Books To Inspire Solutions & Action

Whether you’re stocking your own bookshelf or a little free library, participating in a book club, checking out library books, or considering a gift for the visionary in your life, we offer for your consideration this list of favorite books that we return to again and again.

Most items are linked to the publisher’s page. Where that isn’t possible, and for older publications, links lead to used editions that are available on Ebay. Want to get it locally? Book shops can usually order you a copy, and the library can, too.

Happy learning!

Permaculture, Growing & Natural Building

Root Cellaring by Mike & Nancy Bubel
Propagation of Pacific Northwest Plants by Rose, Chachulski & Hasse
The Year Round Hoophouse: Polytunnels for All Seasons and All Climates by Pam Dawling
Build Your Own Earth Oven by Kiko Denzer
The Cob Builders Handbook by Becky Bee (Free download./ Hard copy.)
Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening
Earth User’s Guide to Permaculture by Rosemary Morrow

Growing Together

Start a Community Food Garden: The Essential Handbook by LaManda Joy
The Community Food Forest Handbook: How to Plan, Organize, and Nurture Edible Gathering Places by Cathering Bukowski & John Munsell
Creative Community Building in the Public Right of Way: City Repair’s Placemaking Guidebook, Second Edition
Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden and Your Neighborhood Into a Community by H. C. Flores
People & Permaculture: Caring and Designing for Ourselves, Each Other & the Planet by Looby Macnamara

Medicinal Plants & Our Bioregion

Medicinal Plants of the Pacific Northwest: A Visual Guide to Harvesting and Healing With 35 Common Species by Natalie Hammerquist
Medicinal Plants of the Northwest: 130 Monographs, Vol 1 & 2 by Darcy Williamson
The Medicine-Maker’s Handbook: A Home Manual by James Green
Radical Herbalism: Feral Herbalists, Free Clinics, & Guerrilla Gardens by Jesse Wolf Hardin and Kiva Rose Hardin
Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal by Rosalee de la Foret

Kitchen Based Activism

Feed the Resistance: Recipes + Ideas for Getting Involved by Julia Turshen
Recipes for Resistance Zine Series by Yujin Park
Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills by Raleigh Briggs
More-with-Less: A World Community Cookbook
Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen
The League of Kitchens Cookbook: Brilliant Tips, Secret Methods & Favorite Family Recipes from Around the World by Lisa Kyung Gross & the Women of the League of Kitchens Cooking School

Human Rights

In the Light of Justice: The Rise of Human Rights in Native America and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by Walter Echo-Hawk
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
The Power of the Powerless by Vaclav Havel
Escape From Freedom by Erich Fromm
Team Human by Douglas Rushkoff (Book. / Podcast.)
Governing the Commons: the Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action by Elinor Ostrom (Book. / PDF.)
The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economics by Riane Eisler
Human Right and Refugees, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrant Workers edited by Anne Bayefsky (Ridiculously expensive, but we have a copy. If you’d like to borrow it, please send an email.)