books image

various

By rabble staff
various, November 30, 2009, N/A

A look back at the books reviewed in rabble’s book lounge this past year reveals that it has been a diverse year for progressive books. Topics covered included poetry by and for activists, radical economics, environmental activism and foodscapes to community resistance in New Orleans, Gaza and the media. Here is a month by month look at rabble’s top reviews from 2010. Click the book titles to view the full review.

January

The Making of an Elder Culture: Reflections on the Future of America’s Most Audacious Generation by Theodore Roszak

Reviewed by Frank Preyde

Theodore Roszak’s latest book revisits a generation he defined 40 years ago reminding readers of the strengths of the baby boomer generation and challenges boomers to again take up the good fight.

February

Letter Out: Letter In by Salimah Valiani

Reviewed by Jorge Antonio Vallejos

Salimah Valiani, a queer activist of colour, brings readers to different places with very different views on what it is to educate and challenge through poetry, letters and memoir.

March

Storms of My Grandchildren: The Truth on the Coming Climate Catastrophe and Our Last Chance to Save Humanity by James Hansen

Reviewed by Al Engler

James Hansen has been attempting to convince governments of the threat posed by carbon dioxide emissions since the 1980s. In his first book, he defends the science behind human-caused climate change.

April

Beyond the Bubble: Imagining a New Canadian Economy by James Laxer

Reviewed by Charles Demers

James Laxer’s new book Beyond the Bubble: Imagining a New Canadian Economy pulls the curtain back to reveal the deliberately-obfuscated workings of the North American economy.

This Time We Went Too Far

May

This Time We Went Too Far: Truth and Consequences in the Gaza Invasion by Norman G. Finkelstein

Reviewed by Aaron Leonard

Norman Finkelstein’s new book brings together the disparate pieces of Israel’s 2008 invasion of Gaza, which left 1,400 Palestinians dead, and sets forth grounds for hope.

June

DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education by Anya Kamenetz

Reviewed by Josh Cole

In a world being radically altered by new media technologies, should the university embrace those technologies, or resist them? This is the question Anya Kamenetz explores in her new book DIY U.

Foodies

July

Foodies: Democracy and Distinction in the Gourmet Foodscape by Josée Johnston and Shyon Baumann

Reviewed by Melanie Redman

Foodies: Democracy and Distinction in the Gourmet Foodscape explores the ongoing tension between the two stories about food: good food as democratic and food as a source of status.

August

Kenk by Richard Poplak, Alex Jansen, Jason Gilmore and Nick Marinkovich

Reviewed by Tara Quinn

In Toronto, Igor Kenk’s name is synonymous with “bike thief.” But a graphic novel about his life presents a more nuanced portrayal than any of the media coverage granted him.

September

Missed Her by Ivan E. Coyote

Reviewed by Helen Polychronakos

Is life easier for a butch or a lipstick lesbian? Missed Her, a collection by Vancouver writer and performer, Ivan E. Coyote, explores many a lifestyle collision with thoughtful humour.

Our Friendly Local Terrorist

October

Our Friendly Local Terrorist by Mary-Jo Leddy

Reviewed by Matthew Behrens

As hundreds of Tamil migrants remain detained in B.C., Mary Jo Leddy’s Our Friendly Local Terrorist is an eloquent reminder that such hysteria predates Stephen Harper’s hard core agenda.

November

Alliances: Re/Envisioning Indigenous-non-Indigenous Relationships by Lynne Davis, ed.

Reviewed by Zainab Amadahy

Alliances brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous thinkers to reflect on relationship-building/alliance-making in struggle and how such work impacts both the personal and political.

December

Do It Anyway: The New Generation of Activists by Courtney E. Martin

Reviewed by Jessica Rose

Save the world. These three words have slipped off the tongues of well-meaning parents for decades. This is a good thing, right? Maybe not, argues Courtney E. Martin, author of Do It Anyway.

Image by greendaizer13.

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Noreen Mae Ritsema

Noreen Mae Ritsema is the books and blogging intern for rabble.ca. She works as the Features Editor for the Manitoban and is the Poetry Editor for the Journal of Integrated Studies. She has written...