I was recently asked to write a column for Free Vermont Media
highlighting recent books and documentaries regarding sustainability
and earth transition that have been particularly important to me this
past year. As manager of the "Speaking Truth To Power" website, I am
fortunate to receive complimentary copies of some of the latest media
which authors and producers ask me to review. Here is a short list of
my selections for your consideration in this time of upheaval, when it
is more urgent than ever to stay informed.

BOOKS

• Peak Everything, by Richard Heinberg who authored The Party’s Over, Power Down, and Oil Depletion Protocol.
I actually read this book recently on the train enroute to Vermont.
Heinberg lays out the facts impeccably but doesn’t engage in
fear-mongering; however, his presentation of the research, along with
possible options, paints anything but a rosy picture.

• The Path Through Infinity’s Rainbow,
by Michael P. Byron, a brand new book for which I had the privilege of
writing a back cover endorsement. It is also published by my publisher,
iuniverse, Inc. The subtitle is “Your guide to personal survival and
spiritual transformation in a world gone mad.” Byron is a political
science and history professor and ran for U.S. Congress from
California’s 49th District in 2004. I’ll be reviewing this book soon on
my website, and I enthusiastically recommend it for this incredibly
momentous juncture of human history.

• The Final Empire: The Collapse of Civlization, The Seed of The Future,
By William Kotke is nothing less than an encyclopedia of collapse and
rebirth. I have just posted Part I of my review of this book and am
currently working on Part II. One thing, among many, that makes this
book so profound is that Kotke first wrote it in 1993. His revision and
republication in 2007 offers a disturbing first part and an inspiring
second part that validate his visionary assessment of planet earth’s
dilemma 14 years ago. To this book I attribute, in part, a recent
profound shift in my own outlook regarding current reality and the
vision I hold for the future.

• The Great Depression, 1929-1941,
by Robert S. McElvaine. I reviewed this book on my site in 2007—a book
that every American should read in the light of the current global
financial meltdown. What is particularly heartwarming about this book
are the anecdotes regarding cooperation and the manner in which
families and communities joined to assist each other during this great
economic catastrophe.

• Financial Armageddon,
by Michael Panzner, reviewed in 2007 on my website. In the review I
said: “When all is said and done, Financial Armageddon offers some
sound advice and strategies, which some readers may be aware of, for
navigating the crumbling empire. The author insists that having access
to information, especially alternative news, will be crucial. Not
knowing or predicting how long the internet will exist or remain
uncontrolled, he strongly recommends that people familiarize themselves
now with alternative news sites and continue to do so as long as they
can. In addition, he emphasizes hyperinflation and the risks it will
entail in terms of using cash. Precious metals will be a strong hedge,
and barter will become a basic, commonplace form of exchange.
Practical knowledge of fundamental skills, healing with herbs and other
alternative remedies, and personal disaster planning will be essential
– as will be the ability to navigate a rotting infrastructure which in
August 2007 (I’m sure Panzner would concur) we are just beginning to
witness the tragic consequences of.”

• Super-Imperialism: The Origins and Fundamentals Of U.S. World Dominance,
by Michael Hudson, reviewed by me in 2007. “While reading Hudson’s book
I quickly realized that it is a crucial companion to Chalmers Johnson’s
trilogy of books on U.S. imperialism, namely, Blowback, The Sorrows Of
Empire, and Nemesis. Johnson’s emphasis is primarily on the military
aspects of U.S. imperialism since the end of World War II, with much
less focus on American economic imperialism during that era.” Michael
Hudson was a key voice in Danny Schechter’s 2006 documentary “In Debt
We Trust.”

• The Shell Game, a novel by Steve Alten reviewed on my website in January 2008. Alten describes it
as a thrilling novel, but much more than a thriller, “it is a MUST-READ
cautionary tale that exposes the next ‘9/11 event,’ a deception that
will lead to a retaliatory chemical weapons strike on Iran and the
terrorist elements the regime supports.” As well as interweaving the
issue of Peak Oil and the lack of political will to address it, the
novel culminates in the detonation of a nuclear bomb in Los Angeles. As
I stated in my review, I am loath to read fiction, but I could not put
this book down.

• Shock Doctrine, by Naomi Klein, is a must-read expose of U.S. government economic and
military policy adopted in the 1950s from University of Chicago
economist Milton Freidman, in which the U.S. created military and
economic “shocks” to achieve its imperialist goals. Klein’s research is
impeccable and reveals how the doctrine is still being used, not only
in Iraq but how it was used skillfully in the Katrina disaster of 2005.
I reviewed the book in 2007, taking to task what I believe is one of
its few flaws, namely, the monumental research that Klein utilizes to
confirm a plethora of U.S. government conspiracies, which contradicts
her glib dismissal of 9/11 as nothing more than an “opportunity” for
more global hegemonic “shocks.” Nevertheless, this is a must-read for
every American who wishes to be awake.

