by Tim O’Hara
Due to the unique circumstances of the past two plus years, I never seemed to find the time to write what I hoped would be a yearly blog on the books that I read. The two times that I’ve done this in the past we were stateside visiting family, with a bit more time to dedicate to catching up on what seems to be an ever growing list of “books to read”. With travel plans all over the board since COVID became a common part of life, we were only able to make 2 much quicker than normal trips back to see our loved ones in the US. Nevertheless, I’ve been able to squeeze in some solid educational, inspirational and informative reads that I’d like to quickly review for those of you out there that appreciate personal reading suggestions. I’ll try to include as many of the books that I’ve read since the last time I shared my recommendations though I may miss a few as it’s been a while. I’ll also do my best to list them in the order that I read them though my memory doesn’t always serve me as well as it used to. As always, I love to receive other people’s recommendations and in fact a few on those on the below list came from some of you that responded to my last blog reviewing books. Without further ado, here we go. Enjoy.
All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren
I randomly picked this classic off of the Ranch’s library shelf one day looking for a good read. I don’t often choose fiction these days but this book, written as fictional history, really resonated as I flipped through the pages and got lured in by the in-depth character development and story of corruption, dirty politics, and the reality of how decisions are sometimes made by those in power. The book is set in the southeastern US in the 1930s. I was saddened by how little much has seemed to change on the political front this past century.
Killer of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
Holy shit. I wish I was surprised by the story laid out by author David Grann. This book was recommended to me by our neighbor Jim Veeder. It’s an unbelievable story of pillage, theft and the rising up of J. Edgar Hoover and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Add another chapter to the story of sinister imperialism and Manifest Destiny that left destruction, thievery, and murder in its wake. The book was gripping. I burned through it in a few days and found myself at the end ashamed to descend from the race and gender that has done so much damage to this planet and its people. Highly recommended.
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
This book about the “Great Migration” of African Americans from the Southeastern US north and west follows the lives of 3 unrelated people that moved to New York, Los Angeles and Chicago respectively.
This is a good overview of the plight of black Americans in the early and mid-1900s as they continued to work against the repressive forces set in motion by slavery and subsequently Jim Crow. I also plan on reading Wilkerson’s more recent book entitled Caste.
Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore by Elizabeth Rush
What will happen as our coastal cities go underwater? What will happen as our estuaries become part of the sea? How will we mitigate the ensuing disasters of climate chaos as sea levels rise and begin to swallow up areas inhabited by millions of people? We are in for a rude awakening and Elizabeth Rush does a nice job of laying out our despondent future in a way that I found accessible and even at times enjoyable. The book was written fairly recently and is a good selection to bring yourself up to speed on recent developments in the climate disaster conversation.
There There by Tommy Orange
This read takes a look at indigenous populations in urban settings as it individually follows the lives of a number of indigenous people who are connected in some way and who all come together in the same space in Oakland at the end of this compelling, sad but important and absorbing book. If you read Overstory, it’s similarly laid out by following and highlighting the lives of the characters and then creatively weaving them together before a final crescendo that leaves you reeling a bit. I blew through this page-turner and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in the human project. This is one the first books that I’ve read about American Indians that focuses on the urban story, where most American Indians live today, and their challenges as it relates to life in the city.
Call of the Reed Warbler: A New Agriculture – A New Earth by Charles Massy
This book was also recommended to me by Jim Veeder, our neighbor who lives up over the mountain in a small community named Tufares. Jim’s an avid reader that shares my reading preferences and this book really fit the bill with its many examples of regenerative food systems on the continent of Australia. Inspirational for readers concerned about how humans can responsibly provide for themselves in the future.
October 1964 by David Halberstam
I needed a break from the serious reads and settled on an account of the 1964 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the New York Yankees. It was an enjoyable recount of the season leading up to what was one of the most exciting World Series up until that point in history. I especially enjoyed the read due to the fact that many of the players highlighted in the book were still playing when I started watching baseball in the early 70s.
The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall by Mark W. Moffett
This book impacted me more than any book I’ve read in a long time. Moffett, a biologist who for much of his career focused on ants, makes a leap into the world of apes as he uncovers why we do what we do. Fascinating, eye-opening, riveting and refreshing. It answered so many questions about human nature that I have been carrying around with me for a long time. Highly recommended for readers interested in human evolution and behavior.
Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human by Richard W. Wrangham
I blasted through this easy-to-read book that postulates that we are who we are today due to as much as anything else our coevolution with fire. The author suggests that we essentially cannot be healthy beings without the act cooking. I found it to be a captivating book full of new ideas (for me) that seemed almost commonsensical and plausible looking back. Fire, more than any human “discovery”, influenced who our species is today. Dedicated raw food enthusiasts will likely push back on much of the content in this excellent read.
How to be an Anti-Racist by Ibram X. Kendi
It took me a few chapters to warm up to this New York Time’s bestseller. I learned a lot from Kendi’s messages and enjoyed the way that he wove his personal story into the bigger message of how to carry ourselves in an ever complex world of stereotypes, racism, sexism, homophobia, classicism and a white supremicist patriarchy. I’d say an important addition for anyone interested in working to navigate today’s entangled social landscape.
Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
This title was recommended to me twice on the same day by different people and so I decided that I had to give it a whirl. I found out afterwards that this book has been popular on a number of reading circuits based in part by the accuracy of it’s prophetic message. The book was written in the early 1990s and set in the mid-2020s and depicts an apocalyptic setting in California that features death, danger and dystopia in a way that makes the story totally believable given the current state of the world. Octavia Butler seems to continue to get increasingly popular since her recent death. This black award winning author who died in 2006 is known as a sci-fi writer and has enjoyed a large following for many years. This book has a sequel entitled Parable of the Talents.
The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save Our Earth by The Red Nation
This book outlines a bold sociopolitical message to reconcile past atrocities done to the indigenous people of North America. I’d say that everyone would benefit in some way from this book. It provides a roadmap for reparations to American Indians and in turn a roadmap to return to civility in American and human society. I greatly resonate with the content in this book.
A Flag for Sunrise by Robert Stone
One of only 3 fiction books on this list, I again randomly picked this up in the Ranch library and quickly got engrossed in this historically accurate book about imperial destruction, revolution, greed and power in Central America.
Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman
We had the opportunity many years ago while visiting Robin’s mom outside of Albany, NY to visit Soul Fire Farm near Troy, NY not far from where Robin grew up and where the author and her partner Jonah started an impactful project that focuses on food security and farming with a focus on the underserved black community in the capitol district area of NY. The book is wonderfully written, clear and powerful and outlines a path for both black and white people to work towards a future of land justice.
Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America by Eyal Press
I’ll start by sharing one of the final passages in this book that struck me, “When people gather to hear veterans talk about moral transgressions they had committed in the course of fighting America’s wars, the most effective way to help them overcome moral injury is to communize it, Jonathan Shay argued in Achilles in Vietnam. When those not doing the fighting can deliver a message to them and to all of the “dirty workers” that they deserved to hear. “We sent you into harm’s way. We put you into situations where atrocities were possible. We share responsibility with you: for all that you have seen; for that you have done; for all that you failed to do.”. This book should be read by all Americans and highlights the “dirty work” that helps to drive our economy, put food on our table, and keep us safe. This heart-wrenching book looks at the modern underclass and their struggles to get by by doing the least desirable work in our economy and its impact on their psyche and society at large. Essential reading.
America: The Farewell Tour by Chris Hedges
I’ve really liked Chris Hedges’ journalism over the years. He seems to have had the sustained courage to speak to power. I blew through this book. Sad, compelling, motivating, and provocative. Hedges delves deep into the addictions of opioids, gambling, sadism, and hate and how they are being fed by a failed corporate state. If you haven’t given Chris a shot, this would be a good dip into his decades long investigative journalism career.
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer
As you may remember I enjoy reading about Native American history. The first part of this book quickly recaps the history of Native Americans in North America up until the massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 and then delves deep into American Indian policy post-Wounded Knee with a focus on the miraculous survival of Indians in the United States and the amazing stories of resilience that continue to define this segment of the population. The book ends on a high note by highlighting all of the incredible work being done on reservations and in urban centers. American Indians are beginning to thrive and create an example of what our nation can become in the face of climate disaster and out-of-control capitalism that’s pushing our species to the brink of extinction. It’s a somewhat thick read but a worthwhile one for those interested in issues that revolve around indigenous culture.
Building Community Food Webs by Ken Meter
A good, quick read for anyone looking to go a bit deeper into building local economies that revolve around food. Ken Meter argues why local food movements matter and why we should support those growing food in our regions.
Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice by Rupa Marya and Raj Patel
A great book for those interested in making the connections between physical deterioration and the deterioration of our economy and democracy. Chronic stress makes us sick in ways that we have not understood until recently. And low-income people of color experience the highest levels of chronic stress. This has led to generational sickness and a decreasing life expectancy in many demographics. Yet another call for equitable policies that lead to a brighter future for all. Thanks to former apprentice Abby Cmiel for this wonderful gift!
Bitter Grounds by Sandra Benitez
A wonderful read and the last fiction selection on the list. This book follows 3 generations of poor El Salvadoran women in the middle half of the 1900s who’s lives are intimately connected with an elite El Salvadoran family. Beautifully written. Sad, eye-opening, page-turning.
One Day of Life by Manlio Argueta
This book, also set in El Salvador in the 1970s, follows a family through the struggles of civil war and is told through the eyes of the poor rural women who lead tragic lives in this war-torn country. The sad and all too often told story of US government involvement leading to the installation of corrupt powerful figures who lead their countries with iron fists that have caused much of the strife that has led to mass migration to the US from this region of the world. A tragic, well told and easy read for those interested in the politics and strife of Central America.
Happy reading to you all. I’m always looking for book recommendations so let me know if there’s anything in your library that you think that I would enjoy and/or learn from. We just got an influx of a few hundred new books so more to come from me next year. Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.
Abrazos,
Tim