Each summer, Global Greengrants Fund’s staff curates a syllabus of our favorite books, movies, and podcasts related to environmental and human rights issues.
Following a particularly tumultuous year in global politics, this year’s summer reading list is focused on resistance, and its many different forms embraced by grassroots activists across the planet. We hope that these hand-picked selections by our staff will leave you feeling energized, inspired, and ready to take action.
What We’re Reading:
- Barkskins by Annie Proulx documents two families’ roles in the destruction of our world’s forests across continents and centuries. A visceral reflection on how humanity ravages the land, water, and resources of our shares planet – this epic novel is not to be missed.
- Women Writing Resistance: Essays on Latin America and the Caribbean, edited by Jennifer Browdy de Hernandez, highlights the voices of sixteen Latina activists who write against the patriarchal, racist, and exploitative forces that have ruled their countries.
- The Water Kingdom: A Secret History of China by Philip Ball explores how the history of China’s waterways has shaped the country’s fate. Don’t miss the chapter on the crucial role of grassroots water movements, which features past Global Greengrants grantees.
- Decolonizing Wealth: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance by Edgar Villanueva offers “hopeful and compelling alternatives to the dynamics of colonization in the philanthropic and social finance sectors.” We look forward to this read when it’s released in Fall of 2018.
What We’re Watching:
- “Little Stones” is a documentary film which follows four women using art to empower women and girls across the globe. Each activist is contributing a stone to the mosaic of the women’s movement through their art.
- “In the Land of My Ancestors” celebrates the living legacy of indigenous Ohlone elder, Ann Marie Sayers. The upcoming documentary short reveals “the resilience of Ann Marie as she reclaims her ancestral land, culture, and spirituality in the face of a dehumanization narrative that erases the stories and histories of the First Peoples of the San Francisco Bay Area.”
- “Blue Heart” takes a look at the people fighting displacement due to 3,000 proposed hydroprojects in the Balkan Peninsula, and provides a call to action for us all to protect the beautiful, threatened natural wonders in the “blue heart” of Europe.
- “Rotten,” now streaming on Netflix, offers a glimpse into the corruption that goes into bringing food to market. A recent study shows that agriculture has recently surpassed the oil and gas industry as the world’s top polluter: so this series is topical as ever.
What We’re Listening To:
- “How to Survive the End of the World” is a social justice podcast by activist sisters Autumn Brown and adrienne maree brown, which explores the question of survival and the practices we need as a community to move through endings.
- “The Warriors” by Vancouver indigenous rap duo, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, is a call to action against the Canadian government’s plans to extend the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, an environmentally destructive project which threatens indigenous lives.
Looking for more? Check out our Summer Reading Lists Part I and Part II.