Book Reviews
by Rachel Marks • Huntington, NY

THE GREEN GARDENER
Simple, Significant Actions to Protect and Preserve Our Planet
by Joe L’ampl
Cool Springs Press, 2007
www.coolspringspress.net
www.bluesnakebooks.com
Who’d a thought? Gardeners--the most nature loving souls--make the biggest environmental footprint! Using a straightforward, conversational approach, television personality “Joe Gardener” challenges green thumbs to become environmental stewards by creating a more sustainable garden. Outlining simple yet significant actions that can be taken to protect and conserve resources, he shows how altering a few gardening habits can make a global impact. Set off “Did you Know” boxes detailing the effect of environmental practices and how they’ve changed for the better keep the guide highly readable yet specific. “The Impact of Gardening Green” sections makes things tangible revealing what each action can accomplish. In a final passionate chapter, L’ampl suggests ways to take this cause “over the fence” and into the larger community. Convincing and motivational.

THE CHI REVOLUTION
Harness the Healing Power of Your Life Force
by Bruce Frantzis
Energy Arts, Inc and Blue Snake Books
www.bluesnakebooks.com
It’s not a Third World coup, but an upheaval in consciousness that this renowned Taoist lineage master calls for. By shifting from an external orientation of life to tuning into ones inner world and life force, one can bring about a radical transformation in health. Frantzis explains beautifully and insightfully how these shifts manifest in mind/body/spirit and the miraculous role of chi in self-healing. Pioneered is the concept of “energetic fitness”—the ability to store, build and move chi in the body and mind—as the new paradigm for health and fitness. Taking things a level deeper, he explores chi as the power behind prayer, meditation and Chinese spiritual practices. A unique “chi rev” workout teaches how to activate and strengthen chi while relaxing the nervous system. A must read.

NOT A DROP TO DRINK
America’s Water Crisis (And What You Can Do)
by Ken Midkiff
New World Library, 2007
www.newworldlibrary.com
Warning: Reader discretion advised. The following book may cause intense rage and grief in the environmentally responsible. From “water wars” among greedy special interests and privatization, to overpopulation and global warming, environmental expert Ken Midkiff provides a shocking, eye-opening account of America’s water crisis and the measures needed to ensure an adequate water supply for future generations. With the detailed accuracy of a historian and the passion and vision of an activist, he traces the roots of the depletion of a once overabundant resource into a scarce commodity. Predicting devastating impacts upon agriculture, commerce and entire ways of life, the author paints a frighteningly grim picture but offers hope with an outline for implementing a sounder, more democratic national water policy and calls for collective action as the only means of accomplishing it. Includes rousing commentary on public entitlement to natural resources by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A SPOT OF GRACE: Remarkable Stories of How You Do Make a Difference
by Dawna Markova
New World Library, April 2008
www.newworldlibrary.com
Bestselling Random Acts of Kindness author chooses to let readers words speak for themselves in this follow-up collection of touching stories about why each one of us matters. In an email to the world, she asked for stories of a moment or a person in peoples’ lives, which showed them they had made a difference. Revealed was a common thread; a “seed of light” sparking the intrinsic value of their lives, followed by the recognition of belonging and the need to contribute to the world. Each unique, refreshingly short yet poignant story leaves you uplifted, inspired and hopeful. Highly poetic and beautiful, both in form and substance. A moving celebration of human connection and the hope it offers the world.

Rachel Marks has worked as an editor of community newspapers, trade magazines and in public television, and is active in social justice and environmental campaigns.