Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Shiva-land and winter reading

Make it a New Year's Resolution to read one of Vandana Shiva's books. Shiva is an global activist fighting for sustainable farming, environmental justice, and the rights of two-thirds world people, especially for indigenous farmers across the globe and in her native India. She is my all-time heroine--up there with Gandhi, Dr. King, Emma Goldman, and Mother Jones. She made an appearance on PBS tonight (reaired episode). You can view the transcript at:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/environment/jan-june07/globalization_03-23.html

As for my winter break reading: I'm catching up on the latest issues of _College English_ and _CCC_. I'm getting ready to pick up Michael Pollan's latest book _A Manifesto for Eaters_ and Daniel Imhoff's book _Food Fight_ on the farm bill--all fodder for the paper I'm giving on the Rhetoric of Local Food at the University of Illinois guest lecture series. I'm also prepping a lot of readings on environmental justice for the mini-seminar I'll be leading in February.


As for lighter fare,I want to pick up Benjamin Cheever's (son of writer John Cheever's) book/memoir on running, which I've had my eye on, but couldn't afford until my sister sent me a bookstore gift certificate. I have been rereading Kathrine Switer's book _Marathon Woman_. If you don't know who Switzer is, look her up--she is the Syracuse University student who was the first woman to run the Boston Marathon under a race number. Jock Semple, the race director tried to throw her out of the race when he realized that she was a woman running with a race number. The famous photos have been much-circulated. Switzer, our home town girl, ran the Pompey Hills so much that she didn't even notice Heartbreak Hill at the Boston Marathon. So if you want a hill work out, just move to Central New York.

Such is the reading life.