No Is Not Enough

No Is Not Enough

Adult Must Read Nonfiction
"A state of shock is produced when a story is ruptured, when we
have no idea what's going on. But in so many ways explored in these
pages, Trump is not a rupture at all, but rather the culmination--the
logical end point--of a great many dangerous stories our culture has
been telling for a very long time. That greed is good. That the
market rules. That money is what matters in life. That white men are
better than the rest. That the natural world is there for us to
pillage. That the vulnerable deserve their fate and the one percent
deserve their golden towers. That anything public or commonly held is
sinister and not worth protecting. That we are surrounded by danger
and should only look after our own. That there is no alternative to
any of this."
A year after the 2016 election people are still picking at it
the way many of us used to pick scabs when we were kids. We're
drowning in if onlies. If only Bernie had won the primary... If only
Hillary had used other tactics... Naomi Klein, author No Is Not
Enough: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics And Winning The World We
Need, says it's time to move on already. For reasons cited above,
even if we could violate all the laws of physics and go back in time
to change the results, we'd only be putting the proverbial bandaid on
a rapidly growing cancer. Her book is very much worth reading for
three reasons.
For one thing No Is Not Enough gives readers the big picture.
Before I picked the book up I was trying to make sense of today's
world and feeling like I was trying to put together a 10,000 piece
jigsaw puzzle without the picture on the cover. Klein gives us the
cover picture. She even fills in the edge pieces. Why do the rich
deny climate change? Other people will suffer while they and theirs
will be in a members only haven. What could America and Russia gain
by colluding? Maybe a rise in gas prices that would empower both to
drill, baby, drill...
Secondly Klein gives us a mandate. We can't look for Superman
or Wonder Woman to bail us out. Citizenship has to mean something a
lot more active than campaigning every couple of years. No more
legislative outsourcing! We have to be the change we need to see in
the world. Rather than our arguing with all the other players, we
have to learn to communicate, listen, and compromise if we want to
have an America in which caring trumps conquest and wealth is measured
in depth of connection rather than material possessions.
Finally and most importantly, Klein tells us that even as the
world and our political parties tell us to settle for scraps we must
be bold. If we just react to crises as they pop up, our best case
scenario will be being trapped in an endless, unwinnable game of whack
a mole. We must decide what kind of world we want for ourselves, our
children, and generations yet unborn. We must settle for nothing
less. In fact, as she shows us, around the world citizens are rising
up to meet the change.
Naomi Klein gives me hope.
It also gives me hope that a lot of people are wanting to read
the book. I asked my head librarian to acquire it. When I had had it
out only a week there were twenty holds on it. That means twenty
people who wanted it strongly enough to get put on a waiting list. So
even if you can afford it, make sure your library gets a copy. A lot
of folks will benefit from it.
On a personal note, the Union at UMaine is beginning to look a lot
like Christmas! Everywhere you look there are decorated trees and
adorable blow up figures.
A great big shout goes out to the elves who accomplished all that
while we enjoyed Thanksgiving break. Also to Bangor Daily News
reporter Abigail Curtis. When she saw a food collection table that
was obviously discards from people's pantries she was inspired to
write a piece on what food pantries really need. It was well
researched and very timely!
jules hathaway


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