"Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it." - Gandhi.
Everyone makes a difference.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever does." - Margaret Mead.
If the people lead, the leaders will follow.
New Left Politics
Shifting Fortunes: The Perils of the Growing American Wealth Gap, by Chuck Collins, Betsy Leondar-Wright, and Holly Sklar. Forward by Juliet Schor and Lester Thurow. Copyright 1999 by United for a Fair Economy and Holly Sklar. Who owns what? This concise 94-page book answers that question in detail and documents that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. It includes plenty of charts and statistics and also briefly lists recommendations to reduce the wealth gap. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Economic Apartheid in America: A Primer on Economic Inequality and Insecurity, by Chuck Collins and Felice Yeskel with United for a Fair Economy. Published on Jan. 15, 2000. This detailed 229-page book moves beyond the documentation of growing economic inequality in America provided in Shifting Fortunes: The Perils of the Growing American Wealth Gap to provide more analysis of the causes and consequences of growing economic inequality. It also focuses on political organizing strategies for building a fair economy movement and actions to close the economic divide. Includes some hard-hitting charts, cartoons, and graphics. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Corporate Predators: The Hunt for Mega-Profits and the Attack on Democracy, by Russell Mokhiber, editor of the Corporate Crime Reporter, and Robert Weissman, editor of Multinational Monitor. Published in April 1999. "Big Business Sacks the Global Village" begins the brief manifesto on the back cover of this book. As corporate power and profits increase, this book documents many corporate abuses of power that you probably never heard about in what Ralph Nader has called the "corporate media". Want muckrackers' reports? Then buy this book. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Washington on 10 Million a Day: How Lobbyists Plunder the Nation, by Ken Silverstein. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Take the Rich Off Welfare, by Arthur Naiman and Mark Zepezauer. For more information, see the Corporate Welfare Information Center. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The Buying of the President 2000, by Charles Lewis, from the Center for Public Integrity. Published in Jan. 2000. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Downsize This!, by Michael Moore, the creator of the TV series TV Nation and the movie Roger and Me. Irreverent humor from an outspoken radical. Also available in audiobook format. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Globalize This!: The Battle Against the World Trade Organization, by Kevin Danaher and Roger Burbach. Published on June 1, 2000. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The Case Against the Global Economy: And for a Turn Toward the Local, edited by Jerry Mander and Edward Goldsmith. The globalization of the world's economy and the continuing rise in multinational corporate power are often neglected and unchecked trends. This 549-page book published in 1997 by Sierra Club Books includes chapters by over 40 experts and provides a left-green analysis of the case against the global economy and for local self-determination and self-sufficiency. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Buy from Paper Tiger Television.
Showdown in Seattle: 5 Days that Shook the WTO, from Paper Tiger Television. A radical documentary of the militant Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 1999 protests against the WTO in Seattle. You can buy the video or listen to the audio track for free on the Internet.
Buy from Paper Tiger Television.
Breaking the Bank, from Paper Tiger Television. A radical documentary of the militant April 16, 2000 protests against the IMF and World Bank in Washington, DC. You can buy the video from Paper Tiger Television.
We're Right, They're Wrong: A Handbook for Spirited Progressives, by James Carville. A 1996 Democratic rebuttal to the Republican contract with America. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
America: Who Stole the Dream?, by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
America Needs a Raise: Fighting for Economic Security and Social Justice, by David Kusnet and AFL-CIO President John J. Sweeney. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Buy from Macrocosm USA.
Macrocosm USA: Possibilities for a New Progressive Era...: An Environmental, Political, and Social Solutions Handbook with Directories, by Sandi Brockway. 422 pages. Published in 1992. Click here for more information. Most of this book is available online and it can be purchased directly from Macrocosm USA for a very low price. A thorough compilation of left-wing issues and resources as of 1992, it is still a good resource book now. (However, some of the listings in the over 200-page resource list must be out-of-date by now.) Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Other good New Left books can be purchased from Essential Information Books Online. Essential Information was founded by Ralph Nader in 1982.
The Media
Making the News: A Guide for Nonprofits and Activists, by Jason Salzman. Published in 1998. "Salzman gives you the nitty-gritty, the nuts and bolts, to compete in the not-so-free marketplace of ideas." - Mathew Rothschild, editor of The Progressive. "Marvelous. A great handbook for activists." - Jeff Cohen, executive director of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting." Reviewed by Amazon.com.
We the Media: A Citizen's Guide to Fighting for Media Democracy, edited by Don Hazen and Julie Winokur. An irreverent left-wing analysis of how increasingly concentrated corporate power can influence the media and what you can do about it. Includes plenty of charts, cartoons, and other graphics. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Annotations: A Guide to the Independent Critical Press, edited by Marie Jones. Second edition, published in 1999. Click here for a description. Provides concise reviews, including contact info, subscription info, and article submission info, for 328 independent publications. Edited by the staff of the Alternative Press Center (publishers of the Alternative Press Index) and the Independent Press Association, in collaboration with Marie Jones. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The Progressive Guide to Alternative Media and Activism, by Greg Ruggiero and Stuart Sahulka from Project Censored. Published in 1999. Lists over 800 alternative press and media activists groups.
