My Top Eight (because 8 is my favorite number ) :

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

When I hit my most homesick moment, I picked up this book and was transported back to the Blue Ridge that I consider home.  Frazier does an amazing job of painting the scenery of the Appalachians and the storyline featuring a Civil War journey and love story is a classic time period for the area.  The movie doesn’t do it justice, I can assure you, but the soundtrack helps

The We Came to the End by Jonathan Ferris

If you like The Office, you’ll love this book.  Set frighteningly well to the times of the current economic downturn, this novel tells the tale of cubicle dwellers at an advertising firm that is facing serious cutbacks.  Ferris tells the entire tale, with the exception of two chapters, from the “we” standpoint, so you begin to feel a part of the collective group of individuals that make up the office.  I loved the characters and the odd situations that arise featuring totem poles, stolen office furniture, clowns, and attempted shootings.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

The follow-up to Tipping Point (which I haven’t actually read yet), this book discusses the decisions and actions that occur in the matter of a few second, or in a Blink.  Gladwell is brilliant.  Check out his talk for the TED conference at ted.com.  (This site is quite possibly my favorite find of the year — free downloadable talks by world’s leading experts, and they’re limited to 20minutes!).  This book covers topics from recognizing an artistic fake to the instant judgments made based on appearance.  The key to Gladwell’s writing is the simple ways in which he presents dozens of studies, followed by situations that demonstrate the results and topics of those studies, then he keeps coming back to the ones he has already covered.
This is crucial for someone like me, who when I read, I feel an emotion, rather than absorbing any notable facts.  I highly
recommend any of his work, even though I’ve only read this one, because I am sure it is a great read!

All Over Creation by Ruth Ozeki (technically a read from before my LVC year but it’s still a fave!)

This book offers a fictional story of the overlapping lives of a traditional farmer and seed archivist, a group of environmental rights radicals, a teenage boy on the outs of society, and a woman trying to cope with her life.  All of the character portrayals are steeped in non-fiction reality from the effects of pesticides and engineered foods to the impact of teen pregnancy.  It’s an engaging tale that leads to all kinds of interesting situations!

The Life of Pi by Yann Martel

A classic story that deconstructs any sense of rational reality.  The story of a zookeeper’s son lost at sea aboard a lifeboat with a monkey, a zebra, and a tiger, this novel takes you on a journey of survival and ultimately demonstrates the impact of a good storyteller.  A MUST read for everyone.

God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

After finishing this book, I had to resist the urge to start over again (a testimony which I later noticed was reflected in a review on the back of the book!).  Roy’s use of imagery is astounding and you truly feel transported to  India.  She reveals just enough information about the storyline to keep you searching for more.  The captivating beauty of this book truly kept me coming back for more.

Anything by Shane Claibourne (Irresistible Revolution, Jesus for President, Becoming the Answer to our Prayers)

Shane Claibourne has single-handedly restored my hope in the world.  His interpretation of the Christian gospel demonstrates the hope that can be found in this faith.  He truly tries to live the life of Jesus, and through his writing, he convinces that it is possible for anyone to do so.  Though he currently lives in a radical community in Philadelphia that focuses on living in an intentional community among the impoverished neighborhood of Kensington (www.thesimpleway.org), Claibourne discusses in his books examples of this simple way of life from a
mega-church where he served for a while to international work he has pursued.  Anyone who affiliates with the
Christian church or feels compelled by the story of Jesus will truly benefit from his works.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

This is a lovely tale of a correspondance between a woman searching for the truth behind the sunny-side coverage of war and an island caught up in German occupation.  Ultimately a story about finding home and discovering the beauty of community, this tale is just a great read to become assured of the potential of humanity.

Other notables:

Lamb by Christopher Moore – a humorous take on the possible childhood of Buff, formally known as Jesus of Nazareth.

Last American Man by Elizabeth Gilbert – a biographical look at Eustace Conway, a man devoted to living from the earth in the Appalachians

The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien – a set of short stories that connect together to give a haunting glimpse into the experience of Vietnam soldiers

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

I hope to keep up my passion for reading as the years come on, especially once I get back to school.  I hope to update about the coming transitions soon.

Best, K

The Mandela Times

~K

Enjoy!

Great High Mountain
Heaven When We’re Home

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy;

Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis was an incredible man, and I hope to talk more about him in the future.

Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front
by Wendell Berry

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay.  Want more
of everything ready-made.  Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.

And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more.  Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.

When they want you to buy something
they will call you.  When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.
So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute.  Love the Lord.
Love the world.  Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.

Denounce the government and embrace
the flag.  Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand.  Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium.  Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.

Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit.  Prophesy such returns.
Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.

Listen to carrion — put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world.  Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable.  Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.

Ask yourself:  Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade.  Rest your head
in her lap.  Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.

As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it.  Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go.

Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

So here’s my challenge to you, this Lenten season:  Do something that doesn’t compute.  Practice Resurrection.

Lent.  A time of reflection prior to the celebration of Easter in the Christian church.  Derived from the Germanic root denoting a lengthening of days, Lent falls at a time during the year when the first hope of spring is beginning to show.  The days here in Tacoma are gradually getting warmer (and wetter), and as we emerge out of the winter slump, my housemates and I are making a concerted effort to pick ourselves up, dust off, and remind ourselves of why we came out to the Destiny City.

