Sustainable World SourceBook by the Sustainable World Coalition - chosen by Lynn.

Our Checkered Past emeritus member, June Holte, was one of the editors of this amazing book. It provides information and resources for a healthy planet and a just, peaceful world. Lynn, who has a longtime interest in our environment, was impressed at how beautifully it brought her understanding of the major issues up to the current moment.

Given away during the fundraiser concert for the Oklahoma City Peace House and Church of the Open Arms, February 13, 2010.

Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement In the World Came Into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming by Paul Hawken - chosen by Lynn.

Paul Hawken has spent over a decade researching organizations dedicated to restoring the environment and fostering social justice. From billion-dollar nonprofits to single-person dot.causes, these groups collectively comprise the largest movement on earth, a movement that has no name, leader, or location, and that has gone largely ignored by politicians and the media. Like nature itself, it is organizing from the bottom up, in every city, town, and culture. and is emerging to be an extraordinary and creative expression of people's needs worldwide.

Given the inaugural concert of the All Souls Folk Music Series, September 6, 2008.

Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt On Vegetables by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics - chosen by Bill.

Seasonal recipes, stories, fresh insights, and unusual revelations by nutrition experts, shareholders, farm workers, and Farmer John himself. In addition to the 225 recipes and culinary suggestions, The Real Dirt On Vegetables features color and black & white photos of the vegetables growing in the fields, and of the crew harvesting, washing, and sorting. Lyrical yet practical, it builds relationship with the vegetables and deepens the understanding of the farm on which they are grown.

Given to Linda B. at the 2008 Green Festival and All Day / All Night Jam, September 6, 2008.

We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For: Inner Light in a Time of Darkness by Alice Walker - chosen by Bill.

We Are the Ones We Have Been Waiting For takes on some of the greatest challenges of our times and in it Walker encourages readers to take faith in the fact that, despite the daunting predicaments we find ourselves in, we are uniquely prepared to create positive change.

At the 2008 Fringe Festival, August 27, 2008.

Play Well With Others: How to Jam Like A Pro by Martha Haehl and Mike Walker.

Play Well With Others is the most complete book about jamming on the market. You’ll learn jamming do’s and don’ts, jam types and jam styles, how to avoid being a jam buster, how to play songs with two-chords, three chords, then more complex chord progressions, easy transposing, how to lead a song in a jam, tips for playing instrumentals, and much, much more!

At the 2008 Fringe Festival, August 26, 2008.

Thank God for Evolution by Michael Dowd - doated by June.

Thank God for Evolution presents in a lively and accessible manner the reasons why it is now possible to view evolution as a spiritual process; how current science shows that evolution is not meaningless blind chance; practical methods for using evolutionary insights to achieve greater personal fulfillment; and how aligning with evolutionary trends can guide activists and others hoping to make our world a better place.

At the 2008 Fringe Festival, August 25, 2008.

Your Planet Needs You by Jon Symes and Phil Turner - chosen by Lynn.

This book is being turned into a curriculum that ever schoolchild in Great Britain will be required to study… How to create a “world worth choosing.”

Given to Donna C. at Karen and Lee's house concert in Kansas on March 1, 2008.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver - chosen by Martha.

Locavore was the 2007 New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year. It's only natural that Checkered Past contributes to the awakening of America to the joy of FRESH, local, organic food. After a couple of months of eating Community Supported Agriculture produce, Lynn discovered that her body responded to so much of the processed supermarket food as "not-food".

Given out at Cheryl's house concert in Topeka on October 13, 2007.

Omnivore's Dilemma A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan - recommended to us by Vicki Walker.

Pollan follows each of the food chains that sustain us—industrial food, organic or alternative food, and food we forage ourselves—from the source to a final meal, and in the process develops a definitive account of the American way of eating. Rivetting, shocking, and yet hopeful for the future of food.

Given to Jennifer at the Delaware Street Commons concert on August 5, 2007.

Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back by Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now! and David Goodman - Chosen by the band after we attended Amy and David's Kansas City talk on their book tour.

Takes on government liars, corporate profiteers, and the media that have acted as their cheerleaders. The authors cut through the official static to show the truth about war, torture, and government control of the media. Static breaks the sound barrier to present the voices of dissidents, activists, and others who are often frozen out of official debate.

Given to Doug S. at the KC Fringe Festival on July 29, 2007.

Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins, chosen by Lynn.

This book exposes the little known inner workings of a system that fosters globalization and impoverishes millions of people around the globe. It is a compelling story that also offers hope and a vision for realizing the American dream of a just and compassionate world that will bring us greater security.

Given to a fiber artist at the KC Fringe Festival July 28, 2007.

Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin - donated by Bill Langsdorf.

This book has been called to question by 60 Minutes. We can no longer endorse the book whole heartedly, but we are wishing it had been true.

"Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson's dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it's proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world."

Given to a young woman at the Coffee House at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia, Missouri, May 5, 2007.

"That Three Cups of Tea book is awesome. Greg Mortenson is a real hero. Did you see him when he was in KC a while back? Truly an inspirational person. He inspired me to donate to his organization on a monthly basis. You can't overstate the importance of his work. The world needs several thousand more like him." - Sandy Green, Kansas City, MO

Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World by Alan Weisman - Chosen by Jo Ann.

Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson's dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it's proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world."

Given to Jackie A. of Columbia, Missouri at the Coffee House sponsored by the Social Action Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbia, Missouri, September 23, 2006 and again at the 2007 KC Fringe Festival to Vicki R. of Homer, Alaska, July 27, 2007. Vicki later commented to Lynn that she was buying 7 more copies of the book to give away.

Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community by David C. Korten - Chosen by June.

Korten draws on sources as varied as evolution, developmental psychology, and the wisdom of religious mystics to make the case for "Earth Community" -- a people-centered, community-based future that is both possible and necessary.

Given to Gene F. of Kansas City at the Kansas City Fringe Festival, July 30, 2006.

Stuff: The Secret Lives of Everyday Things by John C. Ryan, Alan Thein Durning - Chosen by Lynn and June.

Stuff follows a day in the life of a fictional, typical North American middle-class resident of Seattle. Nothing terribly unusual or dramatic happens. Unless you count average consumption--which Stuff does. Tracing back the layers of distribution, commerce, and production involved in everyday consumer goods Stuff is an engaging and fact-packed look at the people and places that are affected every time you sip your coffee, tie your shoes, click your mouse, step on the gas, or read a book.

Given to Amy of Kansas City at the Kansas City Fringe Festival, July 30, 2006.

Gangs of America: The Rise of Corporate Power and the Disabling of Democracy by Ted Nace - Chosen by K.C.

Corporations are the dominant force in modern life, surpassing even church and state. The largest are richer than entire nations, and courts have given these entities more rights than people. To many Americans, corporate power seems out of control. Ted Nace probes the roots of corporate power, finding answers in surprising places.

You can read this book on-line for free.

Given to Amy of Kansas City at the Kansas City Fringe Festival, July 30, 2006.

Mountains Beyond Mountains: Healing the World: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer by Tracy Kidder - Chosen by Kerry with kudos from Lynn.

Corporations are the dominant force in modern life, surpassing even church and state. The largest are richer than entire nations, and courts have given these entities more rights than people. To many Americans, corporate power seems out of control. Ted Nace probes the roots of corporate power, finding answers in surprising places.

Given to Nancy H. at the WriterHouse at Lake Waukomis, June 17, 2006.