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.
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.
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.
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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