Here are some of the newest books to pass our way over the past few weeks. Enjoy!
Omniocracy
By Charlotte Laws
Omniocracy (AHM-nee-ocracy) argues for a science-based animal rights philosophy and a government of, by, and for all living beings.
Democracy—often lauded by the animal and environmental movements—is a totalitarian regime in which the powerful (Homo sapiens) use, abuse, manipulate, and murder the powerless (animals) for the former’s own perceived gain. This system of government must be eradicated if nonhumans are to be viewed as true constituents, stakeholders, and citizens. Omniocracy—a government with representation for all living beings—is the best option.
Ecotexts in the Postcolonial Francosphere
By Nsah Mala and Nicki Hitchcott
Through a postcolonial lens, this book explores the various ways in which francophone writers, visual artists and activists are responding to the global climate and environmental crises threatening the Earth today.
The volume covers most of the francosphere: Africa, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, South America and Polynesia. As well as discussing a range of environmental issues, from soil erosion to nuclear testing, it also considers ways in which francophone writers have become ecological activists. The ecotexts discussed include graphic novels, visual narratives, and zines alongside more conventional literary texts such as novels, short stories and poetry.
Looking Down at the Stars: Life Beneath the Waves
By Christina Riley
In 2022, Christina Riley became an ‘underwater artist in residence’ at the Argyll Coast Hope Spot – a place of incredible natural beauty in Scotland also crucial for the health of the world’s oceans. She spent days submerged alongside marine life, before resurfacing to reflect, recreate and recount what she had seen – and the feelings of love, hope and responsibility her experience had evoked in her.
The resulting essays, collected in this stunning volume, swim through the kaleidoscope of marine life she found there, from starfish to seagrass to the water itself. What shines through all of them is a sense of wonder that is also a call to action. Looking Down at the Stars asks: how can we harness our feelings of awe at the natural world in order to take better care of it?
Christina Riley’s lyrical prose is the perfect guide to this unfamiliar underwater world, brimming with surprises, sunlight and sea stars
If the Owl Calls
By Sharon White
Set in 1979 Norway during a time of environmental resistance and cultural awakening, If the Owl Calls is a gripping literary mystery. As the Sami community fights to protect ancestral lands from the controversial Alta Dam, Oslo detective Hans Sorensen is sent to the far north to investigate a series of sabotage attacks. But when a body is discovered in a remote ravine, what seemed like a political act of defiance spirals into something far more complex—a case that will force Hans to confront his own past, his buried heritage, and the meaning of justice.
Hans, who is Sami, has spent his life on the fringes of his culture. Still mourning the recent death of his wife, he is reluctant to return to the land of his childhood. But as he follows the trail of two suspected saboteurs he is pulled into a web of secrets, betrayals, and shifting alliances. Richly detailed and deeply evocative, If the Owl Calls is a powerful narrative of identity, loss, and the fight for place.
Ordinary Soil
By Alex Woodard
“Ordinary Soil brings to haunting life the desperate realities of the American heartland but also offers a glimpse into a better future… a call to action for all of us.” —WOODY HARRELSON
Haunted by a shadow from the past, a young farmer attempts suicide beneath a rotting burial elm, unearthing a dark ancestral history. But deep beneath the diseased generational roots lies a powerful secret—one that could save both the man and the land.
The Secret of the Catapus
By Robin Elsbeth Jenkins
Twelve-year-old Ellie moves to her grandmother’s Maine homestead, uncovering extraordinary secrets about her family, community, and nature. In this small coastal town, she finds her voice as a young climate activist, aided by a group of new friends, a mysterious seal, and her grandmother’s spirit. Set on the wild Maine coast, “The Secret of the Catapus” is a coming-of-age tale blending environmental urgency with heartfelt storytelling, humor, and magical realism.
John is co-author, with Midge Raymond, of the mystery Devils Island. He is also author of the novels The Tourist Trail and Where Oceans Hide Their Dead. Co-founder of Ashland Creek Press and editor of Writing for Animals (also now a writing program). More at JohnYunker.com.