by Erin Riddle
Many of us already read—or, perhaps more metaphorically, inhale—books on a regular basis. We enjoy the rewarding and fulfilling experience of learning through reading, especially as the activity relates to our activist lives in protecting public health and the environment, and advocating for a more democratic process in policy making.
Reading can sometimes be an isolating activity, however, which may explain why many choose to join and participate in book discussion groups. Reading in community is much more engaging and gratifying. Reading in community is how we expand our knowledge and ideas, benefiting from others’ abilities to see beyond our own horizons. Furthermore, many of us who read on a regular basis are enthusiastic to let others know what we are reading, or find out what books are on others’ reading lists. Hence, the interest in book discussion groups—reading in a community with other like-minded people.
More specifically, related to the work of the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter, we would like to foster greater sharing in terms of what people are reading both individually and as participants in collective reading groups; we also hope to encourage more discussion groups to form locally.
Thus, we are launching a chapter-wide book discussion group under the title, “Democracy and the Environment,” to foster a community of readers who care about the importance of democracy in protecting our environment.
Much of the interaction, at its most productive and engaging level, can happen locally—and indeed already has been happening. For example, the Susquehanna Group (based in Binghamton) participated in a group discussion of Naomi Klein’s book This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate (reviewed this month by Moisha Blechman) in cooperation with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton. According to Bev Snyder, the discussion group met for two sessions, one week apart. The first meeting gathered about 30 participants and the group’s organizer spoke briefly about the book and its critics, followed by a guided discussion. Afterwards, participants stayed for refreshments and seemed eager to talk more about the book informally. The second session was equally well-attended and focused on discussing possible actions in the Binghamton area to fight climate change.
As activists, we often feel overwhelmed by the constant urgency to act and the continuous bombardment of bad news and devastation, so some in the Niagara Group (based in Buffalo) have been participating in a book club called “Active Hope,” which focuses on taking care of ourselves as individuals and maintaining hope and sanity in a world of chaos, greed, and destruction.
According to Lynda Schneekloth, Niagara Group chair, this group started by reading Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in without Going Crazy, by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone, and is currently reading The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible, by Charles Eisenstein. “We have about 20 people participating in two groups meeting once a month. Interestingly, this group was started after a Sierra Club program during which we viewed a film about climate change,” Schneekloth reported. She also wrote a review of Active Hope which was published in the Trailblazer, the Niagara Group newsletter.
Please send me your recommendations for the Atlantic Chapter discussion group, and also whether you would be willing to lead a discussion by conference call for the entire Chapter or in your community. The more we read together, the more we can build our communities for greater democracy and protection of the environment.
To receive a notice of upcoming book discussion group conference calls, please e-mail me at riddleriddle@gmail.com to be added to the listserv. Also, feel free to get in touch if you have any questions about the discussion group or any other matters related to the Sierra Club.
Erin Riddle is vice chair of the Atlantic Chapter, chairs the Farm and Food Committee, and serves in other leadership roles at the Chapter level and within the Susquehanna Group.