Library

Change Your Mind/Change the World

This top box shows a selection of my favorite books. Keep scrolling down the page to get a closer look at the books and authors I consider essential.

Derrick Jensen

I consider author Derrick Jensen a must-read. Check here for some of my thoughts on Endgame, Vol. 1: The Problem of Civilization. Jensen is revolutionary, inspirational, and one very blunt man. He tells it like he sees it, and what he sees is a culture that is killing the planet, unequivocally. Then he asks hard, explicit questions leading us to try to figure out what to do about it. Check out any of his titles for a good long look at what’s going on, in a relatively friendly, humble voice.

Harmful to Minors

Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex by Judith Levine is a favorite book of mine that explores the truly fucked-up way we treat the topic of children-and-sex in America. While it was written in 2003, it remains a much-needed look into the errors we make in trying to protect children from sex. Levine makes the bold, almost un-heard of claim that children and teenagers have a right to sexual pleasure and can have it while still remaining safe. she tackles the huge topic of our national fear of pedophiles and looks at the absurdities and victims of this fear. She consistently bashed the Christian Right for their harmful views on sex education, which I wrote more about in Abstinence Fails. She outlines the problems with turning children’s sexual play into pathology. This book was hugely controversial and provides a clear, while complex, look into everything that’s wrong with how America views children and sex. I recommend this book for anyone who has children, works with children, knows any children, or is interesting in furthering healthy sexual attitudes for children or adults.