FLOW MONITOR
The FLOW Holiday Book Guide
Check out these book recommendations from FLOW Members. They include something for every bibliophile, from Canadian humour to biographies and investigative journalism on the truth of climate change cover-up. Enjoy!
For the Climate Change Activist ready to be outraged:
Geoff Dembicki
Warning from Bob Sanford: "Under no circumstances should you read it before going to bed. You will be too angry to sleep."
Drawing from hundreds of confidential oil industry documents spanning decades, this explosive work of investigative reporting reveals for the first time the far-right conspiracy that’s stopped the world from preventing the climate crisis.
For the Water Champion in need of Inspiration:
Clayton Thomas-Muller
"A gritty and inspiring memoir from renowned Cree environmental activist Clayton Thomas-Muller, who escaped the world of drugs and gang life to take up the warrior’s fight against the assault on Indigenous peoples’ lands—and eventually the warrior’s spirituality." Be sure to also check out the accompanying documentary.
For the Climate Change Activist:
Ray Dalio
"Dalio examines history's most turbulent economic and political periods to reveal why the times ahead will likely be radically different from those we have experienced in our lifetimes - but similar to those that have happened many times before."
For the Water Champsion in need of Optimism:
Erica Gies
"Erica Gies, a Victoria-based National Geographic Explorer, outlines the tendency to hem water in and wrestle to alter its natural course with enormous human engineered projects that often exacerbate the symptoms of global warming, the environmental journalist found. Instead, her book explores hopeful and resilient approaches to working with water that respect its natural flow and rhythms, with positive outcomes for humans, biodiversity and the climate."
For those who want an unfiltered view of Canadian politics:
Jody Wilson-Raybould
"Wilson-Raybould's experience in Trudeau's Cabinet reveals important lessons about how we must continue to strengthen our political institutions and culture, and the changes we must make to meet challenges such as racial justice and climate change. In standing her personal and professional ground and telling the truth in front of the nation, Wilson-Raybould demonstrated the need for greater independence and less partisanship in how we govern."
For the Politics Insider that needs a laugh:
Terry Fallis
Take it from the Hon.Allan Rock, former Justice Minister and Canadian Ambassador to the UN: "“This is a funny book that could only have been written by someone with firsthand knowledge of politics in Canada, including its occasionally absurd side. This is a great read for anyone thinking of running for office, and especially reassuring for those who have decided not to.” Check out the TV series based on the book.
For Those Wanting to Understand the Realities of Life in the Oil Sands:
Kate Beaton
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault.
Beaton, a skilled and internationally recognized cartoonist, describes her times in the Alberta oil fields from 2005-2008. With humour, honest and striking visualizations, Kate explores the economic hardships that drove her outwest from her beloved Cape Breton and both the horrors, realities and moments of respite that come from being a woman out in the male-dominated fields.
For the burgeoning Marine Biologist:
Sam Hume
"Did you know that elephant seals can hold their breath underwater for more than an hour, or that the brown basilisk reptile can run across water? Discover the science of how plants have learnt to live, feed, and breathe in water, and take a look at the unique challenges of distinct ecosystems on feature spreads about rivers, lakes, wetlands, and more."
For the person who wants to look into a dystopian future:
Niall Ferguson
"Drawing from multiple disciplines, including economics, cliodynamics, and network science, Doom offers not just a history but a general theory of disasters, showing why our ever more bureaucratic and complex systems are getting worse at handing them. It is the lesson of history that the Westurgently needs to learn, if we want to handle the next crisis better, and to avoid the ultimate doom of irreversible decline"