The Bright List

A True David vs. Goliath Feat of Eco-Salvation -- The Story of the NRDC

A Force for Nature: The Story of The National Resources Defense Council and Its Fight to Save Our Planet

by John H. Adams & Patricia Adams

I would like to preface this review by saying: Force for Nature blew my mind.

This is coming from a girl who's as "green" as the next hybrid-driving, recycling-and-composting, loves-state-parks person—but  who never became a full-fledged environmental activist, never wanted to be too "loud" about it, didn't have the right role models.

Until now.

This militant biography of the legendary  NRDC  is NOT about bringing your own tote bags to Trader Joe’s or buying organic shampoo.

This is not some namby-pamby consumerist scold.

Force for Nature has all the humor, back-room deals, politics, and action of ANY Hollywood government conspiracy movie. It's about one of the most influential environmental movements that's ever existed, an organization that rocked the terrestrial boat—a true David vs. Goliath feat of ecological salvation.

If you ever wondered how small communities and neighborhoods conquered what seemed to be inevitable water/air/natural resource destruction, this is the true story of the characters that did it. Absolutely heroic and fearless!

Narrated by Kevin Pariseau.

--Aretha Bright

Lauren Slater: Who Comes First? Your Dog or Your Daughter?

 

The  $60,000 Dog: My Life With Animals, by Lauren Slater

 Don’t be fooled by the adorable puppy cover— author Slater does indeed love animals, but her memoir is anything but soft and fuzzy.

Her memoir with the story of a bleak childhood, dominated first by her mother’s mental illness and then by a foster family that gave her a house, "but not a home." Her love for animals starts here, where she finds refuge in  the countryside and observing the lives of deer, foxes, and insects.

The $60,000 dog of the title is Lila, the family pet who came down with an extremely painful case of glaucoma. The dilemma that Slater faced is one that will resonate with every person who has ever valued an animal as more than just a pet.

As Lila’s medical bills mounted, Slater was faced with choosing between sending her daughter to summer camp or buying the medicines that would ease Lila’s pain. The happiness of her daughter, stacked up against the happiness of her pet.

Slater first wrote of this situation in Oprah magazine, where it was a huge hit and inspired the rest of the book. Animal lovers will certainly relate to the “do anything it takes” approach to save their fuzzy family members.

Slater is great at building tension and intrigue. Her memories of animals that affected her life are beautiful. Be prepared to cry during the scenes at the vet hospital! Especially for the baby swan whose beak was broken off. 

This book will touch every person who has ever thought of animals as their dearest companions.

--Aretha Bright

Joan Roughgarden's Queer, Kinky Animal Kingdom

Evolution’s Rainbow: Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People, by Joan Roughgarden

If you've ever read stories about “gay dolphins” and the like, you can thank the work of evolutionary biologist Joan Roughgarden.

Roughgarden's book Evolution's Rainbow has caused huge amounts of controversy since it was first published in 2004, depicting a natural world in which animals' lives are teeming with the same variety in their sex lives and behaviors as any human being— but without the moral outrage.

Alfred Kinsey supposedly once said that "The only unnatural sex act is that which you cannot perform." Roughgarden takes that sentiment and runs with it, giving example after example of just how broad the spectrum of "natural" sex and gender really is in the animal world.

For instance, meet the bighorn sheep: macho males live apart from the females and have lots of anal sex to keep them occupied during the mating off-season. Then they rely on feminine males to broker sex between them and the ladies.

Same-sex swan couples happen to be far better parents than their hetero counterparts. Fish bros work together to get laid.  Those doves aren’t actually monogamous. Through impeccable empirical evidence, Roughgarden opens up a world where humans aren’t the center of the universe, and animals have their own dramas and life cycles to get through.

Roughgarden also explores the world of science itself, shining a light on scientists who have refused to acknowledge that animals engage in homosexual behavior, or any gender roles that deviate from the classic Darwinian model of promiscuous males competing for picky females. Sometimes, it's just the opposite!

Narrated by the delightful Carrington MacDuffie.

--Aretha Bright

What do Birds, Slave Rebellions, and Marriage Have in Common? — The University of North Carolina Press!

The Armchair Birder: Discovering the Secret Lives of Familiar Birds, by John Yow

The Armchair Birder is about a niche topic that is written so well, and with such charm and wit,  it would captivate the most bird-indifferent imagination. For birders, especially the casual and recreational, Yow is the bee's knees. 

The great thing about Yow’s book is that it’s all about familiar birds—what we see and hear about everyday, not the exotic: Bluejays, woodpeckers, mourning doves, eagles, wild turkeys, owls. 

