5 Shiny Books with Grant aka Gadzooks Bazooka

"this book can change the way you see the world."

Welcome to Lines of Flight, a space for folks to share books that have inspired them, changed them, radicalized them, etc. In some cases the books shared here are not people's most favourite books of all times, but rather 5 SHINY ones to talk about right now! And, there is always a caveat of: this list is in motion and is not exhaustive.

Below is a curation by our wonderful friend and artist, Grant aka Gadzooks Bazooka!

"I am a self taught artist, illustrator, lifelong lover of books and bibliophile. I wanted to take this opportunity to shine a light on some relatively newer books that have enriched my life, entertained me, or tackled something in a way that I hadn’t seen done yet but had been waiting for someone to do. Happy reading!" – Grant

The Tame and the Wild

People and Animals after 1492 – by Marcy Norton 

This is the kind of mind expanding read that feels like a gift. Marcy Norton has poured a tremendous amount of scholarship into this book and when you read it you will come away having learned so much that the world will look different. What were the relationships between humans and animals like before colonization? What kind of changes in these relationships did colonization bring? What sort of systems and philosophies led to any of this happening to begin with? and why? A tremendously fascinating deep dive that illuminates not only what was but what could be. Recommended for anyone with curiosity.

Little Red Barns

Hiding the Truth From Farm to Fable – by Will Potter

What starts out as an investigation into factory farming becomes a deep and penetrating look into the intersection of big agriculture, climate change, and the rise of fascism. Will Potter brings an invaluable and much needed perspective to this that you wont find in other writing on the subject, resulting in a book with far reaching implications that should be widely read. This is a great and important book.

Morsel

Bite the Hand that Feeds You – by Carter Keane 

Wonderful. An anti-authoritarian left horror romp that I devoured. This juggles good politics and spookiness while managing to be fun at the same time, quite a feat. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this and I am excited to see what this author does next.

Concerning the Future of Souls

by Joy Williams

By working through mythological figures, non-human people and an angelic protagonist, Joy Williams grapples with a very real subject that can often feel too big to fathom. This is a book that deals with an ongoing and profound loss and the accompanying grief by an author who is sensitive enough to really get it, and know how to communicate it. Haunting and heartfelt climate fiction. 

Finding the Mother Tree

by Suzanne Simard

Part memoir part scientific investigation, this book can change the way you see the world. Working within the Department of Forest and Conservation Simard has to Fight an uphill battle against interests that bring to mind Upton Sinclair’s quote about it being difficult to get someone to understand something when their salary depends upon their not understanding. Take a trip through the vast fungal networks that trees use to communicate with the world around them and discover an interconnected living ecosystem beyond your imagination. A book everyone should read.