Only One Book

One of my students asked me to recommend a book for her to read. She did not put any caveats on the request. Fiction, non-fiction, philosophical, inspirational, spiritual, whatever - the choice was wide open for me to make. It seemed like a pretty simple request at the time and I told her I would come up with a recommendation in a day or two. I wanted to put some thought into my choice. Fast forward two days. I found myself completely locked in this task, unable to settle on a recommendation. What started out as a simple request turned into a mammoth responsibility for me. Only one book? But there are so many great books out there. What the heck was she asking of me? Was she looking for something to entertain her or was she looking for something that was going to feed her soul? I need more information. Who can make such a choice without more information? After struggling with this decision for almost a week, I was finally able to ground myself and remember the spirit of her request. She had no agenda, she had no specific need. She only wanted MY request.

So I retooled my perspective and centered myself. If I could only recommend a single book for a person to read, and that book was going to be representative as the one book of all the books I have read, the book would have to be a book that meant something to me beyond just entertaining me. The book would have to have reached me at a visceral level and it would have changed me or my perspective forever.

My new perspective narrowed my focus considerably. Everything that Thich Nhat Hanh has ever written instantly fell into that category. Scratch that. Everyone knows what I think of the man, of course she has already considered his work. I've recommended his work thousands of times in the past, why would I diminish this opportunity by just going to my go to guy yet again? I needed to go further. At this point I was really getting into this task. I was learning a lot about myself, my values, and my influences.

I finally arrived at a single book. A book that opened my eyes to the plight of the world and forced me to actively participate in society's reformation or completely accept the injustice that is now so obvious. It is s book I wrote a blog about in 2008. If you think capitalism is related to democracy, this book will change your perspective forever. The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the world. The senseless begins to make sense when you understand the motive behind some of the biggest social/moral decisions ever made. Money.

The world needs more activists. Reading a book like The Shock Doctrine will force your hand. Become part of the solution or participate in perpetuating the problem.

“Extreme violence has a way of preventing us from seeing the interests it serves.” - Naomi Klein (b. 1970)