumvented. We already see this in grain production with world per capita production peaking in 1984, as Grant shows in a chart on page 9. We are producing more grain in an absolute sense but the amount per person is falling. If this continues, first the eating habits of the richer countries will change from meat, fish and poultry to grains and beans; and after that the strong will take from the weak with of course horrific consequences…….
 |
The Case For Fewer People: The Negative PopulationGrowth (NPG) Forum Papers by Lindsey Grant (Editor) - 2006 |
A collection of essays on the subject from Negative Population Growth. Amongst the remarkable changes that occurred in the industrialized world in the twentieth century, the most fundamental change of all was the quadrupling of human population—a growth three times as large as the human race had experienced in all its previous history. The alarming increase in world population has profoundly altered mankind’s relationship to the Earth’s natural resources. In this scholarly compendium, editor Lindsey Grant presents a collection of writings on the subject of population change, its consequences and the impact of human crowding on the future of mankind.
 |
Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming |
Critical
perspectives, excellent positioning, June 6, 2007
By |
Sreeram
Ramakrishnan (Yorktown Heights, NY) - See
all my reviews |
This review is from: Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming (Hardcover)
In a remarkably thorough (about half of this book comprises of an appendix that provides detailed definitions, citations and notes) and well-researched book (reads more like a collection of critical essays), Hawken weaves an excellent tapestry of issues surrounding development, social justice, and environment. Drawing heavily from history, Hawken manages to put key developments in context for providing an excellent argument on how the ongoing 'social movement without a name' has evolved. The gravity of the issues mentioned, the new and unique insights provided on events and personalities, and the detailed narration clearly gives this book a very serious tone (appropriately). Among the well-written chapters (essays), the one on civil disobedience stands out for the sheer unique insights provided on the thought evolution of greats like Gandhi and MLK. Without significant political posturing, Hawken discusses in a calm, methodical manner the issues that relate to social justice and development on multiple facets. An excellent, thought provoking read.
EcoCities
A
pattern of urban design we will rediscover, April 8, 2007
By |
Carl Chatfield (Redmond, WA United States) - See all my reviews |
EcoCities
is a book I have returned to repeatedly and discovered new insights every time.
Register is no utopian dreamer; he's addressing real problems in contemporary
urban design and land use patterns that cannot be sustained in a lower-energy
future. Register's personality comes through loud and clear in his
writing--this is no dry treatment of the subject.
Through this book, Register helps us to envision with some specificity what
urban landscapes light on automobiles but rich in biodiversity could look like.
It's as if he's illustrating a series of before and after treatments of various
spaces, but the before picture is now and the after is a future yet to be
realized. Highly recommended reading for anyone who wants to help actively
design their built environment towards sustainability.
A People's History of the United States
An
awakening of American history, March 28, 2009
By |
Soraya Scaife
"soraya10" |
This
book is an awakening of American history. Did Christopher Columbus really
discover America when people already lived there? Who did he discover it for?
Did Africans freely submit to the American institution of slavery, become
complacent and content? Were the Natives too trusting, bad negotiators, or
intimated, tricked and murdered by the new comers? How were the people treated
who did not comply with American ideals and systems? What are the true meanings
and intricacies of colonialism that occurred in America and abroad?
When I traveled to South Africa, the guide explained, "Your President Bush
was no friend to the South Africans, though many of the American people came to
our aid in support of our freedom." He explained with shear honesty,
openness and objectivity. There was neither malice, condemnation nor accusation
in his words, just plain facts, uncut and uncensored. This scenario represents
to me, Zinn's style and analysis of American history.
Plan
B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Deeply
Insightful but Very Readable, June 16, 2008
By |
Alan
Lekan |
This review is from: Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, Third Edition (Paperback)
This
is one of the finest books to summarize in layman's terms both the problems and
solutions to our unsustainable, industrialized economy. What distinguishes
Lester Brown form other authors on the topic of sustainability is the ease of
readability of his books. That definitely cannot be said about other, overly
laborious works that mostly appeal to policy makers or academia.
Version 3.0 (2007) here expands where Plan B 2.0 left off and what Eco Economy
started in 2001. There is much valuable news and trends in 3.0 not in 2.0 as
this is an extremely fast moving topic which needs updating every year. (I've
had Harvard profs tell me they need to completely revamp their sustainability
lectures each year to keep up with the latest happenings).
