These are some books that have greatly influenced my perspectives and how I go about my work. If you take a class with me, you can count on seeing many of them.
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
This book is imperative to our work as educators. The importance of empowerment and the need for praxis is a major foundation of my work.
The Next American Revolution by Grace Lee Boggs and Scott Kurashige
"Love isn't just something you feel. It's something you every day when you go out and pick up the papers and bottles scattered the night before on the corner, when you stop and talk to a neighbor, when you argue passionately for what you believe with whoever will listen, when you call a friend to see how they're doing, when you write a letter to the newspaper, when you give a speech and give 'em hell, when you never stop believing that we can all be more than we are. In other words, Love isn't about what we did yesterday; it's about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after."
Going Public: An Organizer's Guide to Citizen Action by Michael Gecan
This is full of fascinating stories of how ordinary citizens have made change in their communities.
The Civically Engaged Reader edited by Adam Davis and Elizabeth Lynn
This collection is full of stories, poems, and images designed to prompt conversation about a variety of civic themes. It's rare that a class period of mine goes by without something from this book.
Troubling Education by Kevin Kumashiro
For me, the most valuable lesson from this book is exploration of how subjectivity and bias exists in every narrative. When you tell a story, what do you emphasize? What's left out? What can we learn from what's told or untold?
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