Reclaiming Our Communities

Across America there are individuals and organizations dedicated to reclaiming our communities. Whether in small towns or major metropolitan areas, the driving force behind this movement is a natural desire to improve the places where we live: to create attractive, safe, and economically viable environments for ourselves, our families, and our friends and neighbors.

There are many ways to rebuild and revitalize our communities, but perhaps the most essential part of the process is fostering awareness. Only by educating others about the issues can we come together and discuss effective ways to take control of our future. The Internet has become a great tool in this context, creating limitless avenues for like-minded individuals and organizations to share their ideas, visions, and passionate dedication toward a better sense of community.

But there are other, more traditional ways to build public awareness. Take, for example, the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, Colorado: Owner David Bolduc, in an effort to encourage local activism and small business development -- while stemming the tide of chain-store proliferation and downtown decimation by national retailers -- maintains an in-store display highlighting a comprehensive list of books on community issues. (We've included the list, below). Bolduc believes, as a growing number of others do, that the future of our neighborhoods, whether in cities or suburbs, lies in the actions of our own hands. We encourage you to pick up one of these books and see what you can do for your own community.

Bowling Alone by Robert Putnam (Simon & Schuster)

Escapism by Ti Fu Tuan (Johns Hopkins)

Home from Nowhere by James Kunstler (Simon & Schuster)

Culture Jam by Kalle Lasn (HarperCollins)

Local Heroes Changing America edited by Tom Rankin (W.W. Norton & Company)

Divorce Your Car by Katie Alvord (New Society)

Street Level Democracy by Jonathan Barker (Kumarian Press)

Citizen's Guide to Grassroots Campaigns by Jan Barry (Rutger's)

Globalization from Below by Jeremy Brecher (South End)

Globalization & Postmodern Politics by Roger Burbach (Stylus Pub.)

Common Good by Noam Chompsky and David Barsamian (Odonian Pr.)

Five Days that Shook the World by Alexander Cockburn (Norton)

Carfree Cities, by J.H. Crawford, J.H. (Paul & Co.)

Beyond Growth by Herman Daly (Houghton Mifflin)

Corporations are Gonna Get Your Mama by Kevin Danaher, Kevin (Common Courage)

Globalize This by Kevin Danaher (Community Archives)

Corporation Nation by Charles Derber (St. Martins)

Short Circuit by Richard Douthwaite (Chelsea Green)

Better Not Bigger by Eben Fodor (New Society)

Democracy at Risk by Jeff Gates (HarperCollins)

The Secret Lives of Citizens by Thomas Goeghegan (Univ. of Chicago)

Widening the Circle by Deborah Hogeland (Hohm)

Green Logic Ecopreneurship by Robert Issack (Kumarian)

Global Soul by Pico Iyer (Random House)

Best of Temp Slave by Jeff Kelly (Garrett)

Economic Renewal Guide by Michael Kinsley (Rocky Mountain)

Almost Home by David Kirp (Princeton)

No Logo by Naomi Klein (Picador)

The Post Corporate World by David Korten (Berrett-Koehler)

Geography of Nowhere by James Kunstler (Simon & Schuster)

New Age Capitalism by Kimberly Lau (Univ. of PA)

Bread, Bricks, Belief by Mary Lean (Kumarian)

Case Against the Global Economy by Jerry Mander (Random House)

Home Town Advantage by Stacy Mitchell (Inst. for Local Self Reliance)

Changing Places by Richard Wilkie Moe (Holt)

Corporate Predators by Russell Mokhiber (LPC Group)

Planning to Stay by William Morrish (Milkweed)

The Quest for Community by Robert Nisbet (ICS)

Celebrating the Third Place by Ray Oldenburg (Marlowe & Co.)

In Sam We Trust by Bob Ortega (Random House)

Glued to the Tube by Cheryl Pawlowski (Sourcebooks)

When Corporations Leave Town by Joseph Persky (Wayne State)

The Living Wage: Building a Fair Economy by Robert Pollin (Norton)

The Local Politics of Global Sustainability by Thomas Prugh (Island Press)

How Wal-Mart Is Destroying America by Bill Quinn (Ten Speed)

How Wal-Mart Is Destroying the World by Bill Quinn (Ten Speed)

Greening Cities by Joan Roelofs (Bootstrap Press)

Taking Back Our Lives in the Age of Corporate Dominance by Ellen Schwartz (Berrett-Koehler)

Going Local by Michael Shuman (Routledge)

The Courage to Lead by Brian Stanfeld (New Society)

The Amoral Elephant by William Tabb (NYU Press)

Battle in Seattle by Janet Thomas (Fulcrum)

The WTO by Lori Wallach (Seven Stories)

Gaviotas by Alan Weisman (Chelsea Green)

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