10 NEW BOOKS THAT CELEBRATE THE BEAUTY OF FREEDOM NOW

This week is all about Beautiful Freedom. We begin with 10 wonderful new books that explore different aspects of living and being free.

1. UNBRANDED

Thrill your adventurous soul with Unbranded, a new book by architect Ben Masters, with spectacular photography that documents a journey taken by four riders through the backcountry of the American West.

Accompanied by four wild mustangs, Masters and his friends travel from Mexico to Canada through unpredictable and harsh conditions including downpours, rattlesnakes, sickness, raging rivers, injury, relentless heat and even death. Explore the wild terrain with Masters and his mustangs as they ride, wild and free, on a journey of self-discovery over wild deserts and mountains.

(Texas A&M University Press 2015)

2. SPEAK A WORD FOR FREEDOM: WOMEN AGAINST SLAVERY

Speak a Word for Freedom: Women against Slavery, by Janet Willen and Marjorie Gann, tells the story of 14 early women’s rights activists and their fight for freedom.

Sojourner Truth, an ex-slave, Alice Seeley Harris, a woman who photographed Congolese slaves at a rubber plantation, and Hadijatou Mani, a Nigerian woman who sued her own government for failing to protect her from the atrocities of slavery, are just a few.

From early female activists who spoke out during the antislavery movement, to today’s women who battle to end human trafficking and child slavery, this book is sure to inspire you to add your voice to the cause.  

Tundra Books (September 8, 2015)

3. FOOD & FREEDOM: HOW THE SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT IS CREATING CHANGE AROUND THE WORLD THROUGH GASTRONOMY

Food & Freedom: How the Slow Food Movement Is Creating Change Around the World Through Gastronomy, by Carlo Petrini, chronicles the history of the Slow Food movement, founded by Petrini.

“If people can feed themselves, they can be free,” Petrini explains. He believes that people need to be in control over access to their food, the way that it is produced, and its distribution, for their own physical, spiritual, and economic well being.  

Using success stories, from the Amazon jungle to Morocco to North Carolina, this book teaches and inspires.

Rizzoli Ex Libris  (September 1, 2015)

4. TRICKSTER THEATRE: THE POETICS OF FREEDOM IN URBAN AFRICA

Trickster Theatre: The Poetics of Freedom in Urban Africa, by Jesse Weaver Shipley, explores the history of Ghanaian theater and its influences on the culture of Ghana. The national theatre in Ghana began as a state project when the country established its independence.

Connecting Ghanaian styles with modern theatre, Shipley reveals how Ghanaian performers, directors, workers and playwrights used storytelling and acting as ways to express cultural identity and freedom alongside an evolving urban world.

Indiana University Press (2015)

5. THE WILD EDGE: FREEDOM TO ROAM THE PACIFIC COAST

Wild Edge: Freedom to Roam the Pacific Coast, by photographer Florian Schulz, is a gorgeous compilation of photos taken from the Baja Peninsula to the Pacific Northwest, to British Columbia, to Alaska.

This book discusses the haunting threat to wild and free animals due to environmental and hunting. Through breathtaking imagery, science and storytelling, Schulz has us hooked on the first page.

Mountaineers Books (October 1, 2015)

6. FREEDOM

freedom, by Björn Nonhoff, includes wonderful selections of poetry, calligraphy, paintings, and prayers, created by the author, that feature the love, hope, and joys of freedom.

(Blurb 2015)

7. ON HIGHWAY 61: MUSIC, RACE, AND THE EVOLUTION OF CULTURAL FREEDOM

On Highway 61: Music, Race, and the Evolution of Cultural Freedom, by Dennis McNally, explores the cultural genesis of the 1960’s as African American culture continued its transition from its history of slavery and segregation to a more free way of life. The evolution of music was key to the cultural evolution, and the book dives into the span, from early minstrels to Bob Dylan, with ragtime, blues, and jazz in between.

The book also looks at philosophers and social commentators like Henry David Thoreau and Mark Twain, their his commitment to freedom, abolitionism and African-American culture.

(Counterpoint Press 2014)

8. WALLS OF FREEDOM: STREET ART OF THE EGYPTIAN

A beautiful cry for freedom, Walls of Freedom: Street Art of the Egyptian Revolution, by Don Stone Karl and Basma Hamdy, chronicles the 2011 Egyptian revolution through stunning images of street-art.

A beautiful collection of photographs taken in the streets of Egypt is paired with moving essays by the artists. The book documents the historical, political and cultural backgrounds of Egypt’s people as they transformed the walls into incredible paintings of battle, capturing key events during the revolution. Revolutionary street-art is truly a “visual testimony of bravery and resistance.”

(From Here To Fame Publishing 2014)

9. THE WILD IN YOU: VOICES FROM THE FOREST AND THE SEA

The Wild in You: Voices from the Forest and the Sea, is a new book created by author Lorna Crozier and photographer Ian McAllister. The extraordinary photographs of wild and free life, together with poetry that focuses on the free spirit of the wild, come together to yield an incredible experience.

The book includes 30 magnificent photographs and 30 inspiring poems.

(Greystone Books 2015)

10. SPIRIT OF THE WIND: A PHOTOGRAPHIC CELEBRATION OF THE WILD HORSES OF THE NAMIB DESERT

Herds of wild horses are among the few animals that roam freely in the Namib Desert, in Angola and South Africa. