5 Books That Changed the Way I Think
Ever since I can remember, I have loved to read. As a child I used to escape into fantasy worlds, closing myself in my bedroom for hours on end as I lost myself in adventures, danger and magic. I hungered for possibility and connection and used books as a way to facilitate the desire I felt to escape my present and imagine a different future. As I’ve grown up, my love for books has stayed with me but, these days, I rarely use them as an escape. More often, books have become a way for me to ground myself in my present and rewire my brain to imagine a radical future. Through the words of activists, academics and ordinary people who happen to represent or champion a marginalised group, I have found my perspective of the world we live in continuously challenged, allowing me to grow and reform as a more aware, determined and sensitive person in this world. I still have a long way to go, and many more words to absorb but, at this stage of my life I wanted to share five of the books that have radically and irreversibly changed the way I think and approach activism and life.
This list is by no means comprehensive and there are many MANY more books and writers who have had a massive impact on the way I view the world and my place in it. However, these books form the cornerstones of my current worldview, having created new networks of thought which have sent my brain down brand new, paths or, succinctly clarified and articulated what I felt but was never able to put into words. It is my hope that by sharing these books with others their transformative power will continue to ripple through our movement, creating something that is rich with perspective, insight and growth. These books are listed in no particular order of importance as each of them has changed my thinking in such unique ways.
- White Tears, Brown Scars — Ruby Hamad
The most recent book on this list, I read ‘White Tears, Brown Scars’ (WTBR) as part of a feminist book club that I am a part of. Written in September 2019 by Arab-Australian writer and journalist Ruby Hamad, WTBR explores the complex, often fraught relationship between white supremacy and feminism, detailing the ways in which white centric feminism contributes to the erasure and increased marginalisation of communities and, in particular, women of colour. As a white woman, WTBR shone a bright, glaring light on my own duplicity with oppressive systems, highlighting the way in which by belonging to the identity category ‘white woman’ my position in society was situated just below white men, a place that affords me and other white women far more privilege than we often like to admit, even in feminist spaces.
Since reading this book I have been struck anew with the critical obligation white people have to understand and deconstruct white supremacy in all it’s appearances and the importance for activists from all movements to take the time to educate themselves on their own privilege and sit back and listen to the voices of those experiencing marginalisation and oppression. WTBR taught me to listen, shelve the defensiveness and indignation that observations of complicity often bring and do the work it takes to break down oppressive power systems that exist in society, my community and my own brain.
2. Beasts of Burden — Sunaura Taylor
For a long time I have imagined myself as someone involved in the fight against oppression and exploitation. Injustice frightens and enrages me and I can’t imagine a life where I am not in some way challenging systems of oppression in my life and work. Despite this passion however, I was injuriously ignorant to the movement against ableism having not taken the time to educate myself on the fight for equal rights and consideration that people with disabilities, their carers and their families are constantly engaged in. Written by the wonderful artist and activist Sunaura Taylor, ‘Beasts of Burden,’ was therefore a humbling, enlightening and inspiring journey into rights based activism and what a liberated world might look like.
‘Beasts of Burden’ sets out to explore speciesism from a disability rights perspective, drawing connections between the ‘animalisation’ of humans who society deems worthless or ‘abnormal’ and that of Animals who humans choose to exploit for their gain. Through insightful analysis and refreshing honesty, Taylor provided one of the most nuanced and informative analyses of the complexity of system based oppression that I have ever read, expertly conveying how marginalisation of all individuals is built from the same toxic power structures of patriarchal, white supremacist, speciesist capitalism. Taylor is a master storyteller and this book not only provided me with a more solid understanding of its subject matter but taught me valuable lessons about interpreting and scrutinising my own life and the way I interact with, uphold and am both uplifted and subjugated by societal structures. I read this book a couple of years ago now but it remains the no. 1 book that I recommend to people who want to learn more about radical politics, speciesism or who are just looking for their next holiday read. What can I say, I’m probably not the best person to ask for recommendations if you just want to zone out with some chick lit. Although I am very prone to do that as well…
3. Oxen at the Intersection — pattrice jones
In September of 2018 I was spending two weeks as a live in volunteer at Big Sky Sanctuary. While my time was spent living with and learning from the human and Animal residents of the sanctuary, I also found myself with a lot of downtime, unconstrained as I was by the expectations that capitalism brings. On a particularly slow day I decided to raid the bookshelf in my room and discovered ‘Oxen at the Intersection.’ My interest piqued, I began to read and quickly became enthralled in the story of the oxen Bill and Lou and the human residents of Vine Sanctuary.
