267: Why Marijuana Should Be Legal by Ed Rosenthal

Why Marijuana Should Be Legal

If you think marijuana is a harmful narcotic that must be criminalized, then almost everything you know about marijuana is wrong. Ed Rosenthal, a long-time advocate for decriminalization, lays out his argument in this well-researched, thoughtful, and well-reasoned book. Whether you support or oppose marijuana decriminalization you should at least be familiar with the pro-pot argument.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Many conservatives and libertarians feel that liberals and progressives got off the individual liberty track somewhere in the middle of the 20th century. That isn't true. While the Democratic party (except for Barney Frank) doesn't seem interested in taking up the mantle of marijuana decriminalization, poll after poll shows it's an important issue for liberal and progressive voters.



Also check out Reefer Madness: Sex, Drugs, and Cheap Labor in the American Black Market by Eric Schlosser.

268: Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus

Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism

When you live in extreme poverty a small loan can make a substantial difference. Economist Muhammad Yunus began experimenting with micro-loans nearly 40 years ago. The fruit of his efforts, the Grameen Bank, has helped millions of people and helped thousands of businesses get off the ground. Nearly 99% of the loans made by the bank have been re-paid. Yunus' ground-breaking work won him a Nobel Peace prize in 2006. This book explains the concept of microcredit and makes argument that it is in a businesses best interest to help people while pursuing profits.

Why this is progressive/liberal: One of the pillars of progressive philosophy is helping the poor. The innovation of microcredit and microfinance has had some success in combating poverty.

Buy the Kindle version: Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism

269: Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland by David McKittrick & David McVea

Making Sense of the Troubles: The Story of the Conflict in Northern Ireland

The time of "the Troubles" in Ireland is complicated and hotly contested. No one book can wholly make sense of something so intensely personal and heart-felt, but this book by McKittrick and McVea comes closest. The authors do their best to present unbiased scholarship to explain this decades-long violence.

There has been Irish resistance to British occupation in Ireland for 400 years. From the late 1960s to the late 1990s (and some place the dates both earlier and later) Northern Ireland was wracked with violence as those wanting Irish Independence fought with those who wanted to remain part of the UK. Making Sense of the Troubles offers a solid, even-handed introduction to this period in Irish history.

Why this is progressie/liberal: The Troubles present both the best and worst of progressive values. Fighting for freedom and independence embody the best of progressive values. Acts of terrorism and violence embody the worst fears of what progressive movements might become. Studying the Troubles in Ireland is both an inspiration and a warning.

270: Alter-Globalization by Geoffrey Pleyers

Alter-Globalization by Geoffrey Pleyers

What is alter-globalization? There are those who aren't really anti-globalization, but oppose the dominance of the neo-liberal economic model on the world stage. With this work Geoffrey Pleyers attempts to establish alter-globalization as the term for the globally-minded who don't want to see the Washington Consensus rule the world. Pleyers isn't the first to use this term, but his work in this book helps give the idea some substance and depth.

Why this is progressive/liberal: The alter-globalization movement is at its core a fight for social justice. From opposing slavery to working for women's suffrage around the world, the progressive movement often transcends national borders.

271: The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle

The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle

One of the problems with historical events as substantial as the Civil Rights movement is that because we've heard about it so much we think we know what happened. Rosa Parks sat on a bus, King dreamed and marched and yadda yadda yadda we got Civil Rights. The reality is far more complicated and fascinating than what we think we know about the movement. The lessons learned through this period are in danger of being lost if we don't continue reminding ourselves how conflicted and challenging the Civil Rights movement really was. This collection is the primary source material -- letters, speeches, court rulings, interviews, etc. -- to accompany the ground-breaking documentary Eyes on the Prize.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Progressives are often accused of not being able to get things done. Despite mobilizing millions of people to protest the Global War on Terror, for example, there has been no discernible impact. So, it's important to remember that the progressive struggles to create a more egalitarian society do succeed, though it sometimes takes generations.



Another book on the Civil Rights movement worth picking up is Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Raymond Arsenault.

272: The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women

The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women

In this bestseller Naomi Wolf argues that as women gain more power the socially constructed standards of beauty become more rarefied and harder to attain. Striving for this artificial concept of beauty hurts women. But where does this idea of beauty come from? Wolf argues that concepts of feminine beauty are largely constructed men and serve as a way of shaping women's behavior.

Why this is progressive/liberal: Feminism is one of the key foundations of progressivism. Wolf's book is flawed by its attempt to be a popular work, but her engaging writing and relatively well-done research makes this a good introduction to the complicated relationship between the social ideal of beauty and how it affects women.

Buy the Kindle version: The Beauty Myth



Some more feminist titles of interest:

273: I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala by Rigoberta Menchu

I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala (Second Edition)

From the Wikipedia page:

"Rigoberta Menchú Tum is an indigenous Guatemalan, of the K'iche' ethnic group. Menchú has dedicated her life to publicizing the plight of Guatemala's indigenous peoples during and after the Guatemalan Civil War (1960–1996), and to promoting indigenous rights in the country. She received the 1992 Nobel Peace Prize and Prince of Asturias Award in 1998. She is the subject of the testimonial biography I, Rigoberta Menchú (1983) and the author of the autobiographical work, Crossing Borders. Later, American anthropologist David Stoll visited Guatemala and uncovered evidence that some of the claims presented in Menchú's Nobel Prize-winning testimonial were inaccurate or false."

Later researchers showed that Stoll's claims were inaccurate. It's amazing how much vituperation and abuse the American right has leveled against Menchú. A few minor cases of poetic license has turned her into "one of the greatest hoaxes of the 20th century" according to US conservative David Horowitz. Unfortunately, Menchú did not make up the violence of the Guatemalan military against the indigenous K'iche'. For nearly fifty years the Guatemalan government and its soldiers slaughtered and tortured the natives of that region. Menchú tells the story of her people's struggle.

Why this is liberal/progressive: The United States supports horrendous, murderous governments. For some reason few US citizens seem to care. Books like this remind us that our tax dollars are being used to help murder and torture innocent people. Generally (though not exclusively) it is Progressives who protest the US government's barbaric foreign policy.

Buy the Kindle version: I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala



Some more books on indigenous movements: