Nourishment: 2020

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Books:

The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible by Charles Eisenstein

A powerful antidote to the despair and paralysis we feel, this book reveals how many of the world’s problems stem from a deeply entrenched underlying story of separation and invites us to lean into a recognition of interbeing, trusting that small acts reverberate throughout the world.  

Climate: A New Story by Charles Eisenstein

A very illuminating read.  While the dominant conversation around climate change is centered on carbon emissions, Eisenstein reminds us that carbon is just one part of the climate crisis, and urges us to consider how the destruction of all of Gaia’s “organs” (water, soil, ocean, forest) is contributing to the death of our ecosystem.  

Do Less by Kate Northrup

A collection of very useful techniques to simplify our work lives so that we may be more present for the moments that truly matter to us.  Northrup emphasizes aligning our productivity and rest with the natural cycles of the moon.

Landmarks by Robert Macfarlane

After learning that the Scottish people of the Isle of Lewis have over 120 words for peat, MacFarlane sets out to explore the way our (diminishing) languages of the land shapes our relationships with nature.

Humblebee Bumblebee by Brian Griffin

A slim book illuminating the way of the bumblebee that is an absolute delight.

How to Hide an Empire: a History of the Greater United States by Daniel Immerwahr

Even though I mean to read more history books, I usually find them too dry…..this book however was completely riveting and blew my mind over and over as I learned of the US’s colonizing history I certainly hadn’t learned about in school (this book is a great compliment to A People’s History of the US by Zinn!) such as our sketchy history/relationship with Hawaii, Alaska, Panama, Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Okinawa, our hundreds of military bases stationed world-wide, and so much more.  

Kindred by Octavia Butler

I was never a fan of science fiction until I began to understand it as “visionary fiction” (brilliant thinkers Walidah Imarisha and Adrienne Maree Brown’s term for it).  In their words: "We believe that radical science fiction is actually better termed visionary fiction because it pulls from real life experience, inequalities and movement building to create innovative ways of understanding the world around us, paint visions of new worlds that could be, and teach us new ways of interacting with one another. Visionary fiction engages our imaginations and hearts, and guides our hands as organizers." Butler’s books are must-read American fiction, as relevant today as they were when they were written in the 70’s-90’s.

The Round House by Louise Erdrich

A harrowing and masterful work of fiction, Erdrich gives us a window into the generations-old trauma and violence that Native American women experience. The riveting plot made it so that I couldn’t put this one down.

To A God Unknown by John Steinbeck

A lesser-known Steinbeck book, but my favorite (closely followed by East of Eden).  A prescient tale, filled with symbolism, the mysterious truths of anima mundi, and the ages-old clash between Christianity and pagan beliefs. Left me haunted and inspired.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

It’s worth reading about war and facing the heartbreaking, visceral realities - if only feeling through words - as relevant now as in 1929 as our country continues to wage endless wars (the US is currently involved in at least seven wars).

Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko

A deeply beautiful story about a young Native American WWII veteran returning home, broken by war, and how storytelling is a way of healing, of making the world.

Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins

A teaser: the book opens with “THE BEET IS THE MOST INTENSE of vegetables.  The radish, admittedly, is more feverish, but the fire of the radish is a cold fire, the fire of discontent not of passion. Tomatoes are lusty enough, yet there runs through tomatoes an undercurrent of frivolity. Beets are deadly serious.”  As i read this book, I laughed, I shed tears, I felt my mind and heart expand.

Current read: The Overstory by Richard Powers

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Other:

The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane

A big, beautiful children’s/coffee table book, featuring poems and lush paintings depicting words concerning nature, such as “dandelion” and “otter”, that the Oxford Junior Dictionary has deemed irrelevant to children’s’ lives today.

The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg

A captivating graphic novel about the power of stories that I simply couldn’t set down once I started reading it.  The stories feel ancient and new at the same time.

You Were Made for This by Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Building a Peace Narrative essay by Charles Eisenstein

One Rebel - essay by Caitlin Johnstone

Any article in Emergence Magazine

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Films:

Honeyland - a sublime documentary about a Macedonian beekeeper and struggle, persistence and change.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - An inspiring film about the beloved Mister Rogers