arise's blog

Mike Whalen's History of Arise talk

Please listen to this if you are interested in the roots of Arise! Bookstore:

This just in! 8/8/09

Welcome to the Terrordome: The Pain, Politics, and Promise of Sports
by Dave Zirin
From the bashing of Barry Bonds to the stormy marriage between hip-hop and the NBA; from the “baseball factories” of the Dominican Republic to the inspiring legacy of Roberto Clemente—Dave Zirin looks past the shiny surface to what’s really happening in the locker room, the boardroom, the arena, and the stands.

The Graves Are Not Yet Full Race, Tribe And Power In The Heart Of Africa
by Bill Berkeley
"This is a book about evil." With these words, Berkeley launches into a gripping exploration of some of the worst African atrocities of the past 20 years, which he has covered as a journalist for the Atlantic Monthly and other publications.

Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle
by Chris Hedges
Chris Hedges argues that we now live in two societies: One, the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world, that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other, a growing majority, is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. In this “other society,” serious film and theatre, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex
by Mary Roach
Roach is not like other science writers. She doesn't write about genes or black holes or Schrödinger's cat. Instead, she ventures out to the fringes of science, where the oddballs ponder how cadavers decay (in her debut, Stiff) and whether you can weigh a person's soul (in Spook). Now she explores the sexiest subject of all: sex, and such questions as, what is an orgasm?

Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies, & the Truth about Reality
by Brad Warner
Warner, an early-'80s hardcore punk musician, discovered Zen in college, moved to Japan to make B-grade monster movies, and eventually became a bona fide Zen master by formally receiving "dharma transmission." Yet true to his punk spirit, he relentlessly demands that all teaching, all beliefs, all authority-including his own-must be questioned.

This just in! 6/27/09

Transgender History
Transgender History

Chew On This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food
Eric Schlosser
Including passages from Schlosser's best-selling adult book Fast Food Nation (2001) and other writings, the authors dish up a somewhat-less-stomach-churning look at the fast-food industry's growth, practices, and effects on public health.

Subterranean Twin Cities
Greg Brick
Greg Brick's tour of the dark caverns and damp passageways of the Twin Cities underground isn't for claustrophobic readers. Nor is it for those too squeamish to relish Brick's frequent immersions in raw sewage, his encounters with fetid air and sulfurous smells, and his meditations on the origins of the gelatinous "sewer slime" that coats the walls of St. Paul brewery cellars. - Star Tribune

Transgender History
Susan Stryker
Transgender History takes a chronological approach to the subject of transgender history, with each chapter covering major movements, writings, and events from the mid-twentieth century to today.

New this week - 6/16/09

Plague of Doves
Plague of Doves
Vegan Brunch
Vegan Brunch

New in fiction:

The Plague of Doves, Louise Erdrich
Erdrich's 13th novel, a multigenerational tour de force of sin, redemption, murder and vengeance, finds its roots in the 1911 slaughter of a farming family near Pluto, N.Dak. The family's infant daughter is spared, and a posse forms, incorrectly blames three Indians and lynches them.

New in memoir:

The Night of the Gun, David Carr
An intriguing premise informs Carr's memoir of drug addiction—he went back to his hometown of Minneapolis and interviewed the friends, lovers and family members who witnessed his downfall. A successful, albeit hard-partying, journalist, Carr developed a taste for coke that led him to smoke and shoot the drug.

New from Derrick Jensen:

Songs of the Dead, Derrick Jensen
A serial killer stalks the streets of Spokane, acting out a misogynist script from the dark heart of this culture. Across town, a writer named Derrick has spent his life tracking the reasons—political, psychological, spiritual—for the sadism of modern civilization. And through the grim nights, Nika, a trafficked woman, tries to survive the grinding violence of prostitution. Their lives, and the forces propelling them, are about to collide.

What We Leave Behind, Derrick Jensen
Industrial civilization is incompatible with life.... Unless it's stopped... it will kill every living being, begin environmental activists Jensen (A Language Older than Words) and McBay (Peak Oil Survival), introducing the recurring theme and thesis of this radical report on the state of Earth and call to action.

New in DIY:

Make Your Place, Raleigh Briggs
Raleigh Briggs collects her zines, illustrations, and thoughts around what it is that makes a great DIY household—homemade cleaning solvents that aren't made from poison, herbs that will heal you, and how to setup a great garden. These tips and tricks fill in the gaps for those of us longing to live this lifestyle but lacking the necesary know-how.

New in cooking:

Vegan Brunch, Isa Chandra Moskowitz
Omelets. French toast. Bacon. Brunch has always been about comfort, calories—and for vegans everywhere, a feast of foods they can’t touch. Until now! Bestselling vegan chef Isa Chandra Moskowitz unleashes her signature flair and ingenuity to give readers breakfast they won’t find anywhere else, whether welcoming you from a late night on the town or waking you up for a meal you won’t want to forget.

Vegan Soul Kitchen, Bryant Terry
In this electric, eclectic collection of vegan soul food, West Coast chef Bryant Terry (Grub: Ideas for an Urban Organic Kitchen) manages not only to demystify classic southern cooking, he makes it healthier and more accessible. With a low-key approach, commonly sourced ingredients and recipes worthy of any palette, Terry avoids the didacticism and rigidity of other vegan cookbooks.

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