Non-fiction I read this summer

Maybe one of these will speak to you?

Becoming Kin: An Indigenous Call to Unforgetting the Past and Reimagining Our Future

By Patty Krawec

I first listened to this as an audiobook when I was doing my good-bye road trip around New Zealand. I felt so inspired by what I was hearing that I asked my friend to switch to driving so I could write down some thoughts on my phone. Whereas Braiding Sweetgrass delves into the Native American perspective on ecology, Becoming Kin discusses ancestral relationships. In this way, it felt like a mandatory companion to that well-known book. 

Krawec uses stories from her own ancestry and lived experience, keeping me engaged the whole time and making me reflect on my own family’s story. Although it might not interest everyone, I appreciated her nuanced discussion of the legacy of Christianity in the settling of the country. She also tells the stories of her non-indigenous ancestors, suggesting compassionate ways of understanding their journeys and thinking about how to move forward in relations with land, original people and our own identities today.

Not “A Nation of Immigrants”: Settler Colonialism, White Supremacy, and a History of Erasure and Exclusion

By Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz 

I picked this book up after seeing it referenced in Becoming Kin. A la “A People’s History”, Dunbar-Ortiz re-tells US history from a lesser-heard perspective. She points out how the “Nation of Immigrants” catch-phrase erases the indigenous people and those brought to the US under slavery. She also contextualizes the adoption of this byline, which came about during a time when the state was resisting the Civil Rights movement and opposing anticolonial movements abroad. Multitudes of examples show how the US has brought in foreigners as slave and cheap labor, discriminated against and criminalized for decades, all whilst waging war against Native Americans.  The author brings us up to the current-day with ongoing examples of systematic exploitation and discrimination. In conclusion, our representatives have no right to use “Nation of Immigrants” as a catchphrase while failing to address racist histories and current structures of discrimination. 

If you’re new to this perspective on American history, I recommend starting with “Becoming Kin”, which the average reader will find more engaging with the vignettes from the author's life. History nerds and the more curious will definitely want to dig into this one next for a thesis’ worth of citations and depth. 

Let this Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care

By Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba

In 2015 I was back in the Chicagoland and looking for some activism to get involved in. Someone suggested that I join some of the projects that Kelly Hayes, the co-author of this book, was working on. Over the years I’ve continued to follow her on social media and have really valued her insight through posts and blogs. 

In this book, Kelly, and fellow abolitionist Mariame Kaba, use examples from their work in Chicago to share wisdom around community organizing. Alongside the inspiring examples, important topics they discuss are digital security, engaging with theory, and avoiding burnout. Through the publication of this book, we can all be more prepared to collectively care for each other as the current and coming ecological and economic crises deepen. 

I recommend this book to anyone that’s interested in working with the people around them to improve their communities, no matter how big or small. Although I listened to this as an audiobook on Hoopla, I’m planning to buy my own copy to keep. 

Anti-Capitalist Economy in Rojava: The Contradictions of Revolution in the Kurdish Struggles

By Azize Aslan

After hearing about Rojava for years, I joined the Institute for Social Ecology’s reading group for this book. This book is very dense and is not easy-reading by any means. Still, the structures/institutions of Rojava have not yet been deeply-documented or disseminated, making this a very important work. Fortunately, the reading group held me accountable and provided ripe discussions each week. 

This book describes the history of the Kurdish population in the region, the development of the Kurdish cultural and political movements, and the structures of the autonomous society that has been built around the principles of democracy, women’s equality and environmentalism. The heart of the book looks at how the movement has attempted to develop an anti-capitalist economy within a world that it’s built on the framework of capitalism. The author describes both the failures and successes of the village communes, assemblies and cooperatives.

By understanding the structural and philosophical challenges that others have met with, we can better shape our own projects for success, no matter how big or how small. Some of the strategies I’m taking away from this book are around prioritization of minorities in decision-making and having a process for self-criticism (tekmil) in our projects and movement. 

The Art of Frugal Hedonism: A Guide to Spending Less While Enjoying Everything More

By Annie Raser-Rowland with Adam Grubb

All of us have developed our own strategies for spending less, to varying degrees of success. While most of the tips shared in this book won’t necessarily feel new, I liked this book because of how whimsical and  fun it made frugality seem. 

A chapter that struck me encourages the reader to romanticize past eras. We already do this when we say “things were simpler back then”, so why don’t we actually try to live out some of that simplicity in our purchasing? 

Despite the name, this book doesn’t focus only on individual enjoyment, but also on the ways that buying less of certain things is better for our communities and the planet. For example, eating healthier (sometimes more expensive) food can prevent disease and medical bills, but if that food is organic then it’s also better for our ecosystems, saving money for future generations! 

Getting ahold of these books

I added affiliate links to all the books I mentioned above because that’s what bloggers do. In the off-chance that you decide to purchase one of these books and use a link above I’ll receive a handful change as commission. I used bookshop.org because this is a more ethical alternative to Amazon. 

Borrowing these titles from your local library (or library-linked app like Libby or Hoopla) is also a great option. The more we use our libraries, the better-placed they are to advocate for funding to expand important services to our communities.