books books books

We have had a number of folks that we are chatting with that have asked for a list of books that we would recommend to gain greater understanding on the clothing and textile issue. So here is a list that covers a bit of a broad range, but together give a very well rounded and well informed perspective.

Clothing Specific:

1. Fugitive Denim- Rachel Louise Snyder. Denim industry specific but fairly in-depth in a cursory way for people not having industry knowledge. It digs into some personal interest qualities too, so it's very readable.
2. Salaula- Karen Tranberg Hansen. Salaula is the Zambian word for secondhand clothing. It's written like a textbook by a cultural anthropologist, but very very informative. It was written 10 years ago though, so it's not exactly cutting edge. That said she lays 200 years of Zambian history into the mix. For 300 pages it feels like 1000, but it's worth the energy.

General Perspective "shifters":

1. Cradle to Cradle- William McDonough.
2. Ecological Intelligence- Daniel Goleman. Both of these are just good "big picture" books to get a little overwhelmed in a good way. They do turn the corner into response and solution, but they are very eye opening in general. I think they give a good platform for specific concerns and passions to emerge for the reader.

Solution oriented books aimed at micro-finance and personal response:

1. The Life You Can Save- Peter Singer. Sort of a call of personal responsibility to do what you can as an individual
2. GIve a Little- Wendy Smith. A brand new book that also approaches ending world poverty one person at a time
3. Banker to the Poor- Muhammad Yunnus. Exploring sort of the nexus of micro-finance with the very interesting story of the author and the growth of his awareness and convictions back in the 70s.

Happy reading, and if you want to chat about stuff let us know!