APRIL 2010 READING SCHEDULE
DIGGING DEEPER meets every Monday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Mandolin Café, 3923 S. 12th St., Tacoma, WA.[1] ...
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April 5, 2010: DIGGING DEEPER CXIX: Chomsky on Israel/Palestine
Noam Chomsky, Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel, and the Palestinians, 2nd updated edition (South End Press, 1999). — "From its establishment to the present day, Israel has enjoyed a special position in the American roster of international friends. In The Fateful Triangle Noam Chomsky explores the character and historical development of this special relationship as well as its impact on the fate of the Palestinian people.” —Book description.
April 12, 2010: DIGGING DEEPER CXX: The dark vision of Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs, Dark Age Ahead (Vintage, 2005; originally published 2004). — “Jacobs's . . . latest salvo, Dark Age Ahead, is, despite the pessimism of many of its conclusions, . . . less a jeremiad than a firm but helpful reminder of just how much is at stake. Jacobs sees ‘ominous signs of decay’ in five ‘pillars’ of our culture: family, community, higher education, science, and ‘self policing by the learned professions.’” —Publishers Weekly.
April 19-26, 2010: DIGGING DEEPER CXXI: Women and war
Daniela Gioseffi, Women on War: An International Anthology of Writings from Antiquity to the Present, 2nd ed. (The Feminist Press at CUNY, 2003).—"From Margaret Atwood to Daisy Zamora, Simone de Beauvoir to Virginia Woolf, many of the world’s greatest women writers have reflected upon one of humanity’s most tragic and powerful experiences: war. Yet most of these writings are little known, just as women’s perceptions of war remain largely absent from the history books.” —Book description.
Malalai Joya, A Woman Among Warlords: The Extraordinary Story of an Afghan Who Dared to Raise Her Voice (Scribner, 2009).—"Americans will likely be shocked by her dim view of the 'war on terror' and subsequent invasion of her country, but Joya pulls no punches as she spreads the blame among U.S. and Afghan leaders for the country’s woes and even refuses to spare President Obama. This is a very opinionated and clearly one-sided view of the Afghan War, yet it is a side rarely heard and thus adds a valuable voice to the annals of a conflict that shows no sign of ending.” —Colleen Mondor, Booklist.
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Since July 2004, United for Peace of Pierce County’s “Digging Deeper,” a Monday-evening book discussion group, has examined more than 290 books. (Summaries of many of them have been posted online on the website Scribd.) Topics discussed have included the Iraq war, Peak Oil, climate change, torture, the corporation, Islam, Iran, U.S.-Iran relations, Barack Obama and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., the writings of Robert Baer, parallels between the U.S. and ancient Rome, Israel/Palestine, sustainability, war and human nature, the nature of money, September 11, energy geopolitics, the debt crisis, American immigration policy, the 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections, financial crisis, the politics of assassination, and Saul Alinsky’s life and writings, as well as abiding themes of war, peace, and social change. Occasionally the group has spent several weeks reading longer works, like Daniel Yergin’s The Prize or Robert Fisk’s The Great War for Civilisation — Participation is free and open; anyone interested is welcome. Try King’s Books (218 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma) or other local bookstores for copies of books. More information: contact Mark Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or see www.ufppc.org.