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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. January 2007 *My Body Politic by Simi Linton (University of Michigan). A must-read autobiography by a woman whose legs were paralyzed in a car accident on her way to an anti-war demonstration during the Vietnam War. Through her warmly engaging, honest, and often humorous account of her own life and the experiences of friends and colleagues, Linton increases the reader’s sensitivity to the obstacles people with disabilities face at work and in everyday life. She asks why their struggles for more equitable and inclusive social policies are often ignored by progressive activists who challenge other kinds of discrimination. *Strike! by Julius G. Getman (Plain View Press). The rhetorical sounding title doesn’t do justice to this entertaining and insightful novel about a paperworkers’ strike in a small town in Maine in the late 1980s. Gives a rare inside view of human dynamics inside a local union as the decline in the strength of the industrial labor movement is underway. *Red Stick Men by Tim Parrish (University Press of Mississippi). Nine short stories describe working class characters in the shadow of the oil industry in Baton Rouge who keep their humanity despite low wages, layoffs, war, pollution, and other challenges. *Communities Without Borders by David Bacon (Cornell). Photos and text let immigrant workers tell their own stories of how they maintain communities and movements that transcend political borders. *Hadi Never Died by Abdullah Muhsin and Alan Johnson (Trades Union Congress). Iraqi unionists were brutally persecuted under Saddam Hussein and continue to face anti-labor policies under the current government. This tells the story of the Iraqi union movement and one of its leaders who was tortured and murdered in 2005. *The Spirit of Disobedience by Curtis White (PoliPoint). Out-of-the-box musings by a social critic who in the tradition of Thoreau takes a step back and asks us where we are trying to go as individuals and as a society *Immigrant Students and Literacy by Gerald Campano (Teachers College Press). Uses the author’s experiences as a teacher in an elementary school where children spoke at least 14 different languages to show how literacy can be improved by a curriculum that draws on students’ cultural backgrounds and experiences. *Talkin Black Talk edited by H. Samy Alim and John Baugh (Teachers College Press). Black language is seen not as an obstacle to overcome but a cultural resource to be respected in this collection of essays on education that includes descriptions of successful classroom approaches. *The Ten Minute Activist by the Mission Collective (Nation Books). A compilation of small decisions individuals can make to live in a more ecologically correct way. *A Common Thread by Beth English (University of Georgia). Tells the history of the shift of the New England textile industry to the South, with a particular focus on one company. *Tim Hector: A Caribbean Radical’s Story by Paul Buhle (University Press of Mississippi). While focusing on the life of long-time leader for self-determination and social justice in Antigua and throughout the Caribbean, Buhle also provides a broader history of workers’ and progressive movements in the region. *Las Soldaderas: Women of the Mexican Revolution by Elena Poniatowska (Cinco Puntos). An insightful essay shedding light on Mexico’s cultural roots by one of the country’s leading writers accompanies archival photos. MUSIC The Devil You Know by Todd Snider (New Door). A new collection by the talented songwriter is highlighted by “Looking for a Job” that captures the loss of loyalty workers feel as employers no longer show commitment to them. (See lyrics excerpted below.) Wonder Wheel by The Klezmatics (Jewish Music Group). A highly talented and energetic band that combines a wide variety of musical influences has taken unpublished lyrics by Woody Guthrie and put them to music. Guthrie was married to a Jewish woman and songs he wrote for the Hanukkah season are contained on another Klezmatics CD, Woody Guthrie’s Happy Joyous Hanukkah. EXCERPT (From “Looking for a Job” by Todd Snider) You can't talk to me like that boss I don't care who you are if you don't want to have to hang your own drywall don't push me too far Boomtown work ain't hard to come by boomtown workers are you might be the one running the show but that don't mean you're in charge I was looking for a job when I found this one don't need the work like you need the work done you look like you're under pressure I was looking for a job when I met you 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 2721 Quail Run Rd., Talent, OR 97540. Thank you. |
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