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This edition of the free bulletin, World Wide Work, is published by the
American Labor Education Center, an independent nonprofit founded in
1979. October 2006 BOOKS *A Country That Works by Andy Stern (Free Press). Unlike many books by public figures that provide little beyond safe platitudes, this mixture of call to arms and autobiography gives readers a direct window into the thinking of the SEIU president who has emerged as a key leader not just of America’s unions but of the country’s progressive movement. *There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster edited by Chester Hartman and Gregory Squires (Routledge). A compilation of 14 chapters looking at issues of race and class in the New Orleans region before and after Hurricane Katrina. *State of Working America 2006-2007 by Economic Policy Institute (Cornell). The most useful resource for facts about the economic situation of working people. Much of the material is available online at www.StateOfWorkingAmerica.org. *Breeding Bin Ladens by Zachary Shore (Johns Hopkins). Drawing on interviews with moderate Muslims living in Europe, Shore finds that Western regimes have failed to understand the ambivalence many Muslims feel about the consumerism, inequality, and war-based foreign policy they find in European and American culture. *All Aunt Hagar’s Children by Edward P. Jones (HarperCollins). While most books about Washington DC focus on politicians, spies, and star reporters, this collection of 14 short stories illuminates the lives and communities of black DC families struggling to achieve the American dream. *The Places in Between by Rory Stewart (Harcourt). Walked across Afghanistan in 2002, months after the U.S. invasion. God’s Politics by Jim Wallis (Harper). A progressive religious leader argues that the left has made a major mistake by insisting that faith be separated from politics *Blind into Baghdad by James Fallows (Vintage). Before Bush invaded Iraq, Fallows wrote an article in the Atlantic Monthly citing experts who predicted that an invasion would backfire. He has written a series of additional articles since then analyzing how and why the war has failed. In addition, he has gathered expert opinion on the risks involved in potential military action against Iran. This book is an edited compilation of those articles. *Screwed by Thom Hartmann (Berrett-Koehler). The Air America talk show host draws on U.S. history as well as current events to document how public policy once helped create the middle class and is now being used to destroy it. *Bait and Switch by Barbara Ehrenreich (Metropolitan). Using a different name and a made-up resume full of white-collar qualifications, the author of Nickel and Dimed looks for a middle-class job and finds that the American dream is hard to achieve in today’s economy. *Cable News Confidential by Jeff Cohen (PoliPointPress). The cofounder of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) tells all about his experiences as a pundit and producer for Fox, CNN, and MSNBC. *Sweet and Sour Milk, Sardines, and Close Sesame by Nuruddin Farah (Graywolf). Reissue of a trilogy of novels by an exiled Somalian novelist. *Homegrown: Engaged Cultural Criticism by bell hooks and Amalia Mesa-Bains (South End). A conversation about the possibilities and challenges of a movement that unites African Americans and Latinos. *Why Monkeys Live in Trees by Raouf Mama (Curbstone). Written versions of memorable oral folk tales from Benin in western Africa. *Cooper’s Walk by Bill Yund (yund@mac.com) is a 40-page graphic novel telling the history of labor in Pennsylvania. WEBSITES www.lrchmemory.org is a website (with Monday, Sept. 25 launch date) produced by students at Little Rock’s Central High School, the scene of a major battle in the civil rights movement 49 years ago. The site includes more than a hundred essays based on interviews with family friends and neighbors. Teachers also share lesson plans. FILMS **Granito de Arena (Grain of Sand) from Corrugated Films is an hour-long documentary about the decades-long struggle by school teachers in Mexico for democracy in their schools, their union, and their society. Free tools for effective grassroots organizing and communication, as well as back issues of World Wide Work, are available at www.TheWorkSite.org Tax-deductible contributions to the American Labor Education Center are welcome and may be sent to 1835 Kilbourne Place NW, Washington, DC 20010. Thank you. |
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