Books are a gateway.
Books let us listen to the stories, experiences, and perceptions of others. They allow us to broaden our awareness and expand our capacity for compassion. For many, they are the first opportunity we have to connect with people who live different lives than our own.
The books that I recommend here have been pivotal to my journey personally, and have shaped who I am becoming as a Community Mentor and business owner.
If you see a book you’d love to read, borrow a copy from your local library!
Let’s make your story a vibrant one!
Books that transformed me
Emergent Strategy: shaping change, changing worlds
Adrienne Maree Brown
An exploration of community-building, connection, leadership, and collective capacity.
Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet
Thich Nhat Ahn
Explore how meditative and mindful practices can help you build capacity to stay present in times of collective upheaval.
How to Stay Human in a F*cked-Up World
Tim Desmond
An exploration of mindfulness as a tool to stay active and engaged in global issues.
Thus Spoke The Plant: a remarkable journey of groundbreaking scientific discoveries and personal encounters with plants
Monica Gagliano
Balancing both the hard science foundation of experiments and hypotheses with the expansive world of spiritual exploration, Gagliano opens the door to a new way of perceiving our plant relatives.
Missing Witches: recovering true histories of feminist magic
Risa Dickens and Amy Torok
An exploration of daring and rebellious women who broke the mold and drove social change.
An Economy of Well-Being: common-sense tools for building genuine wealth and happiness
Mark Anielski
Research and examples of transformative economies built on happiness and collective well-being.
Books for your reconciliation journey
21 Things You May Not Know About The Indian Act: helping Canadians make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a reality
Bob Joseph
Broaden your awareness of Canadian legislation that shapes Indigenous lives, and where opportunities for Reconciliation exist.
Becoming Kin: an Indigenous call to unforgetting the past and reimagining our future
Patty Krawec
A call to better understand not only the shared histories of this land, but how we can imagine a future that benefits us all.
Calling My Spirit Back
Elaine Alec
This is a book about healing and sovereignty, both individually and within community.
Heart Berries
Terese Marie Mailhot
This is a memoir that explores the process of healing through post-traumatic stress disorder. Mailhot’s writing invites us into her lived experience and the relationships that shape her life.
books about recognizing fascism
How Fascism Work : the politics of us and them
Jason Stanley
Understanding the historical patterns of fascism and how to spot it in the modern day.
On Tyranny: twenty lessons from the twentieth century
Timothy Snyder
Strategies and practices we can all use to resist fascism.
Conspirituality: how new age conspiracy theories became a threat
Derek Beres, Matthew Remski, and Julian Walker
Understand how alt-right propaganda can infiltrate spiritual and wellness communities.
The Hunger Games (series)
Suzanne Collins
Follow Katniss Everdeen in her journey of resistance against tyranny and division in this dystopian young adult series.
Land Acknowledgement
I live and work on the traditional lands of the Blackfoot confederacy: Siksika, Kainai, Piikani, as well as the Îyâxe Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations, and the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3 within the historical Northwest Métis homeland. I also work across Turtle Island, and work in the traditional territories of all Turtle Island’s First Peoples.
As an Albertan with settler ancestry living in Treaty 7 Territory, I celebrate all Treaty peoples. We all have a responsibility to care for the Land we live on. This Land is home to countless nations, animals, plants, and medicines deserving of our care and respect. Vibrant Systems seeks to honour the traditional knowledges and relationships across Canada, and support Reconciliation through the work I do each day.