• The End of America: Letter Of Warning To A Young Patriot,
by Naomi Wolf. I’m fond of using the expression “two Naomi’s, one
voice” when I refer to the works of Naomi Klein and Naomi Wolf. The End
of America was published by a Vermont publisher, Chelsea Green, and is
not only a guidebook to how open societies become closed, but a
detailed analysis of how the George W. Bush Administration is
catapulting the United States into full-blown fascism. My review of the
book was posted on Vermont Commons in 2007. While Klein’s Shock
Doctrine is a must-read for understanding the use of terrorism by the
U.S. internationally and domestically, Wolf’s End Of America is a
crucial description of America’s descent into fascism. As I stated in
my review, its only flaw is its illusion that the Democratic Party can
reverse the descent.

• The Bilderberg Group,
by Daniel Estulin, a Madrid-based journalist who has been investigating
the Bilderberg Group for many years. (Estulin’s website is translatable
into English.) If you really want to know who runs the world, and
especially who determines the election of U.S. presidents, you need to
read this intriguing book. I reviewed it on my site in October 2007

• Reinventing Collapse,
by Dmitry Orlov who survived the collapse of the Soviet Union in the
1980s and who has written profusely about his experience, most notably
in Post-Soviet Lessons In A Post-American Century. I’ll be reviewing
Orlov’s book within the next few weeks on my site. Meanwhile, readers
may learn more about the book at the New Society Publisher’s website.

• Nature And The Human Soul,
by Bill Plotkin, is a book I currently cannot put down and will be
reviewing soon on my site. It’s a developmental blueprint for how human
beings can move from infancy through death as ecocentric, rather than
egocentric individuals. I passionately recommend this book for all
adults and for parents who long to raise children who are grounded in
their own souls and in an intimate connection with the earth.

RELATED WEBSITES:

Solari, Catherine Austin Fitts

Financial Armageddon, Michael Panzner

Money As Debt

DOCUMENTARIES

• What A Way To Go: Life At The End Of Empire,
written by Tim Bennett and produced by Sally Erickson, is an absolute
must-see which I have reviewed enthusiastically and promoted tirelessly
at my site. During this past year I have come to know Tim and Sally
well and hold them not only as esteemed colleagues but dear friends. I
show the documentary to all of my history classes every semester.
During the summer of 2007, Tim and Sally offered screenings in Vermont
in Rutland, Montpelier, and Burlington. This documentary is both a
memoir and a 123-minute catscan of the planet in this moment.

• Money As Debt,
written and produced by a Canadian, Paul Grignon, is a simple but not
simplistic documentary explaining the history of money and
fractional-reserve banking, current money-lending policies, and the
printing of money out of thin air. It’s ideal for explaining finances
to teenagers or children as well as adults and college students. I
reviewed it on my site in 2007.

• Maxed Out, “Maxed Out” examines an industry that thrives on making people fail,
then pursues them relentlessly to death's door. The film features a
shocking interview with Bob and Chris, two idealistic entrepreneurs
from Minneapolis whose ‘People First Recoveries’ is buying bad debt all
over the country in the hopes of huge profits. They're going to make
‘People First’ a big success by being shockingly duplicitous. To get
psyched up, Chris and Bob imagine themselves as ‘debt pirates,’
wrestlers, and professional football players. The personal information
at their disposal and the ways in which they are allowed to use it –
calling people's neighbors and relatives to humiliate them into paying,
for example – are nothing short of terrifying for us, fun for them.” As
well as “In Debt We Trust” mentioned above, “Maxed Out” is an absolute
must-see for every American trying to make sense of the current
economic train wreck.

• The Story of Stuff,
by Annie Leonard. Quoting from the documentary’s website
(www.storyofstuff.com): “From its extraction through sale, use and
disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and
abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. ‘The Story of Stuff’ is a
20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our
production and consumption patterns. [It] exposes the connections
between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us
together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll make you
laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your
life forever.” Although I have not yet reviewed this documentary, I am
showing it in all my college classes. It is ideal for educating older
children and teens about sustainability.

• 2012: The Odyssey, In
spite off seeing this documentary twice, I have not yet reviewed it.
Some aspects of it can be abstract and overly optimistic, but the
documentary’s most fundamental and profound message is that around the
year 2012 the planet will undergo a profound spiritual and energetic
shift. Delving deeper into the Mayan calendar and its forecasting of a
2012 planetary transformation, the documentary does not proclaim that
the year will yield anything particularly dramatic; in fact, it may
pass into history as what appears to be a non-event. However, the
changes in the planet and the consciousness of its inhabitants, the
film reveals, is already underway.