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Let's read books that meet the moment!
Books that transform our worldview and help us see more clearly what's really going on in today's world. Books that give us insight and share what we can do about it all.
These are highly acclaimed best-selling non-fiction books that are well-written and therefore easy to read, and make us smarter about something happening in the world that affects all our lives in some way.
Books on the original list include:
All the Shah's Men, by Stephen Kinzer (Iran & roots of Middle East crisis)
1929, by Andrew Ross Sorkin (financial crisis, maps 1929 to current moment)
Goliath's Curse, by Luke Kemp* (societal collapse)
The Nutmeg's Curse, by Amitav Ghosh* (roots of environmental crisis in colonialism)
Empire of AI, by Karen Hao (debunks current AI hype)
The Devil's Chessboard, by David Talbot (CIA & US domination)
The Brothers, by Stephen Kinzer (how the Dulles Brothers made the world as it is today)
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine, by Rashid Khalidi (history of Israel-Palestine conflict)
*Luke Kemp and Amitav Ghosh spoke at the Sydney Writers' Festival in May!
https://www.swf.org.au/program/festival-2026/big-histories
Additional books added to the list include:
The Myth of Normal, by Gabor Maté (how exactly illness derives from modern life)
The Invisible Doctrine, by George Monbiot, Peter Hutchison ("the secret history of neoliberalism")
Killing Hope, William Blum (history of CIA covert operations)
The Alphabet Vs The Goddess, by Leonard Shlain (how alphabetic literacy spawned patriarchy & more)
The Ministry for the Future, Kim Stanley Robinson (acclaimed "hard sci fi" imagining our climate future)
Hospicing Modernity, Vanessa Machado de Oliveira (how to truly decolonize our minds so we can birth a new world)
Less Is More, by Jason Hickel ("how degrowth can save the world")
This will be a monthly book club. Come join us for good intellectual discussion on top issues of the day. It's great motivation to read excellent books.
Let's meet this moment together!
Upcoming events
1
August Book Club on Degrowth: Less Is More
The ERKO Erskinville Hotel, 102 Erskineville Rd, Erskineville NSW 2043, Sydney, AUWelcome to Meet the Moment Book Club, where we read books that meet the moment and make sense of it all together. Please see our group page for a list of upcoming books.
After discussing the true origins of illness and health, and seeing how much the current system affects our health, as well as the power we now have, armed with this new knowledge from The Myth of Normal, to get healthy -- we now take a look at the system itself.
How did things become the way they are? Why is the world we live in so antithetical to life and health? And armed with this knowledge, what can we do about it?
Less Is More was a game changer for me. After experiencing some health crises, I slowed down my life, and was transformed; because in this very fast-paced world, even slowing down is somehow revolutionary and transformative. So when I read Less Is More, it clicked immediately -- ah, this very fast-paced system itself needs to slow down, too. That alone would transform our world, our lives.
Degrowth may be an off-putting word for some. Don't let it faze you. You'll understand it once you see it in context.
Less Is More is also just beautifully written and an excellent read. You'll see.
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A Financial Times Book of the Year
"'A powerfully disruptive book for disrupted times ... If you're looking for transformative ideas, this book is for you.' KATE RAWORTH, economist and author of Doughnut Economics
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Our planet is in trouble. But how can we reverse the current crisis and create a sustainable future? The answer is: DEGROWTH.Less is More is the wake-up call we need. By shining a light on ecological breakdown and the system that's causing it, Hickel shows how we can bring our economy back into balance with the living world and build a thriving society for all. This is our chance to change course, but we must act now."
https://www.amazon.com.au/Less-More-Degrowth-Will-World/dp/1786091216/
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We will be meeting at The Erko Hotel, in the outside area in the back.
We will start and end on time.
There's no fee, but please purchase your own food/drinks from the venue.
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If you have trouble getting the book, message me.On reading a book: I encourage people to read books over just interviews or summaries, because nothing beats the slow digesting of the beauty and nuances in a book. Especially for the books in this book club that challenge our worldviews and help us see the world as it truly is, these books need to be really grappled with, to be fully engaged with, to receive the full benefits.
For reference, I use book clubs to motivate me to finish the books I want to read, so the date of the book club becomes a deadline to finish the book by. I calculate the number of pages in a book and the number of days I can realistically read, and work out how many pages on average I need to read each day. That's how I've finished many books. Invariably, they're worth reading to the end.
Of course, life happens and we're all busy. If you really can't finish a book or can only watch videos this time, that's okay. Come by with an attitude of listening, open to being inspired, and take in what others have to say; perhaps you'll want to read/finish the book afterwards.
Just know that books are like most things in life: what you put in is what you get out of it. A podcast or ChatGPT can give you the high-level points, sure, perhaps to BS your way to a decent grade in class; but we're not in school anymore, and we read these books because they better our lives and help us see more clearly. But they can only do so if we read them, because reading is what makes all the new concepts come to life enough to maybe change yours. For the full magic, you just gotta read.
Alright, thanks for reading my ode to reading.
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If the RSVP list is full, please join the waiting list as there will likely be fluctuations closer to the date.
If you RSVP'ed and can't make it, please edit your RSVP so that others can attend. No-shows will be noted and barred from the book club.
Look forward to seeing you there!
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