History
Issues
of San Francisco
Hall, Brian. I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company: A Novel of Lewis and Clark (2003). Depicts Lewis and Clark's expedition as told through the separate eyes of Lewis, Clark, Sacagawea (an Indian woman), and her fur trader husband--very disparate perceptions.
Jiles, Paulette. Enemy Women (2002). Covers a very courageous young woman's experience during the Civil War, very much from a woman's perspective.
Johnson, Chalmers. Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of the American Empire (2002). "Blowback" is a term used by the CIA for the unintended consequences of covert action. In his book, first published in 1999, Johnson discusses in detail the U.S.'s heavyhanded military and imperialist policies, especially in Asia, and predicts an outburst of rage and terrorism in response to them. Largely ignored until 9/11, his book has now become a bestseller. Johnson is president of the Japan Policy Institute and professor emeritus at UC San Diego.
Johnson, Chalmers. The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic (2004). In convincing and plentiful detail, describes the transformation of the U.S. into a military empire and the consequences Johnson believes will result, including war, terrorism, loss of civil liberties, and economic bankruptcy.
Nafisi, Azar. Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books (2003). A memoir of a secret women's club in Tehran in 1997, and how women lose their identity under a government based on religious tyranny.
Weisman, Alan. Gaviotas, A Village to Reinvent the World (1998). Describes an organic farming village in eastern Colombia founded in 1971 by a group of intellectuals, scientists, and technicians in cooperation with the Guahibo Indians. It is powered by the wind and sun, and every family has free housing and education. The village persists, and many of their inventions are now used all over the developing world. One of the founders, Paolo Lugari, says, "Elsewhere they're tearing down the rain forest. Here, we're putting it back. If we can do this in Colombia, there's hope that people can do it anywhere."
Revised, 4/04