Nerve 18 - Round-up of Recommended Reads

Round-up of Recommended Reads

Let’s begin at the beginning with one of the biggest challenges we currently face, a book which sets out “The Plot Against the NHS”. It’s by Colin Leys & Stewart Player (£12.95 Merlin Press) and, in the fight against privatization, is essential ammunition. As is a useful little book by Danny Dorling, “So You Think You Know About Britain?” (£8.99 Constable & Robinson), which overturns much received wisdom about such topics as population explosion, the collapse of the family & immigration. Apparently we are currently a net emigrant nation. Another hot topic is covered in “Intern Nation: How to Earn Nothing and Learn Little in the Brave New Economy” by Ross Perlin (£14.99 HB Verso). The author, himself an ex-intern, exposes this mass exploitation in the US which is increasingly prevalent over here. So what to do? You could start by arming yourself with “50 Campaigns to Shout About” by Ellie Levenson (£8.99 Oneworld) which introduces 50 of the most pressing issues of the 21st century, offering practical advice on involving politicians, getting media interest and planning events, and sharing insights from top campaigners on how to make the leap from issue to action.

Then of course we could learn from history. “A Common Treasury” by Gerrard Winstanley, introduced by Tony Benn (£8.99 Verso) is a collection of the Digger writings which could help inspire us to “turn our world upside down” again. Or how about “Striking a Light: The Bryant and May Matchwomen and Their Place in History” by Louise Raw (£16.99 Continuum) which contends that these 400 women & girls in 1888 were the true mothers of the modern labour movement.

Meanwhile we could still do with a “manifesto for achieving a new equality between the sexes in family life”. Such is the claim of “Shattered: Modern Motherhood and the Illusion of Equality” by Rebecca Asher (£12.99 Vintage). It contends that once women have children any illusion of equality is swiftly shattered, exposes the inequalities perpetuated by the state, employers and the parenting industry, and is a call to arms for a revolution in parenting. Following on, there’s a new book by Ina May Gaskin, author of the classic “Spiritual Midwifery”. “Birth Matters: A Midwife’s Manifesta” (£9.99 Pinter & Martin) demonstrates the magic key to safe birth: respect for the natural process, and shows us how to trust women, value birth, nurture families, and reconcile modern life with a process as old as our species.

Respect for nature is covered also in “Radical Gardening: Politics, Idealism and Rebellion in the Garden” by George McKay (£12.99 Frances Lincoln). Linking propagation with propaganda, ranging from window box to veggie box, from political plot to flower power, this book celebrates moments & movements of a people’s approach to gardens and gardening. It weaves together garden history with the counterculture, stories of individual plants with discussion of government policy, & the social history of campaign groups with the pleasure of hands in the earth. Since the 1950s we have lost 60% of our orchards through development or neglect & we now import 70% of apples sold in shops. So we really need the “Community Orchards Handbook” by Sue Clifford & Angela King (£14.95 Green Books) for practical advice, resources & inspiration. A couple of related titles are: “Edgelands” by poets Michael Symmons Roberts & Paul Farley (£12.99 HB Vintage), which celebrates the wilderness of allotments, railways, motorways, business parks and landfill sites – our post-industrial terrain; and “Fields of Resistance: The Struggle of Florida’s Agricultural Workers for Justice” by Silvia Giagnoni (£12.99 Haymarket) which tells of farmworkers, mothers & priests with compassion, poetry, and a fierce humanity, the story of immigrants and low-wage workers everywhere.

Internationally, one of the most important struggles is still that of the Palestinians and Mark Thomas’s wonderful show at the Everyman recently taught us much about the injustices they face. “Extreme Rambling: Walking Israel’s Separation Barrier. For Fun.” (£11.99 Ebury) is as insightful & human as you’d expect and we may even have some signed copies left. If you feel moved to go further, “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions: The Struggle for Palestinian Civil Rights” by Omar Barghouti (£11.99 Haymarket) explains the case for a rights-based campaign to stop Israel’s occupation, colonization, and apartheid against the Palestinian people.

And another international case of injustice is the current disappearance & imprisonment of an artist dear to Liverpool. “Ai Weiwei’s Blog: Writings, Interviews, and Digital Rants, 2006-2009” (£18.95 MIT Press) is a steady stream of scathing social commentary, criticism of government policy, thoughts on art and architecture, and autobiographical writings. Read it & sign the petition: www.change.org/petitions/call-for-the-release-of-ai-weiwei. Then have a read of another artist dear to Liverpool. Ken Campbell (1941–2008) was a one-man whirlwind who tore through the British theatre establishment using well-rehearsed anarchy and a genius for surreal comedy. “Ken Campbell: The Great Caper” by Michael Coveney (£14.99 Nick Hern) chronicles his life.
And finally, some genius closer to home with “Crossdogs and the Wolf Pit” (£3 Other Publications) by David Greygoose (AKA Dave from Windows) illustrated by Cate Simmons (AKA Kate from NfN!), a delightful merger of myth, folklore & storytelling in a beautiful little pamphlet.

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