By Jake Sexton
While television and the Internet are great for helping us see the latest developments in our world as they happen, they rarely do a good job of letting us see the bigger picture. Books, however, are the tried-and-true method of helping people get a grasp on what’s going on, see the context for the latest headlines and realize that history stretches back much further than the last commercial break.
At this moment, one of the most talked about issues on the foreign stage is a group calling itself the Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh). This terrorist army hit the front pages seemingly out of nowhere, only to prove their brand of violence and horror to be highly effective. Somehow, their seventh-century ideology merges with 21st-century media savvy to expand their influence and seduce the angry and disenfranchised. Jessica Stern and J.M. Berger have recently released a book on this subject called “ISIS: The State of Terror.” Their research lays out the history, tactics and potential future of this group.
March saw the 50th anniversary of the civil rights movement’s March on Selma and “Bloody Sunday.” Much news attention was given to U.S. Rep. John Lewis, who joined the original protest in 1965 and returned for the anniversary events. But Lewis also authored a three-volume graphic novel on the subject with the help of artists Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell. Titled simply “March,” the series is an attempt to bring history to life, educate a modern audience about the realities of triumphs and tragedies of the civil rights movement and encourage a new generation to fight for what’s right.
On the environmental front, bestselling author Naomi Klein has a new book about climate change titled “This Changes Everything.” Her previous journalistic topics have included globalization, torture and economic collapses. While her books are insightful and informative, they can be kind of depressing as she talks about harmful and frightening trends. Her latest not only highlights the crises predicted to come with global warming, but argues that actually solving the problem will entail the huge tasks of reforming political and economic systems around the world.
And in the wake of the recent report about racism in the Ferguson, Missouri, justice system, the latest by investigative reporter Matt Taibbi is very timely. “The Divide: American Injustice in the Age of the Wealth Gap” looks at two separate and unequal sets of punishments and crimes for the rich and for the poor. He demonstrates how the wealthy investment banker class can commit mass fraud and theft to the tune of billions and face no consequences, while poor folks face more than they can bear for minor or non-existent offenses. Taibbi also exposes the same sort of nickel-and-dime procedures discussed in the Ferguson report, where courts seem to make a profit by arresting poor folks for minor offenses and then sticking them with one fee after another to avoid jail.
But it’s not all grim news. There are plenty of picture books about kittens and puppies out there to lift your spirits back up.
The library will be holding its second annual poetry contest in April to honor National Poetry Month. This year’s theme will be music. Contact the La Mesa Library for details.
—Jake Sexton is librarian at the La Mesa branch of the San Diego County Library. Call the library at 619-469-2151, visit in person at 8074 Allison Ave. or get information online at sdcl.org.