The anecdotes alone make for a memoir not soon forgotten. Yow talks about bird feelings and behaviors— you'll recognize some personalities from your own human family! It was as if the birds themselves were talking to Yow and sharing all their secrets. 

 

The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal: The Secret Lives of Birds of the Southeastern Shore, by John Yow

The sequel to The Armchair Birder, The Armchair Birder Goes Coastal  is an example of the "sequel that outdoes itself." Yow's great wit and dry humor strikes again! 

I will NEVER judge seagulls the same way again— I feel like I’ve been much too hard on them. Yow wrote such a sympathetic chapter on seagulls, it made me feel... like a bad person. 

Aren't you curious, now? 

Narrated by Kevin Young.

 

Game, Set, Match: Billie Jean King and the Revolution in Women’s Sports, by Susan Ware 

This is one of those books about a legend— the whole time you’re reading it you’re thinking, “Wow, Billie Jean is AWESOME.”

Game, Set, Match is a biography about Billie Jean King, the woman who "made" women’s tennis, and helped bring the world’s attention to women’s sports. 

She was also a closeted lesbian for a long time, and then later came out, before it was the least bit fashionable. Balls! 

A great under-dog story, fantastic build up, with a satisfying ending. 

Narrated by Donna Postel, who voices another of my favorite books, The Ultimate Guide to Sex and Disability.

 

Border War: Fighting Over Slavery Before the Civil War, by Stanley Harrold

If you’ve ever seen a popular film or TV series about the Civil War, this book is catnip. 

Border War delves into how the border southern states had the highest slave runaway rates, so they came up with the most bizarre laws to stop it, and the ensuing struggles and debates were ferocious. 

There's plenty of action, and the "back-in-the-day" atrocities are rivetting, if you have the stomach for it. 

Narrated by Brian Holsopple.

 

Making Marriage Work: A History of Marriage and Divorce in the 20th-Century United States, by Kristin Celello

The book that blows the lid off of the whole divorce “crisis.” 

Remember Laura Kipnis’ Love Polemic?  It was a diatribe of romance and monogamy. But Making Marriage Work  is a great balance— tremendous research and investigation, but it’s not out there to judge you. 

It has a wealth of information that will make you think about how the idea of marriage has evolved and been changed by political, environmental, religious, and cultural influences. This is a book that will be nodded to, for a long time to come. 

Work is about how marriage has been defined not nearly so much by romance as by labor… a wonderfully provocative idea.

Narrated by Tamara Marston. 

The Price of Defiance: James Meredith and the Integration of Ole Miss, by Charles W. Eagles

This book is like the “college version” of Remember the Titans with Denzel Washington.  

The Price of Defiance sets the scene of the white college life in Mississippi during the early 1960s: beauty queens, sororities & fraternities, keg parties, football, etc.

Might sound familiar to a lot of colleges today? Except only white students were allowed to enroll at the University of Mississippi, or as they called it, "Ole Miss." 

Everything hit the fan with the integration push in 1962 to allow African Americans to enroll at Ole Miss— a total page turner with unforgettable heroes to cheer for! 

James Meredith was the first African American to enroll, and the day before the first day of school was so explosive, fatal riots ensued. 

The children and grandchildren of alumni during those years can recount their stories in complete detail. It  impacted the community, for generations, right up to today. 

Author Charles Eagles, a Mississippi historian, writes Defiance like a screenplay— great plots, characters, action. Is there a movie deal yet? 

Not to be missed! 

Narrated by Kyle Munley.

 

Music From the True Vine: Mike Seeger’s Life and Musical Journey, by Bill C. Malone

An audiobook for music-lovers. Mike Seeger, founding member of the influential folk revival band New Lost City Ramblers, along with his brother Pete Seeger transformed American music, from the grass roots up. 

From the Introduction: 

Who is Mike Seeger? 

I was asked that question far too often after mentioning that I was writing his biography. And a second question frequently followed: "Is he related to Pete Seeger?" Trying not to show my irritation, I generally responded with, "Yes, he's his half brother, but he's a much more talented musican than Pete." 

It is difficult to provide an adequate conversational, sound-bite assessment of Mike, though, when most people are very aware of the almost iconic status that his brother Pete occupies in American popular culture. Mike, on the other hand, always went about his work quietly and mostly below the radar of public recognition. 

There’s not ONE American folk or country music fan, there’s not one American rock or pop critic, who hasn’t paid homage to this man or fallen in love with his many songs and musicial discoveries. 

Finally, we have a biography that has all the humor, warmth, and campfire-style storytelling that captures everything Mike Seeger has brought to the table of American culture. 

Narrated by Joe Geoffrey.

 

--Aretha Bright