CommonDreams.org offers current news and views from a wide variety of progressives.
Censored 2001: The Year's Top 25 Censored News Stories (Annual), by Peter Phillips, introduction by Mumia Abu-Jamal, illustrated by Tom Tomorrow. The top 25 censored or underreported 2000 news stories from Project Censored.
Censored 2000: The Year's Top 25 Censored News Stories (Annual), by Peter Phillips, introduction by Mumia Abu-Jamal, illustrated by Tom Tomorrow. The top 25 censored or underreported 1999 news stories from Project Censored.
Censored 1999: The News That Didn't Make the News-The Year's Top 25 Censored News Stories (Annual), by Peter Phillips. The top 25 censored or underreported 1998 news stories from Project Censored.
Censored 1998: The News That Didn't Make the News-The Year's Top 25 Censored News Stories (Annual), by Peter Phillips. The top 25 censored or underreported 1997 news stories from Project Censored. Also includes a 68-page alternative media resource guide.
Publisher out of stock in Dec. 2000.
20 Years of Censored News, by Carl Jensen. The top censored or underreported news stories from 1976-1995 from Project Censored. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Censored: The News That Didn't Make the News-And Why: The 1996 Project Censored Yearbook (Annual), by Peter Phillips. The top 25 censored or underreported 1995 news stories from Project Censored. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The Habits of Highly Deceptive Media: Decoding Spin and Lies in Mainstream News, by Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen. Here's a left-wing analysis of today's news that you probably haven't read in your local newspaper. You can read columns by Norman Solomon from Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. Published in March 1999. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
When Reporters Become `Producers of Meaning', a column by Richard Harwood in The Washington Post, 12/16/97, page A27, in which he states that most reporters tend to be left-of-center and sympathetic to social change. Another column in the Post claimed that reporters in the DC area tend to be more socially liberal and economically conservative than the average American. [Post archive search.]
Peace
SIPRI Yearbook 2001: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Click here for a very detailed description. Very expensive, but they provide a useful detailed free online book summary. SIPRI Yearbooks are published annually.
SIPRI Yearbook 2000: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security. Click here for a very detailed description. Very expensive, but they provide a useful detailed free online book summary. SIPRI Yearbooks are published annually.
Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U. S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940, edited by Stephen I. Schwartz. According to the review by Stephen S. Rosenfeld in The Washington Post, 7/31/98, page A25, "...somebody has now figured out what it has cost the United States to be a nuclear power: $5.5 trillion in constant 1966 dollars, 29 percent of all military spending in 1940-96, an average of $21,646 per American." The following quote is highlighted: "The team that made the United States the world's preeminent nuclear power contained no one wearing a green eyeshade." Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Peace Trek Family Coloring Book. Created by Joel and Diane Schatz, art by Diane Schatz. Edited by Suzanna Spiro. A detailed coloring book for kids of all ages with commentary and thought-provoking questions about the world and how we can change it. Initially published in 1986, this book, based on the wonderful Peace Trek poster, provides a holistic green picture or vision of what a peaceful world would look like and contrasts that with a picture of what a greedy militaristic world would look like. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Peace is the World Smiling: A Peace Anthology For Families (CD), by many artists. Warm and friendly multicultural folk music for kids of all ages advocating peace, love, and ecology. Music samples from the CD are provided by Amazon.com.
Out of print.
Addicted to War: Why the U.S. Can't Kick Militarism, an illustrated expose by Joel Andreas. A carefully documented left-wing comic book. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Seeds of Peace: A Catalog of Quotations, compiled by Jeanne Larson and Madge Micheels-Cyrus.
See also friendship, love, and kindness and conflict resolution skills.
Feminism
The Womansource Catalog and Review: Tools for Connecting the Community of Women, edited by Ilene Rosoff. A Whole Earth Catalog for women. Click here for a detailed description. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
What Women Want, by NOW President Patricia Ireland. Patricia Ireland's inspiring journey to personal and political power, and a feminist call to action. Click here for a detailed description. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
60% discount. Only $3.99
from 1BookStreet.com as of 12/5/00.It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us, by First Lady Hillary Clinton. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
56% discount. Only $7.99
from 1BookStreet.com as of 12/5/00.It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us (audio cassette), by First Lady Hillary Clinton. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The Girls' Guide to Life: How to Take Charge of the Issues That Affect You, by Catherine Dee, Cynthia Jabar (illustrator), and Carol Palmer (photographer). Published in 1997. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Tatterhood and Other Tales: Stories of Magic and Adventure, by Ethel Johnston Phelps. Illustrated by Pamela Baldwin. Feminist folktales from around the world. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The Maid of the North, by Ethel Johnston Phelps. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Women, Ink. offers an online bookstore with over 200 books on women's empowerment around the world.
