Recommended Reading

Our ideas and goals for this trip could not have been shaped without a little help from inspiring authors, journalists, and travelers.  If the misson of Cycles of Change is new to you, or you’re just interested in topics such as food, health, hunger, humanitarian aid, the environment, or travel, then here’s some great reading material!

Hope’s Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet

Frances Moore Lappé and Anna Lappé

A compassionate book written from the cross-generational perspective of mother and daughter, Hope’s Edge is both informative and inspirational. The authors travel around the world to explore how different international communities are both combating hunger and cultivating reasons for hope and positive change.

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future

Bill McKibben

A renowned pioneer for the environment, McKibben has done it again– written an inspiring work of journalism calling for urgent change. Deep Economy explores the idea of what makes us happy? Does more stuff enrich or clutter our lives? Or can a heightened sense of community elevate an individual’s sense of worth?

Manifestos on the Future of Food & Seed

Edited by Vandana Shiva

A collection of essays by environmental and social advocates such as Michael Pollan, Carlo Petrini, Jamey Lionette and Vandana Shiva. Manifestos calls for the right for all people to have access to good, clean and fair food, in a world where patents are becoming more pervasive and the need for protecting the environment and our health is becoming increasingly imperative.

Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual

Michael Pollan

This is a quick read the concisely maps out what you should eat if you either care about your own health or the health of the planet, or both. The tips are easy to digest, well-informed, and often humorous.  It’s a diet that will not only change the way you feel physically, but will connect you more closely with the land and the world in which we live.

Finding Beauty in a Broken World

Terry Tempest Williams

Through the theme of mosaic, Williams explores the concept of piecing together broken fragments to create something beautiful. She studies the communities of Utah prairie dogs, which are becomming more fragmented by development and habitat destruction. She also travels to Rwanda, where she learns more about the art of community building through art– creating beauty by which to heal and to remember and honor those who were genocide victims.

Bananas: How the United Fruit Company Shaped the World

Peter Chapman

Chapman’s narrative investigates the role the United Fruit Company played in the corporatization of the Banana Republic. It provides a detailed case study of how reliant the world has become on free market economics and the exhaustion of natural resources.

Food Matters: A Guide to Conscious Eating

Mark Bittman

Bittman provides a compelling case for altering your personal diet in a way that will reduce your carbon footprint, cut your grocery bill, and improve your health. Following his advice is easy, and is backed by extensive research and shocking statistics. He also includes some tasty recipes to get you started.

Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis

Al Gore

This is perhaps the most comprehensive overview of the causes of climate change that I have read. But not only does it outline how far we’ve already damaged the planet, it also gives a clear perspective of the ways we need to urgently change. Gore is convinced that we can solve the climate crisis, but that it’s our choice whether or not we’re up to the task. In this book, he gives us the tools, we just need to take the initiative to use them.