Common Ground: How the Crisis of the Earth Is Saving Us from Our Illusion of Separation

Flanagan, a Quaker and environmental activist, weighs in on the underlying causes of the climate crisis and offers nonviolent strategies to combat it in her strong debut guide. She argues that only by addressing social and economic divides can activists effectively unite against the fossil-fuel industry and disarm the “pillars of power” that support it, including proindustry politicians, judges, and banks. Flanagan reports on some successful direct actions, including those undertaken by Margie Richard, a woman from the oil refining corridor in Louisiana dubbed “Cancer Alley.” Richard began organizing picket lines and community meetings in the 1980s and eventually persuaded Shell to meet the community’s demand that they buy out homeowners in her town close to the refinery in 2002. Flanagan admits that small-group sing-outs or camp-ins are not enough to disarm industry Goliaths and that victories are often modest in comparison to corporations’ power. To that end, she calls for an activism built on love and touts the importance of “many, many groups pushing on the pillars that support the status quo, while inviting those with more power into our vision of a just and sustainable alternative.” Well researched and impassioned, this successfully mixes big ideas with frank advice. (Aug.)