The National Women's History Project offers the Women's History Catalog.
Brave Girls and Strong Women Bookstore offers over 40 empowering books for young people ages 2-17.
Also see women's health.
Green Politics
The Official Earth Day Guide to Planet Repair, by Denis Hayes. The official Earth Day 2000 book. Published Feb. 18, 2000. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Free online edition.
Population Reports -- Population and the Environment -- The Global Challenge, by Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, The Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Volume XXVIII, Number 3, published in Fall 2000.
The Green Reader: Essays Toward a Sustainable Society, by Andrew Dobson. An impressive collection of essays by leading Green activists and intellectuals. Published in 1991.
The Green Alternative: Creating An Ecological Future, by Brian Tokar.
Ecopolitics: Building a Green Society, by Daniel Coleman.
For more info about the U.S. Green movement, see The Greens/Green Party U.S.A. Here is one version of the 10 key values of the U.S. Green Movement.
1. Ecological Wisdom
2. Social Justice
3. Grassroots Democracy
4. Nonviolence
5. Decentralization
6. Community Economics
7. Feminism
8. Respect for Diversity
9. Personal and Global Responsibility
10. Future Focus/Sustainability.
Out of print.
The Sierra Club Green Guide: Everybody's Desk Reference to Environmental Information, by Andrew J. Feldman. Reviewed by Amazon.com..
Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit, by Vice President Al Gore. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Earth in the Balance: Ecology and the Human Spirit (abridged audio cassette), by Vice President Al Gore. Reviewed by Amazon.com. Amazon.com sells a downloadable version of this audio cassette tape.
Diet for a New America: How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness and the Future of Life on Earth, by John Robbins, who founded Earthsave. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Diet for a New America (videotape), by John Robbins. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Beyond Beef: The Rise and Fall of the Cattle Culture, by Jeremy Rifkin. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Gaia: An Atlas of Planet Management, edited by Dr. Norman Myers. This lavishly illustrated Gaia Original book takes a global perspective that looks at our global resources, how we are mismanaging them, and how we can manage them better. The global perspective or worldview expressed in this book can help give you the vision of a worldview of building a humane, co-operative, ecologically sustainable society for all of humanity. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
State of the World 2002, by Lester Brown and the Worldwatch Institute. This highly influential book is read by policy makers and millions of readers and is published annually in 30 languages around the world. Not yet published. Expected publication date Jan. 2002. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
State of the World 2001, by Lester Brown and the Worldwatch Institute. This highly influential book is read by policy makers and millions of readers and is published annually in 30 languages around the world. Click here for a detailed description. Also, here are summaries of the ecological state of the world for 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000. You can also buy State of the World 1997, State of the World 1998, and State of the World 1999: The Millennium Edition, and State of the World 2000. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Vital Signs 2001: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future, by Lester Brown and the Worldwatch Institute. Click here for a detailed description. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Vital Signs 2000: The Environmental Trends That Are Shaping Our Future, by Lester Brown and the Worldwatch Institute. Click here for a detailed description. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Out of print. You can try ordering this book from PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Save the Animals: 101 Easy Things You Can Do, by Ingrid Newkirk. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The Green Revolution: The American Environmental Movement, 1962-1992, by Kirkpatrick Sale. A 108-page history of the Green or environmental movement in America from 1962-1992. Chapters include origins, sixties seedtime, 1962-70, doomsday decade, 1970-1980, the Reagan reaction, 1980-1988, endangered earth, 1988-1992, and prospects.
Out of print.
The Greenpeace Guide to Anti-Environmental Organizations, including industry-funded anti-environment organizations that pretend to be pro-environment. Click here for more info on anti-environmental organizations. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Also see Building An Ecologically Sustainable Society and Utopian/Ecotopian Visions.
More Left-Green Politics
Common Purpose: Strengthening Families and Neighborhoods to Rebuild America, by Lisbeth B. Schorr. Suggestions for reforming and improving government aid to the poor. Published in 1997. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
The State of America's Children Yearbook 2001, edited by Marian Wright Edelman and the Children's Defense Fund. Click here for a description. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Buy
from the National Urban League..
The State of Black America 2000, edited by by Audrey Rowe.
The State of the World Atlas: A Unique Visual Survey of Global Political, Economic and Social Trends, by Michael Kidron and Ronald Segal. An excellent and detailed overview of the state of the world today. Fifth edition, published in 1995. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Material World: A Global Family Portrait, by Peter Menzel and Charles C. Mann. A richly illustrated visual portrait of global cultural diversity. It illustrates the life of typical families in 30 countries around the world. Reviewed by Amazon.com.
Third World Atlas, by Alan Thomas, Ben Crow, etc. The first edition of this book, published in 1983, is a good quality educational third world atlas, so I'm assuming that the second edition, published in 1994, is also a good quality educational third world atlas.
Democracy for the Few, by Michael Parenti.
- See also political empowerment resources. -