Search:

Is a river alive? / by Macfarlane, Robert,1976-author.;
Includes bibliographical references (pages 313-345) and index."From the celebrated nature writer, observer and advocate Robert Macfarlane, a brilliant, immersive and paradigm-shifting book that says an emphatic yes to the question it asks. Robert Macfarlane writes, "At the heart of Is A River Alive? is a single, powerful idea: that rivers, forests, glaciers and mountains are living beings, and that as such they have rights that should be recognized both in imagination and in law. The river has the right to flow unimpeded to the sea; the old-growth forest the right not to be felled; the mountain the right not to be disembowelled for coal." This idea -- known as the Rights of Nature -- is driving a conceptual and legal revolution, largely led by Indigenous and non-white activists who are succeeding at challenging the Western legal system to think beyond the idea of nature as material for humans to exploit to a future where regarding all of nature as a living entity may ensure our survival. The book flows like water, from the mountains to the sea, following three major journeys Macfarlane undertakes with local activists: to Ecuador where a recent court decision protects the ancient cedars of the cloud forests from Canadian mining activity; to India, where the fight to revive rivers that start in the glaciers of the Himalayas and empty into the ocean and polluted lagoons of Chennai is not yet won; and to northeastern Quebec where in 2021 an alliance between the local Innu nation and the regional municipal council declared the Mutehekau (Magpie) River a living being, with legal rights. Along with the voices of his fellow travellers, Macfarlane's own voice and incomparable gifts of expression carry immeasurable power to open hearts, spark conversations and challenge perspectives, making Is A River Alive? not only a wondrous literary experience but a powerful rallying cry in the environmental justice movement"--
Subjects: Macfarlane, Robert, 1976-; Environmentalism.; Rights of nature.; Rivers; Rivers;

Queer history A to Z : 100 years of LGBTQ+ activism / by Stevenson, Robin,1968-; Rosas, Vivian.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.An essential resource for young readers that details the people, events and places that have shaped queer history in North America. In this exploration of the history of LGBTQ+ activism in North America, middle-grade readers can learn about the key people who led the fight for equality, the events that brought about change and the places where history was made. Presented in an A to Z format, with one topic per letter ("P Is for Pride"), the entries include subjects such as coming out, pride flags, Jazz Jennings and the Stonewall Inn. Young readers will be particularly interested in learning about youth activists such as Gavin Grimm, the history of the first gay-straight alliance and the ongoing issue of banned children's books in America. Author Robin Stevenson has won numerous awards, including a Stonewall Book Award Honor. She has carefully curated the key people, places and events in queer history across North America to offer a pitch-perfect compilation of individual stories that are accessible, interesting and inspiring. Queer History A to Z is a must-have resource for young readers, and a terrific jumping-off point for discussions about history, identity and the progress made by the LGBTQ+ community. With so many fascinating biographies and cultural history lessons throughout, it also makes an excellent general social studies resource. Eye-catching art by Vivian Rosas appears on every spread, capturing many of the iconic images of the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Extensive back matter includes short biographies of LGBTQ+ activists, a timeline, a glossary, resources for kids, selected author's sources and an index.
Subjects: Sexual minority activists; Gay rights;

On fire : the burning case for a green new deal / by Klein, Naomi,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."For more than twenty years, Naomi Klein has been the foremost chronicler of the economic war waged on both people and planet--and the champion of a sweeping environmental agenda with stability and justice at its center. In lucid dispatches from the frontlines--from the ghostly Great Barrier Reef, to the annual smoke-choked skies of the Pacific Northwest, to post-hurricane Puerto Rico, to a Vatican attempting an unprecedented "ecological conversion"--she has penned surging, indispensable lectures and essays for a wide public, with prescient, clarifying information about the future that awaits us and our children if we stick our heads in the sand. They show Klein at her most thoughtful, tracing the evolution of the climate crisis as the key issue of our time, not only as an immediate political challenge but as a spiritual and imaginative one too. Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of "perpetual now," to the soaring history of humans' ability to change rapidly in the face of grave threat, to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of "climate barbarism," this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink. Above all, she underscores how we can still rise to the existential challenge of the crisis if we are willing to transform our systems that are producing it, making clear how the battle for a greener world is indistinguishable from the fight for our lives. On Fire is a critical book: it captures the burning urgency of this moment, the fiery energy of a rising movement demanding change now, and lays out an inspiring vision for a sustainable future."--
Subjects: Human ecology.; Climatic changes.; Social change.; Sustainable living.; Environmental justice.; Environmental policy.; Political culture.;