My commitment this Lenten season will be to reinvest in the tenets of LVC.  I am taking my simplicity one step farther by adopting a vegan diet and giving up as many high-fructose corn syrup sweets as possible (you’d be surprised by how many foods have this addictive substance in them!).  The general reaction about my decision has been shock, but it really should not be that difficult, and I am committed to decreasing my intake of dairy and eggs because of the negative environmental impacts that the agricultural industry creates every day.  They say that money is power, and I am trying my best to keep mine from being invested into these conglomerations.  I’m not a radical, I just like a challenge and love that I can eat better and feel better about it at the same time. 

So that’s my challenge for Lent, but as my father always encouraged, I am taking up a few things during this season of reflection.  In addition to the added awareness of my food, I plan to explore more works on social justice themes and share on this blog every day (or at least as close to it as I can manage).   These daily posts will mostly be materials from other sources, and I hope to provide my usual rambling commentary on Sundays.

During Advent, the mother of one of my housemates sent us a beautiful Advent calendar that came with a multi-generational devotion book.  This Lent, she has sent us the Lenten version from the same creation.  The theme is Noah’s Ark (one of many uses of the number 40 in biblical tradition), and each day we will “open a window to let in the fresh air.”  At the front of the devotional, they provide “Shipboard Rules for the Next Forty Days,”  and I will leave you with them as I feel they adequately summarize what I’ll be trying during this season:

1.  No Matter how hungry you get, don’t eat each other.  Lent is a time of fasting.
      For turtles, fasting will be easy, but for lions, it will be difficult.  Help each other fast.  If you get grouchy, make an effort to be cheerful.  Keep meals plain and simple.  Try to eat together.  Enjoy your meals and help others enjoy them. 
     Put only good things into your body: what you eat, watch and listen to.  Give your attention to what’s really interesting: people, the things they do and make, nature.  Be content with less.  Stay busy, but keep the noise down.

2.  Share what you have.  Lent is a time of charity.

3.  Keep in touch with God.  Lent is a time of prayer.

I encourage you all to take this time to become more aware of your life and your behaviors, and how they fit with you overall picture of the world (your faith or world view).  Challenge yourself to take care of yourself and those around you.

Charles Dudley Warner

For some reason, I cannot quite seem to find the atmosphere appropriate to sit down and write from my own thoughts.  So once again, I am going to share some insight by more intelligent and inspirational individuals.   One of the most common questions about the grand experiment in which I am partaking this year is regarding the reality of applying my current lifestyle in the future.  Will I be able to keep up the extreme simplicity and sustainability techniques that I have developed.  Are they really even sustainable?  To this, I usually respond along the lines of ‘to each his/her own.’  It is up to the individual to decide which techniques will fit best within the greater whole of her/his life.  Next year, another former volunteer may only carry with her the mentality of eating as local as possible.  Another volunteer may just continue to take shorter showers.  I have my own expectations for what I will carry out of this year.   As I was reading Voluntary Simplicity by Duane Elgin, a beautiful, easy read about choosing a simple life, I discovered a passage that I feel addresses at least part of this concern:

It makes an enormous difference whether greater simplicity is voluntarily chosen or involuntarily imposed.  For example, consider two persons, both of whom ride a bicycle to work in order to save gasoline.  The first person voluntarily chooses to ride a bicycle and derives great satisfaction from the physical exercise, the contact with the outdoors, and the knowledge that he or she is conserving energy.  The second person bikes to work because of the force of circumstances — this may be financial necessity or stringent gasoline rationing.  Instead of delighting in the ride, the second individual is filled with resentment with each push of the pedals.  This person yearns for the comfort and speed of an automobile and is indifferent to the social benefit derived from the energy savings.

In outward appearances both persons are engaged in identical activities.  Yet the attitudes and experiences of each are quite different…Voluntary simplicity, then, involves not only what we do (the outer world) but also the intention with which we do it (the inner world).  pp.143-144

Another interesting aspect of Elgin’s book is that he addresses the techniques of voluntary simplicity to a very specific audience — those who are moderately affluent.  He points out the differences between chosen simplicity and imposed simplicity, also known as poverty.  A common critique of the growing “eat local, eat less, eat lower” movement is the high cost of this type of eating.  Unfortunately, because of a variety of systems of our current global state, eating along guidelines that are more just and sustainable is in fact inaccessible to the majority of individuals.  This situation is why I tnd to overemphasize the fact that my lifestyle choices do not imply a judgment upon those who do not share my choices.  I will still encourage those who are able to make these changes, but I would never judge a person purchasing meat or overly processed foods who has to make such choices in order to provide for oneself or one’s family in other aspects of life.   The reality for me, however, is that I can make these decisions.  I have that liberty, and I am going to exercise it.  I cannot say that I will never purchase a car or have a television, but I will continue to recognize the impact these commodities have on my life, and the sacrifices I make to keep them.  My one hope with sharing this part of my life is that you will at least consider alternatives to your current lifestyle.  As BBC’s Ethical Man discovered, even living to the strictest guideline of “ecological justice” does not change the world.  However, if we can all recognize that a shift in the social mentality is necessary to arise out of the fall of the industrial era, then maybe we will make it out of the rubble of this changing time.