Positives: very clear, readable writing style ... a keen ability to
"connect the dots" of the many issues of a unsustainable society ...
depth and insight ... loaded but not overloaded with useful eco-factoids ...
and ability to balance bad news/good news and not be either wholly focused on
total eco-gloom disaster scenarios or a total pie-in-the-sky-kind-of-a-guy. His
balance is superb and his recommendations believable……..
 |
The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing ….. |
Challenging
overview …… to our environmental problems, December 31, 2008
By |
Timothy J. Bartik |
This review is from The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing …..
James Gustave Speth's book supplies a surprisingly radical critique of our current economic system as undermining the environment. I say surprisingly because Speth is currently the Dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and therefore Speth is part of the establishment. The book is clearly a call from the heart…… In the process of providing his radical critique, Speth also provides a useful summary of current environmental problems, their causes, and the limitations of current solutions. Part I of the book presents evidence that despite some environmental progress, there remain numerous environmental problems that are getting worse. Foremost among these problems is global warming. Part I also argues that our current form of capitalism embraces growth without adequate restrictions to prevent these global environmental problems. Our current form of capitalism where possible uses its political power to block or evade such restrictions…….
The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community
**** Good Description of What We Need; Not Clear on How to Get It, December 24, 2007
By |
Carl E. Gunther |
"The
Great Turning" by David Korten provides a well-organized and articulate
description of what is wrong with our present, domination-based political and
economic system, along with an envisionment of a proposed, alternative world in
which things will be organized in a more cooperative and sustainable manner. In
so doing, it makes an immense contribution to the vocabulary and literature
describing not only our present conundrum, but also the new civilization that
we might hope to create in answer to the present one's discontents. Since there
are few, if any, authors who have even attempted such an ambitious project,
this book is certain to occupy a central place in future discussions regarding
the present crisis.
The book's descriptions of what is wrong with the present system of domination
are insightful, and its descriptions of the more cooperative world to which we
might aspire are visionary. Korten articulates the world view of what he calls
"Empire" vs. that of "Earth Community" as first-person
narrative "creeds" for each, an approach that has great clarifying
power……
 |
The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex |
Essential
reading for those struggling in the non profits, April 14, 2009
By |
Scott Weinstein (Maryland) - See all my reviews |
The
Revolution Will Not Be Funded is lucid book composed of writings by various
left activists and grassroots organizers - edited by INCITE! a Women of Color
collective and written mostly people of color. It is one of the best sources of
analysis of why activism and organizing in a non profit group or organization
is fraught with contradictions and may even be a dead-end for your political
aims.
It takes aim at the "Non Profit Industrial Complex", which like the
Military Industrial Complex or the Prison Industrial Complex, is a penetrating
system designed to benefit the needs of status-quo at the expense of the
dis-empowered - precisely the people we are concerned about.
The opening chapter explains how 501(c)3 non profits are a relatively new US
phenomenon, established to both provide tax breaks for the wealthy and large
corporations, and also to control the radical energies of people who threaten
to upset the power structure……
The most
important book I've read this year, July 6, 2008
By |
Lena R. |
Paul and Anne Ehrlich's THE DOMINANT ANIMAL is not only the most sensible and up-to-date book I've read about sustainability; it's also well organized and well written, a true delight to read. As the bad news increasingly piles up -- mass extinctions on land and in the oceans, decreased availability of cheap energy, increased unemployment, floods and droughts leading to crop failures, polar ice caps melting, and famines, to mention only a few -- it becomes crucial that we quickly make informed and sensible choices. THE DOMINANT ANIMAL provides well researched and balanced pros and cons about the most important issues facing us today. I can only agree with the solutions the authors favor, from the unbridled consumption issue (my current line of work) to their analysis of nuclear energy, pp. 306-308 (pertinent to my past life as a physicist). Though the news are grim, I have great hope that if books such as this are widely read we'll be able save ourselves and our grandchildren from a very harsh future that is already encroaching on us.
Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky
A
Book Every American Should Read, March 26, 2004
By |
Robert Crayhon |
The idea that, heaven forbid, there could be anything fundamentally wrong with America and the powers, seen and unseen, that run this country is an idea that is so utterly horrifying to some Americans that they have no place for it in their minds. Such people should not read this book. They should continue to go about their sheltered existences, thinking that everything America does is peachy-keen, precisely because AMERICA is doing it: that makes it right.
Those wanting an honest appraisal of what America does at home and abroad, however, could do no better than to read this superb and accessible book. Whether one agrees with Chomsky is not the point--the point is that he has ammassed more data about where we have erred as a nation in the past 100 years more than anyone else. He is the most completely original political thinker out there--not more of the vanilla that televison and the media serve up. So, use Chomsky as a tonic. Wake up…….
