Read These Books

I’m going to recommend some radical environmental and political literature that was very influential in the development of my deep ecology and compassionate worldview.  The order in no way reflects quality or favorability–all are stunning and crucial works.

Igniting a Revolution:  Voices in Defense of the Earth–edited by Dr. Steven Best and Anthony J. Nocella, II.  A collection of essays by political prisoners (including Jeff “Free” Luers and Rob Los Ricos), academics, and activists about the eco-crises we face, and about many of the contributors’ evolution from “normal” people to revolutionary environmentalists.  It even has an entire section on Anti-Civilization/Primitivist ideology (including essays by Derrick Jensen and John Zerzan).   An absolutely seminal work that was crucial in setting me on the path to becoming the person I am now proud to be.

Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?  Reflections on the Liberation of Animals–edited by Dr. Steven Best and Anthony J. Nocella, II.

The Monkey Wrench Gang–Edward Abbey

Desert Solitaire–Edward Abbey

Deep Green Resistance:  Strategy to Save the Planet–Aric McBay and Lierre Keith

Endgame, Volumes 1 and 2–Derrick Jensen

What We Leave Behind–Derrick Jensen and Aric McBay

Strangely Like War:  The Global Assault on Forests–Derrick Jensen and George Draffan

Welcome to the Machine:  Science, Surveillance, and the Culture of Control–Derrick Jensen and George Draffan

Flaming Arrows–Rod Coronado

Ocean Warrior–Captain Paul Watson

Seal Wars–Captain Paul Watson

Eco-Defense:  A Field Guide to Monkeywrenching–edited by Dave Foreman

Free the Animals–Ingrid Newkirk.
The riveting story of how the Animal Liberation Front jumped the pond from England to the U.S. in the early 1980s and began freeing animals from laboratories.  Reads like a thriller novel, but it’s about real-life events and people.  I loathe PETA, but this is nonetheless a spectacular book.

Pacifism as Pathology–Ward Churchill

Agents of Repression:  The FBI’s Secret Wars Against the Black Panther Party and the American Indian Movement–Ward Churchill and Jim Vander Wall

Burning Rage of a Dying Planet:  Speaking for the Earth Liberation Front–Craig Rosebraugh

Direct Action–Ann Hansen

Canaries on the Rim:  Living Downwind in the West–Chip Ward

Born Under a Bad Sky–Jeffrey St. Claire

The Mountains of California–John Muir

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (fiction)–Tom Robbins

Cadillac Desert–Mark Reiser

Introduction to Water in California–David Carle

Introduction to Air in California–David Carle

The Destruction of California–Raymond F. Dasmann

Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast–Robert Van Pelt

From the Redwood Forest:  Ancient Trees and the Bottom Line:  A Headwaters Journey–Joan Dunning, with dozens of beautiful and heart-wrenching color photographs by Doug Thron

Green is the New Red–Will Potter

Ishmael and My Ishmael–Daniel Quinn

Silent Spring–Rachel Carson

Refuge–Terry Tempest Williams

The Legacy of Luna–Julia Butterfly Hill