In the words of poet Gwendolyn Brooks, “We are each other’s / harvest: / We are each other’s / business:”.
In an increasingly disconnected world, amidst an often brutal political landscape, many people are looking for ways to connect, build communities and support each other. Here are eight books about building and organizing communities, working together and supporting each other, from social settings to social movements.
Mutual Aid by Dean Spade
“As governments fail to respond to—or actively engineer—each crisis, ordinary people are finding bold and innovative ways to share resources and support the vulnerable. Survival work, when done alongside social movement demands for transformative change, is called mutual aid. This book is about mutual aid: why it is so important, what it looks like, and how to do it. It provides a grassroots theory of mutual aid, describes how mutual aid is a crucial part of powerful movements for social justice, and offers concrete tools for organizing, such as how to work in groups, how to foster a collective decision-making process, how to prevent and address conflict, and how to deal with burnout.”
The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker
“A bold new approach to how we gather that will transform the ways we spend our time together–at work, at home, in our communities, and beyond….Parker sets forth a human-centered approach to gathering that will help everyone create meaningful, memorable experiences, large and small, for work and for play….She investigates a wide array of gatherings–conferences, meetings, a courtroom, a flash-mob party, an Arab-Israeli summer camp–and explains how simple, specific changes can invigorate any group experience.”
How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong
“A provocative, essential guide to showing up for each other and cultivating community, from an activist, community organizer and thought leader whose viral TED talk has been viewed more than 1.8 million times.”
Built to Belong: Discovering the Power of Community Over Competition by Natalie Franke
“Together we’ll uncover how to: Kick scroll-induced jealousy to the curb and transform the way that social media makes you feel about yourself and others; overcome loneliness by finding your people and cultivating true community in your personal and professional world; strike the balance between camaraderie and competition so that you can live a deeply fulfilled and joyful life.”
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
“As Indigenous scientist and author Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love….As Kimmerer explains, ‘Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency.'”
Citizens: Why the Key to Fixing Everything is All of Us by Jon Alexander
“Citizens is an upbeat handbook, full of insights, clear examples to follow, and inspiring case studies….It is the perfect pick-me-up for leaders, founders, elected officials – and citizens everywhere. Organise and seize the future!”
Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea by Leah Hunt-Hendrix and Astra Taylor
“Two leading activists and thinkers survey the past, present, and future of the concept across borders of nation, identity, and class to ask: how can we build solidarity in an era of staggering inequality, polarization, violence, and ecological catastrophe? Hunt-Hendrix and Taylor insist that solidarity is both a principle and a practice, one that must be cultivated and institutionalized, so that care for the common good becomes the central aim of politics and social life.”
What I Found in a Thousand Towns: A Traveling Musicians Guide to Rebuilding Americas Communities-One Coffee Shop, Dog Run, and Open-mike Night at a Time by Dar Williams
Singer-songwriter Dar Williams “muses on why some towns flourish while others fail, examining elements from the significance of history and nature to the uniting power of public spaces and food. Drawing on her own travels and the work of urban theorists, Williams offers real solutions to rebuild declining communities.”
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