May 2026—Angela Davis, Julia Butterfly Hill, Ed Winters and More

Time flies. May is done, well, almost. 

Let's see what I read.

1. Women, Race, & Class by Angela Y. Davis

You can guess from the name what the book's about. 

"..the force of a new intelligence against the old ignorance. The struggle of an enlightened conscience against the whole brood of social miseries, born out of the stress and pain of a hated past."

Talking about a miserable/hated past, one thing pops up: slavery is so bad that a mother chose to kill her own daughter so that she would never know what a woman suffered as a slave. I had heard of Margaret Garner before (I have read Beloved twice). I hate slavery. 

Angela Davis is worth reading.

2. Legacy of Luna by Julia Butterfly Hill

"I had no clue what I could do, but I knew I was meant to do something." And she did. 

She lived in a tree named "Luna", a thousand-year-old redwood, to save her from clear-cutting. 

I'm a fan.

3. The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert

I haven't finished this. But it's an important book. 

There have been five mass extinctions over the last half-billion years. And guess what? The sixth extinction is unfolding now, driven by us. Humans.

"With the capacity to represent the world in signs and symbols comes the capacity to change it, which, as it happens, is also the capacity to destroy it. A tiny set of genetic variations divides us from the Neanderthals, but that has made all the difference."

It is saddening to think about what humans are doing to nature, the animals, and our planet.

4. Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor by Rob Nixon

The author examines a few writer-activists affiliated with environmentalism of the poor in the global South. One of the writer-activists is Indra Sinha. His book Animal's People is discussed. Sounds compelling and I intend to read it. 

5. The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

I wanted to pick a book by an Asian author. Read some blogs and came across this. I had heard of the author vaguely. Thought to give it a read. 

About immigrant experience. Some of the major characters are too eager to distance themselves from their background and culture and assimilate so hard, it was disappointing. I didn't vibe with this.

6. This is Vegan Propaganda by Ed Winters

I recently turn vegan. So this is my guy! I'm halfway through. Going great. Let me go and continue reading.