Sally's Book List

By Sally Perrine, from the November 2002 Newsletter

After 20-plus years in the healthcare profession, I made a job change and now work at the Moscow Public Library. There I get to hang out with books and with readers of all ages. Wow! I'm also (mostly) an empty-nester: my kids recently and decisively fired me from my child-rearing job, and suddenly, I have time to get involved and get active.

I am really scared for the future of this country, and below are books I recommend for anyone who shares my concerns about this nation's behavior—politically and economically. Nearly all are available through any branch of the Latah County Library District, and you are welcome to borrow my copy of any book I own. My telephone number is 875-0525 (h), 882-3925 (w), and you can reach me by email.

Soul of a Nation by Paul Loeb. A basic primer for activism. This is a lovely book!
Why? by Nikolai Popov. Show this book to your children. It's a picture book written by a man who was a child during World War II. The frogs and mice will break your heart.
Jews for Buchanan by John Nichols. The author is a Nation columnist, writing about events in Florida. The library doesn't have a copy of this book, but please borrow mine.
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast. Written by an American journalist who can't get published in the U.S. but writes for the Guardian in the UK. One of the first writers to expose corruption in Florida. Highly recommended! This guy is pissed!
An Unexpected Light by Jason Elliot. Young British journalist describes his travels in Afghanistan after the Soviet wars, but before 9/11. Sweet, personal, quirky encounters with the people of a devastated country.
West of Kabul, East of New York by Tamim Ansary. Remember the e-mail that was widely circulated after 9/11? It was a plea to our leaders to NOT respond with violence to a country that was already bombed to rubble. Well, this is the follow-up book by the Afghan-American writer, and it is excellent.
Wealth and Democracy by Kevin Phillips. Hey, even Republicans are concerned!
Democracy at Risk by Jeff Gates. No, not Bill...even if you read no more than the preface, take a look at this. He has numbers, figures, real reasons to be alarmed at the corporate take-over of our government.
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich. Could YOU live on minimum wage? Or do you? It's hard, isn't it? This is now a play as well as an amazing book.
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. A good read; a good exposé of the meat industry. Don't read this if you LOVE hamburgers!
Granny D by Doris Haddock. Wow! What an amazing old woman. She's the one who walked across the U.S. protesting campaign finance and celebrated her 90th birthday en route. I'm in love with this woman!
Stupid White Men by Michael Moore. Hey, it's a good rant!
If the Gods Had Meant for us to Vote they Would Have Given us Candidates by Jim Hightower. Another wonderful book by America's most entertaining populist. And he's a Texan, too.
Shrub by Molly Ivins. We should have all read this book before the election. Wait a minute. We didn't elect him...Huh. Well, anyway, her columns are wonderful as well. She looks at money, whose got it, how it's dispersed, who it buys, etc.
The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald. A nifty little expose of ADM, "supermarket to the world," which is now, incidentally, sponsoring the PBS News Hour.
One Market Under God by Thomas Frank. Money and God. What can I say?
A Just Response. Essays from the Nation magazine following 9/11. If you missed them, pick up this book.
Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver. Her post 9/11 essay is the best I read following that horrible time. She also covers other topics, most notably the environment.
Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace by Gore Vidal. A little book. The decline and fall of the American Empire is full of historical relevance.
Blowback by Chalmers Johnson. Talks about the U.S. as empire rather than country and the unintended consequences of our "defense" activities worldwide. Chilling!
Anything by Noam Chomsky, including his book, 9-11. I have; you may borrow.
Out of the Ashes by Alexander Cockbum. I'm currently reading this. It's about Saddam Hussein. He's not a nice guy—but neither are we!
Baghdad Without a Map by Tony Horwitz. Written about 10-15 years ago: young journalist traveling in Iraq. This book is a kick because the writer is so amazingly daring.

This is by no means an exhaustive list—just the books I have found fascinating. I discovered nonfiction a few years ago, after a lifetime of reading novels. Maybe I'm reading for the same reasons - to be entertained, to be thrilled, to be stimulated—but with the added bonus that I'm now stirred to action as well. There's some nasty stuff going on in the world, and when it's my country, my tax dollars at work, my "elected" officials, my representatives, I get especially concerned.

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