This book gripped me from the very first page, weaving a tale which was part memoir, part sociological inquiry, part mystery and entirely captivating. While I have read many books that attempt to capture and explain the complex interrelation of speciesism and other systemic oppression, Oxen stands apart as it was the first text that introduced me to the importance of understanding the narrative of oppression, not just the facts, feelings and systems that are at play. The way this book is written as well as the message imbedded within to never forget the actual victims of oppression when attempting to challenge a corrupt system, guided me down a path that has led me to develop a keen interest in story based strategy, a form of activism which embraces narrative as key to changing society. Oxen is a heartbreaking, enlightening and eerie story which simultaneously engages the heart and the brain. Reading this book surrounded, as I was at the time, by Animals who had freed themselves or been freed from situations of exploitation I began to understand my role as an ally to these freedom fighters, shaking loose the sense of ego and saviourism that so often accompanies an entry into activism.
4. Aphroism — Aph & Syl Ko
A couple of years ago I was a very new activist. Even more naive than I am today I was, nonetheless, thirsty for knowledge having only recently begun to understand the way in which systemic oppression operated. Those who knew me back then would probably remember my endless, stream of consciousness babble-fests where I detailed the realisations that I had come to about how ALL INEQUALITY IS LINKED and how CAPITALISM IS EVIL!!! I can’t help but smile when I think about the dual horror and excitement that I felt during this time as I discovered more and more connections. I felt like an archaeologist uncovering an ancient ruin, excavating the roots of a society piece by piece and marvelling at its horrifying, twisted glory. It was during this time that I was introduced to the works of sisters Aph and Syl Ko and my thinking changed forever.
Up until this point I had understood racism in quite vague and sketchy terms. Back then I would have been heard saying that the ‘vegan movement’ (as I was prone to calling it) was too white however if questioned why that was an issue I would likely have said something about diversity and inclusivity and then changed the subject to the latest vegan products at the supermarket. What can I say, I was young. ‘Aphroism’ was therefore an undoubtedly seminal text for me as it introduced me to the concept of Black Veganism and, crucially, to the idea of whiteness being a political rather than biological category. While this is undoubtedly obvious to most people reading this, at the time this concept was life altering for me, reshaping how I saw the world and how I understood my place in it. Through its exploration of the entanglement of race and species I also started to recognise Animal as being a political category, not based in species but based on who the dominant group decides is worthy of oppression.
‘Aphroism’ began a journey that has led me to continue to work to deconstruct white supremacy in my mind, leading me to build on my knowledge through the works of Ruby Hamad (listed above) and, recently, Akiba Solomon and Kenrya Rankin who edited the book ‘How we Fight White Supremacy.’ Aphroism marked a beginning for me and, without it, I doubt I would have ever moved beyond a view of the world based in biological rather than political categories.
5. Blueprint for Revolution — Srdja Popovic
This brings me to the final book of the five, ‘Blueprint for Revolution.’ Written by Serbian activist and organiser Srdja Popovic, Blueprint details the successful techniques used by the Serbian resistance movement Otpor which successfully overthrew a dictator in 2000. In Blueprint, Popovic describes the way in which Otpor formed and how the curated lessons from past social movements to create a new model of organising which has come to be known as Momentum Driven Organising. Using examples from all over the world Popovic details how to utilise momentum to overthrow oppressive regimes and the unstoppable power that people can have when they learn how to play the system off against itself and understand what keeps it standing and where its weaknesses lie.
While I had already learnt some of the principles of this style of organising from the text ‘Rules for Revolutionaries’ by Becky Bond and Zack Exley and shortly after read Mark and Paul Engler’s highly detailed analysis and guide to momentum organising in ‘This is an Uprising,’ the reason that ‘Blueprint for Revolution’ makes this list and those other ones do not has everything to do with the energy, urgency and belief in change that soaks every line. Popovic was one of the key founders of Otpor and he achieved what every social movement organiser dreams of having been part of a successful upheaval of the status quo that united the people behind a common goal. Additionally, Popovic has also gone on to work with uprisings and resistance movements all over the world, playing a critical role in many attempts to overthrow oppressive regimes including the well known colour revolutions. This book is not a dry, academic exploration of an organising method, it is alive with the spirit of revolution and it struck the match that lit the fire for change that now burns within me. This book has been so influential on me that Otpor (which means resistance) has shot to number one on my furbaby name list. So the next person I adopt better resign themselves to being named after a Serbian resistance movement. There are worse fates.
Collectively, these books as well as many others have formed the foundations for the way I think today. I’m grateful for all the people who recommended them and listened to me gush about their influence on me, without that I very much doubt that I would have anywhere near as strong a foundation to grow my thinking from.
Do you have a book that changed the way you think? Feel free to share in the comments section below!
