Because really, who doesn't want that? Y'all remember how much I loved Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. My book group is reading it this month and I can't wait to chat about it--seems like at least one other member is liking it too.
A few weeks ago on the PUBLIB listserv (for public libraries & librarians) one member asked for ideas about consumerism-type books, as her library's book club wanted to read one. And oh, did people respond. We're librarians, remember? Asking us for book recommendations is pretty much like throwing prime chum in the water next to both seals and surfers.
I figured I would get the list up here so that anyone who may want to be considered for membership at our future hippie compound in Montana (other members: Daltongirl and Sakhmet, who is pushing for a milder climate, which I can get behind). can get caught up on the syllabus. And possibly also so that I don't lose the list.
The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power and Politics of World Trade, Pietra Rivoli.
Not Buying It: My Year Without Shopping, Judith Levine
Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic, John de Graffe, et al
Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser
Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, Paco Underhill
Nickel and Dimed: On (not) Getting By in America, Barbara Ehrenreicht
No Logo: Taking Aim at Brand Bullies, Naomi Klein
Shock Doctrine: Rise of Disaster Capitalism, Naomi Klein
A Year Without “Made In China”: One Family’s Adventures in the Global Economy, Sara Bongiorni
How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else, Michael Gates Gill
Bittersweet : the story of sugar, Peter Macinnis
Consumed: How Markets Corrupt Children, Infantilize Adults, and Swallow Citizens Whole, Michael Norton
Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan.
Crunchy cons: the new conservative counterculture and its return to roots, Dreher 2006 (psst! This one is about conservatives who eat organic vegetables without shame!)
American Mania: When More is Not Enough, Whybrow 2005
Consuming religion: Christian faith and practice in a consumer culture, Miller 2005
Exporting America: Why Corporate Greed is Shipping American Jobs Overseas, Dobbs 2004
I want that! : how we all became shoppers, Thomas Hine
The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More, Chris Anderson
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, Malcom Gladwell
The Wisdom of Crowds, James Surowiecki
Waste and Want: A Social History of Trash, Susan Strasser
And really, this is a whole nuther blog post in the making (so, you know, gird up your loins for that one) but I really do not understand what the deal is with conservatives and the environment--or, I should say more specifically, with Mormons (who tend to be politically conservative) and the environment.
Is it because we believe in the Last Days and so there's really no need to bother preserving the earth because it's just going to get all burned up anyway?
Does living in Utah and other wide-open spaces make us feel like there's always going to be more of everything and if there isn't then that's not our problem?
Is it because conservation and the environment are frequently supported by the politically liberal, and we should never believe anything the liberals say about anything, including things like "Hi, my name is Bob" and "My, the sky looks hazy today." Probably this whole environmentalism thing is just a trick to get us running abortion clinics out of our garages.
And guess what else? I don't care if global warming turns out to be fake. Seriously. I absolutely do not care. It will not change the way I feel about my responsibilities and my feeling that I should be trying to make the world a better place rather than squeezing every last bit of use from it and leaving nothing for the people who come after me. And it's funny that more LDS people (and Christians in general) don't talk about this, considering what we are taught about exactly those ideas: stewardship, responsibility, moderation, unselfishness, preparation, priorities. If you need scriptural evidence, look at what God told Adam when he gave him stewardship over the earth. Look at the parable of the talents. It's right there.Aaaand possibly I won't be needing that second blog post now. Woops.
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