Ants among elephants : an untouchable family and the making of modern India / by Gidla, Sujatha,1963-;
"The stunning true story of an untouchable family who become teachers, and one, a poet and revolutionary. Like one in six people in India, Sujatha Gidla was born an untouchable. While most untouchables are illiterate, her family was educated by Canadian missionaries in the 1930s, making it possible for Gidla to attend elite schools and move to America at the age of twenty-six. It was only then that she saw how extraordinary--and yet how typical--her family history truly was. Her mother, Manjula, and uncles Satyam and Carey were born in the last days of British colonial rule. They grew up in a world marked by poverty and injustice, but also full of possibility. In the slums where they lived, everyone had a political side, and rallies, agitations, and arrests were commonplace. The Independence movement promised freedom. Yet for untouchables and other poor and working people, little changed. Satyam, the eldest, switched allegiance to the Communist Party. Gidla recounts his incredible life--how he became a famous poet, student, labor organizer, and founder of a left-wing guerrilla movement. And Gidla charts her mother's battles with caste and women's oppression. Page by page, Gidla takes us into a complicated, close-knit family as they desperately strive for a decent life and a more just society. A moving portrait of love, hardship, and struggle, Ants Among Elephants is also that rare thing: a personal history of modern India told from the bottom up"--Provided by publisher.LSC
Subjects: Gidla, Sujatha, 1963-; Gidla, Sujatha, 1963-; Dalits; Families; Teachers; Poets, Indic; Revolutionaries; Caste;

The People's Choice. by George, Samuel,film director.; Bertelsmann Foundation Documentary Films (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Originally produced by Bertelsmann Foundation Documentary Films in 2018.For much of the last 80 years, Mexico has been dominated by the same political party, which governed via corruption, sham elections, and brute force. In 2018, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador completed a shocking rise as leader of the new Morena party. What’s behind this new movement? Can it withstand the pressures of rampant corruption and political violence and bring about a new day in Mexico? Or will Morena just be more of the same in Mexican politics?From the badlands of Juarez to remote indigenous territories of Oaxaca, we track the rise of Morena, and what it means for the future of Mexican democracy.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Political science.; Social sciences.; Americans.; Foreign study.; Latin America.; Documentary films.; Current affairs.; Politicians.; Elections.;

Leading from the heart : the battles of a feminist, union leader and politician / by Darcy, Judy,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."In this inspiring memoir, Judy Darcy recounts the remarkable turns that brought her from library worker to president of Canada's largest labour union, and from there to groundbreaking legislator focused on many of our most pressing issues, including health care, the rights of immigrant workers and the toxic-drug crisis. As this rich memoir shows, the life of activist, union leader and legislator Judy Darcy mirrors many of the great social and political currents of the modern era. Opening in the charged atmosphere of the feminist movement in the late 1960s, when the twenty-year-old Darcy -- swept up by the promise of historic, liberating change -- infiltrates a beauty pageant and later disrupts Parliament over reproductive rights, the story then reaches back to her earliest years as the daughter of immigrants deeply scarred by World War II. In this tale of personal trauma and desire for justice, Darcy recounts the remarkable turns that brought her from library clerical worker to leading public figure. Her rise through the ranks of the country's largest union -- the Canadian Union of Public Employees, with several hundred thousand members -- culminates in her 1991 election as national president, a traditionally male-dominated role. Years later, after moving from Ontario to British Columbia, she is elected to public office, becoming an NDP MLA. Here, as the only North American minister of mental health and addictions, she confronted the ravages of the toxic-drug crisis, working to help some of society's most vulnerable. Throughout the tumultuous events of her career and personal life, Darcy is forever working for those on the margins, fighting to protect workers' rights, water rights, health care, childcare and reproductive choice, and helping secure a landmark Supreme Court decision in favour of same-sex partner pensions. Powered by intense conviction and intimately personal experience, her candid story offers a vision of a new kind of leadership, steeped in compassion and able to negotiate the most urgent and complex challenges of our fractured era."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Darcy, Judy.; Feminists; Labor leaders; Politicians; Political activists; Women politicians; Women labor leaders; Women political activists;

