on my night table and in my backpack

Some people are amazed at the amount I read, yet most of the time I feel so under-read, especially on the classics. I guess I hang out with a few people who read more than me which is never a bad thing. Anyway, here is what I am reading right now:

Wisdom Sits in Places by Keith H. Basso. This is the turtle in my literary race with many books starting after and finishing before, but I am still enjoying it. Like the nature of language, the author is very precise in his wording which challenges the reader to really pay attention to absorb it all - at least that is what I am finding. Basso provides many insights into the power of language and place and culture.

Excuse Me, Your Life Is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn. My mom asked me to read this one. I'm not quite half way through, and although I'm not really a fan of most self-help books, and the author is a little annoying, she presents an interesting theory. Basically she proposes that we (human beings) are like walking magnets and that the true key is not "positive thinking" but "positive feeling." I'll tell you more when I'm done.

Our Word is Our Weapon by Subcomandante Insurgente Marcos. I only wish I started reading this earlier - I bought it a couple years ago. I am finding this book very inspirational, particularly as it relates to the power of dignity, resistance as a positive action and the importance of not selling-out. I have posted two excerpts on my other blog: Kumtux.

Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World by Eduardo Galeano. In case I have not made it evident before, I am a big fan of Galeano. I have previously read Open Veins of Latin America, The Book of Embraces, We Say No and the Memory of Fire trilogy. Galeano manages to deliver books that are well-researched and documented yet accessible and artistic; not an easy accomplishment.

The School of the Americas by Lesley Gill. This one was a gift from my travelling companera, Lana who found it in San Francisco this summer. I am still reading the prologue so I have no idea how it will turn out, but it looks good so far. For those of you unfamiliar, the School of the Americas is located at Fort Benning, Georgia and is where the US government trains Latin-American military officers in counter-insurgency/revolutionary tactics. :p