Distro Top Ten — August
| Survival Without Rent
Rough times have always been upon us. Tools such as Survival Without Rent are useful for displaced communities and individuals left homeless by the government or property-hungry businesses. This handy DIY squatting pamphlet contains chapters on forming a group, finding a building, getting in, heat, light, makeshift toilets, and more, concluding with a list of organizations throughout the U.S who have allied themselves with various housing struggles. |
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Cesar Chavez : A Photographic Essay Ilan Stavans Independent publisher Cinco Puntos Press has released a great education piece on the life and accomplishments of Chicano activist Cesar Chavez. Crisp, clear, B&W photographs are accompanied with short biographical pieces chronicling Chavez’s’ life and radicalization from birth, youth, adulthood, to death. A wonderful tribute. |
| Viva Vegan! 200 Authentic and Fabulous Recipes for Latin Food Lovers Terry Hope Romero As a non-vegan omnivore who enjoys a daily dose of animal fat injected straight into my veins, I must say we have a pretty tasty collection of vegan books. I took a copy of this one home myself. These authentic blends are satisfying to any lover of Latin food. I am going to recount some of the recipes: Creamy Corn-filled Empanadas, Cuban “Ropa Vieja” Style Latin Shredded Seitan, Portobello Feijoada, Brazilian Braised Shredded Kale, Red Chile-Seitan Tamales, Savory Fresh Corn Pancakes, Pupusas Stuffed with Black Beans and Plantains, Crepes with Un-Dulce de Leche with Sweet Plantains, Cafe Con Leche Flan. Ok, I’m leaving work and coming home to my kitchen now. |
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Speed-Speed-Speedfreak Mick Farren If you’re an information junkie or just a junkie who loves information check this title just in from Feral House. You will learn of all the politicians, musicians, Nazi leaders, eccentric authors and other social icons whom, without a speed addiction, may have otherwise been unknown. This book will also familiarize you with the cultural history and chemical make-up of amphetamines from its inception to present day. Speed-Speed-Speedfreak is in the shape of a pill to pay homage to the Dextroamphetamine capsule. If easily triggered, please approach with caution. |
| When There is No Doctor: Preventive and Emergency Home Healthcare in Challenging Times Gerard S. Doyle This is a guide to emergency home health care. We have all complained about the uselessness of health care systems; the bureaucratic paperwork, sterile staff, endless wait, and costly bills. Turns out educating oneself about the diagnosis and treatment of some basic and common health problems can help you avoid a trip to Kaiser all together! Learn how to control infections, prepare a first aid kit, making herbs into medicine and even cough etiquette (you know who you are!) |
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Cuba : A History Oscar Loyola Vega and Sergio Guerra Vilaboy I am stoked to read these next two titles. This first one steps beyond the stereotypical images of Cuba delivered by popular media and distorted tales offered up by Fox News to offer the reader a concise, accessible history of Cuba. Starting with the pre-Hispanic period, traveling through the collapse of the Soviet Union, and ending with Fidel Castro’s decision to step down in 2008, this is a great overview for anyone interested without too much knowledge of Cuba’s history. It’s less than 100 pages. You can read it on your daily BART commute. |
| The Men With The Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuals in the Nazi Deah Camps Heinz Heger The Men With The Pink Triangle is an account of the nightmarish experiences of gay men during the reign of Hitler and his Third Reich. History ignored the Nazi persecution of gay people. Only with the rise of the gay movement in the 1970s did historians finally recognize that gay people, like Jews and others deemed “undesirable,” suffered enormously at the hands of the Nazi regime. Of the few who survived the concentration camps, only one ever came forward to tell his story. |
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The Bomb Howard Zinn During the war, Zinn had taken part in the aerial bombing of Royan, France, and in 1966, he went to Hiroshima, where he was invited to a “house of rest” where survivors of the bombing gathered. In this short and powerful book, the back story of the making and use of the bomb, Zinn offers his deep personal reflections and political analysis of these events, and the profound influence they had in transforming him from an order-taking combat soldier to one of our greatest anti-authoritarian, anti-war historians. |
| Henry & Glen Forever Igloo Tornado This is some funny shit. It’s so funny it’s graduated from a pamphlet to a laminated pamphlet. |
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Scam : The First Four Issues Erick Lyle Hmm. Trainhopping, house shows, and cross country tours that sought out swimming holes, angst, stealing electricity from lampposts, squatting in Miami, selling plasma, tagging freight trains, wheatpasting, spraying salt water into vending machines, returning stolen merchandise, and dumpstering as seen through the lens of a young punk. |