Curated by FLIF
FLIF has actively opposed censorship and advocated for freedom of expression since 2004. We’ve put together a list of books, available at the University of Alberta libraries and/or the Edmonton Public Library through which we’ve personally found new insight into the social justice issues we’re passionate about and that we believe we have the power to address.
So You Want to Talk About Race by ljeoma Olou
Published 2019 | 256 pages I Available as a book @ UAL; ebook/audiobook @ EPL
Olou writes candidly about racial issues like the model minority myth and asks questions such as the following: What is racism? What is white privilege? Her style is straightforward and impactful in a way that makes this book great for showing readers how to start talking about race. Short, to the point, and effective—but with a good balance between personal anecdotes and statistics—read this work to a bit more comfortable with discussing the uncomfortable topic of race.
We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer
Published 2019 | 288 pages I Available as a book @ UAL; ebook/audiobook @ EPL
Foer’s problem with Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth (2006), is that its list of recommended actions to help stop global warming is too vague. This is the book wherein Foer makes a solid case for us to take action against climate change by cutting back on our consumption of animal We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast by Jonathan Safran Foer
The Collected Schizophrenias by Esme Weijun Wang
Published 2019 | 244 pages I Available as a book @ UAL; ebook @ EPL
There are twelve essays in this collection, but it will only take one to become hooked on Wang’s striking writing style that lays bare the suffering and the humanity of people with schizophrenia and the people it affects. Wang covers all of the bases: from the evolution of the way that schizophrenia has been diagnosed, to her and her partner’s decision to have children and her experience with mental health issues at Yale. This book is an astounding and profound eyeopener about living with schizophrenia and the unique experiences that each person has.
Gender Failure by Ivan E. Coyote and Rae Spoon
Published 2014 | 256 pages I Available as a book @ UAL; ebook @ EPL
Spoon and Coyote write candidly about their experiences failing to fit into the gender binary. The combination of frank autobiographical pieces and performance pieces adapted to print provide a glimpse into life beyond the binary. They cover a wide variety of experiences—from difficult conversations, to medical challenges, to moments of triumph and acceptance. This book provides an excellent introduction to the spectrum of gender, outside of the male-female binary leaving the reader with tools to re-evaluate their understanding of gender performance.
I’m Afraid of Men by Vivek Shraya
Published 2018 | 85 pages I Available as a book @ UAL; ebook/audiobook @ EPL
At only 85 pages, this is a quick but powerful read. Shraya uses short anecdotes from her life growing up in Edmonton (and later in Toronto) as a transgender woman of colour to illustrate the issues she’s faced. She asks questions about race, gender, and fear in our society and in each of our own lives.
The Truth About Stories by Thomas King
Published 2003 | 172 pages I Available as an ebook @ EPL, and as a lecture series via YouTube
“The truth about stories is that’s all we are.” I don’t know what to say about this book other than it is always exactly what I need it to be. This 2003 Massey Lecture series considers storytelling as a means to construct and reconstruct the ways we think about the world as individuals and members of society. King writes about the importance of telling stories that are about the type of world we want to live in.
The Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder
Published 1990 | 205 pages I Available as an ebook @ EPL
In a series of nine chapters, Snyder explores the importance of a place-based way of knowing the world, wildlife, and wildness. Snyder explores the ways in which wildness has become synonymous with chaos and the etiquettes that we lose when Western ways of knowing assert their ordered dominance over the world’s inherent wildness. A truly worthwhile read if you’ve ever found yourself considering the interior lives of trees and chickadees.
FLIF 