John Berg's Book Reviews
Books about Green politics:
Green politics is more than environmentalism; it is a fresh new approach
to combining grassroots mobilization and direct action with electoral politics.
Green politics became more widely known in the U.S. after Greens in Germany
won seats in the Reichstag; German Greens now hold the balance of power
in at least one state. Greens are also a force to be reckoned with
in Australia and New Zealand. The late Petra Kelly, a leader of the
German Greens, has published a couple of books in English:
Unfortunately, U.S. Greens today are not united. There are currently
two competing national Green organizations, the Green Party USA (GPUSA)
and the Association of State Green Parties (ASGP). Many local and
state organizations belong to either both national organizations, or to
neither, as a way of showing their desire for unity. The differences
between the two are not always clear, but the following books illustrate
the basic political outlooks of individual associated with each:
On another issue,
More Green books:
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Judi Bari, Timber
Wars (1994). Judi Bari, who died of cancer about a year ago,
was one of the most effective environmental activists in the U.S.
She initiated the Redwood Summer campaign of direct action, and carried
on even after she was blown up by a terrorist bomb planted in her car (a
bomb which the FBI outrageously maintained that she had put there herself--she
talks about this on tape in Who
Bombed Judi Bari? ). She also waged a won a struggle to save
Earth First! from right-wing anti-human activists, and worked hard to develop
an alliance between environmentalists and timber workers. This book
is a collection of newspaper articles, speeches, and letters she wrote,
mostly during the Redwood Summer campaign. Bari's strategic clarity
and dedication are badly missed today--read the book, and carry on the
struggle. You can learn more about Judi Bari from The
Official Judi Bari Home Page.
-
Mitch Lansky, Beyond
the Beauty Strip : Saving What's Left of Our Forests (1992) explains
what is wrong with clearcutting and other practices of modern forestry.
-
Mad
Cow U.S.A.: Could the Nightmare Happen Here?, by Sheldon Rampton and
John C. Stauber describes the ways the beef industry threatens us all with
mad cow disease and other dangers.
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Revised October 12, 1998