art bomb
reviews and news about graphic novels (some of the best around, i swear)
[added on 05/04/03]

asleep
short stories delicately woven around the theme of sleep. something about this collection made me weep.
[added on 11/18/02]

blood bread & roses
judy grahn's theory on the origin of religion as menstrual metaform - one of the best things to come out of goddess feminism
[added on 08/13/02]

bodies out of bounds
an excellent collection of semi-academic essays on fat as a form of transgression; both provoking and reassuring.
[added on 01/06/03]

charis books
excellent atlanta-based feminist bookstore. they ship.
[added on 01/02/03]

disobedience of water
oh, my. i thought this writer was onto something with ahab's wife, but i had no idea. this is masterful, beautiful short fiction. and i don't even like short fiction.
[added on 11/18/02]

dude, where's my country?
founded on facts and the poignancy that typifies moore's movies - also good to share with folks who lean to the center, not just the left
[added on 12/18/03]

feminist recommended reading
the staff and readers of we have brains maintain a running list of feminist books and sites to visit
[added on 11/18/02]

girl director
this book (intended for teens) is a great starting point if you're thinking about making your own movies. quite inspiring.
[added on 11/13/02]

good in bed
i think this fluffy bit of fiction makes some nice strides towards decent body image. some people disagree. in any case, i wrote a longer musing on it in my blog awhile ago. worth reading.
[added on 11/18/02]

goodbye tsugumi
like all of banana yoshimoto's work, this is lovely and lyrical - with an edge. i pounce on everything she creates.
[added on 11/18/02]

internet speculative fiction database
where to find seemingly every sf&f story or book ever written
[added on 07/21/04]

killing monsters
you need to read this. it will change your perspective on play and media violence. it will make you feel okay with owning games like "state of emergency".
[added on 11/18/02]

life's daughter, death's bride
a jungian (and yet feminist) approach to the persephone myth
[added on 08/13/02]

losing it
while this book succeeds as an examination - and ultimately, indictment - of the diet industry in America, it stops short of offering solutions. still worth a read for those who aren't already convinced that dieting makes people fat.
[added on 11/18/02]

manifesta
one of the best resources on third-wave feminism - thorough (though not without its own stereotypes) and gives appropriate nods to the second wave. it actually comes close to bridging the gap between "waves" (which i personally feel are more of a media-friendly convention), but falls slightly short in that area.
[added on 12/23/02]

money makes the world go around
a layman's perspective on the global economy, from the ground. meaning - from the lives of people touched by money as it shifts from place to place. it may depress you - and that's exactly why you should read it.
[added on 11/18/02]

obesity myth
paul campos' book is a good layperson's review of many of the studies on the correlation (minimal, he argues) between weight and health. a must-read.
[added on 07/26/04]

raising cain
ironically, this book was accidentally sent to our house from amazon.com ages ago. it turned out to be this amazingly insightful book about the emotional world of boys that i recommend to everyone - i wish there were something comparable for girls.
[added on 10/09/03]

shadow of the hegemon
i like knowing my writers are still puzzling things out, too. this is what appeals to me about card, and particularly about this series (for which i still have a great deal of affection).
[added on 11/18/02]

the diagnosis
i just picked this up again after mistakenly leaving it in a suitcase (unopened) for several months. lightman's (he also wrote einstein's dreams) style blends science and fiction with a sort of boyishness. this appears to be no exception.
[added on 11/18/02]

the invisible actor
one of the best books on acting i've read. only on the recent list because i re-read it a month or so ago. fabulous, understated, very noh.
[added on 11/18/02]

the poisonwood bible
it took me forever to finally warm to kingsolver, and even longer to decide on reading her non-Arizona books. this one is quite likely her best - both endearing and almost unbearably well-crafted.
[added on 11/18/02]

thinner than thou
a sci-fi novel about a future where dieting and preservation of physical "perfection" has become a religion. the fat and freaky people win in the end.
[added on 07/26/04]