Every day, new books arrive in the offices of Utne Reader.
It would be impossible to review all of them, but a shame to leave many
hidden on the shelves. In “Bookmarked,” we link to excerpts from some of
our favorites, hoping they’ll inspire a trip to your local library or
bookstore. Enjoy!
Pete Seeger, a lifelong American musical and political icon, has
eloquently written in books and for magazines, activist movements and
union letters. Pete Seeger: In His Own Words (Paradigm
Publishers, 2012) assembles an array of sources such as letters, notes
to himself, published articles, stories and poetry that paints the most
intimate picture of Seeger as a musician, activist and family man.
Through his own words, learn about the lives of his ancestors, and
discover why, at age 13, he wanted a banjo in this excerpt taken from
Chapter 1, “Growing Up (1919 – 1934).”
Marcus Porcius Cato the Younger was an aristocratic soldier who
walked barefoot with his troops, a Stoic philosopher and staunch
defender of sacred Roman tradition, a politician famous for his moral
integrity and the final man to stand against Julius Caesar. Rome’s Last Citizen (Thomas
Dunne Books, 2012) by Rob Goodman and Jimmy Soni tells the story of an
uncompromising individual who was the last man standing when Rome’s
Republic finally fell. Find out how Cato inspired a whole nation during
the American Revolution in this excerpt taken from the Preface, “The Dream.”
Christine Bryden was forty-six years old when she was diagnosed with dementia. Who Will I Be When I Die? (Jessica
Kingsley Publishers, 2012) is a written account of her emotional,
physical and spiritual journey in the three years immediately following.
While offering first-hand insights into how it feels to gradually lose
the ability to undertake tasks most people take for granted, this
account of living with dementia is told with positivity, strength and
the deep sense that life continues to have purpose and meaning. Read Chapter 1, “I’m too young!”