The MAGA diaries : my surreal adventures inside the right-wing (and how I got out) / by Nguyen, Tina(Journalist),author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An explosive, first-person account chronicling the rise of the MAGA movement from acclaimed political journalist Tina Nguyen, who began her career-and her education-on the ground levels of the conservative recruiting machine."--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Nguyen, Tina (Journalist); Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- ); Conservatism; Conservatism; Political culture; Political leadership; Power (Social sciences); Republicanism;

Louis Theroux: The Settlers. by Baker, Josh,film director.; Theroux, Louis,actor.; BBC Studios (Firm),dst; Kanopy (Firm),dst;
Louis TherouxOriginally produced by BBC Studios in 2025.Louis Theroux spends time with the growing community of Israeli religious-nationalist settlers. Their settlements are illegal under international law, and they have been protected by the army, the police and the Israeli government. Since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed, there has been an acceleration in the establishment of settlements, with settlers pursuing a campaign of violence against local Palestinian communities. What was once a fringe movement has now won support at the highest levels of the government, with their supporters holding key positions in the cabinet and able to influence not only the role the military plays but also the future of this conflict. Louis Theroux embeds himself in the West Bank, meeting prominent settlers - including the ‘godmother’ of the movement, Daniella Weiss - and travelling throughout the territory to understand the consequences of their activity. Louis also meets Palestinians, whose lives have been impacted by settlers moving into their communities. As the world focuses on Gaza, where at least 50,000 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed by Israeli forces since 7 October, Louis discovers that the settlers are already making plans to move into that territory, too.Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subjects: Documentary films.; Political science.; Social sciences.; Enthnology.; Military history..; Documentary films.; Middle East.; Foreign study.; Ethnicity.; Current affairs.; Emigration and immigration.; Jews.; War.; Israel.; Palestine.; Middle East--History.;

The Black Swan of Paris / by Robards, Karen,author.;
"A world at war. A beautiful young star. A mission no one expected. Paris, 1944. Celebrated singer Genevieve Dumont is both a star and a smokescreen. An unwilling darling of the Nazis, the chanteuse's position of privilege allows her to go undetected as an ally to the resistance. When her estranged mother, Lillian de Rocheford, is captured by Nazis, Genevieve knows it won't be long before the Gestapo succeeds in torturing information out of Lillian that will derail the upcoming allied invasion. The resistance movement is tasked with silencing her by any means necessary--including assassination. But Genevieve refuses to let her mother become yet one more victim of the war. Reuniting with her long-lost sister, she must find a way to navigate the perilous cross-currents of Occupied France undetected--and in time to save Lillian's life."--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Spy fiction.; Historical fiction.; Entertainers; Singers; Sisters; Mothers; World War, 1939-1945; Search and rescue operations; Prisoners of war; Antiquities;

Defund : black lives, policing, and safety for all / by Hudson, Sandy,1985-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Time and again we see police respond to minor calls with escalation, wrongful arrests, even murder. Reform programs are often poorly implemented and their impacts short-lived. Calls to "defund" the police have rung out across the nation, yet the actual meaning of the phrase remains unclear. In Defund, longtime activist and the founder of Black Lives Matter Canada, Sandy Hudson, elucidates what defunding the police actually means and why it matters, by exploring today's criminal landscape and the patterns and structures that result in safer, well-resourced communities. Hudson explores the origins of commonly held ideas about police and safety to show how police-related social policies are based more on a sensationalized idea of safety than on outcomes and data. Through interviews and sociological research, she demonstrates that law enforcement solves only a small number of the crimes that police are tasked to investigate, and even the process of assigning cases depends more on optics than on large-scale crime reduction. Conversely, safe neighbourhoods, rather than featuring an increased police presence, are rich in resources and social programs. After laying out the history and data behind our broken policing system, Hudson explores how communities can save lives as well as money by investing in themselves rather than in policing. She shows how simple changes to educational resources, community centres and civic engagement can not only make communities safer, but also better able to provide for their citizens in countless ways. Clear-eyed and hopeful yet pragmatic, Defund is the key to understanding why a future without police is not only entirely possible, but necessary"--
Subjects: Discrimination in law enforcement; Police abolition movement; Police;