Why have I not posted about finishing any readings for three weeks? Because the book on Frederick Douglass is 800 pages, or 36 hours by audio. It’s worth it. It’s a masterpiece about a person who would inspire at any time in history, and now more than ever. This week I finished: Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, by David W. Blight: Podcast guest David Blight won the Pulitzer prize for[…] Keep reading →

I read and wrote this week: The Scorpion’s Sting by James Oakes: I visited Jim in his office to share my developing thoughts on a constitutional amendment on sustainability and he gave me a copy of this book, as I’ve loved the four or so I’ve already read. I suspect after my book comes out, I’ll share how much southern slaveholders and their culture foreshadow people who pollute and deplete[…] Keep reading →

I read and watched this week: The Story of B by Daniel Quinn: I read Quinn’s preceding book, Ishmael, but I think before all my sustainability leadership work. I was thrown by the talking gorilla and the book didn’t register with me. Two people recommended Story of B to me, so I listened to it. One recommended it because sharing ideas from my upcoming book reminded her of it. Quinn’s[…] Keep reading →

This week I read to and watched: Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond: An incredible book that won the Pulitzer Prize for general nonfiction among other awards. Desmond lived among poor people getting evicted left and right in Milwaukee as well as landlords evicting them. He lived with them enough for them to open up. Eviction has grown as a practice in the past few[…] Keep reading →

This week I listened to and watched: Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman, by Sarah H. Bradford: This 1869 book is in the public domain, so I listened to the Librivox recording. The more I learn of Harriet Tubman, the more I find her inspirational and relevant to sustainability. We need role models of people who had incentive to lay low but acted. As a former slave, she would[…] Keep reading →

This week I read: Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, by BJ Fogg: Regular readers know I’m more than a decade into a few big habits that started small, including posting here daily and now twice-daily calisthenics including nearly a quarter million burpees. I also haven’t flown or filled a load of garbage since before the pandemic. Fogg’s book systematized what I learned through experience. He starts with[…] Keep reading →

This week I watched: 13th, directed by Ava Duvernay: The Thirteenth Amendment and abolitionism are fundamental to my work on sustainability leadership. A future guest on the podcast recommended this movie by the director of Selma to learn more about what the amendment missed. The movie clarifies that prison is more connected to slavery than I think most people would have expected, though less about work and free labor than[…] Keep reading →

This week I read, listened to, and watched: Common Sense, by Thomas Paine: As long as I’ve been reading Locke, Common Sense made sense too. I enjoyed the digs at George III and its at times casual style. I had to remind myself he was rebelling against the most powerful nation in the world, taking personal risk. It’s easy for me to take for granted the U.S. government and democracy[…] Keep reading →

This week I read and watched: The Conservative as Environmentalist: From Goldwater and the Early Reagan to the 21st Century, by Daniel A. Farber: Farber is a professor of law and Director of the Environmental Law Program the UC Berkeley Law School. He published the document in 2017. It’s fascinating, covering support for environmental protections, ideology, and cases of bold activism from I was glad to see one podcast guest[…] Keep reading →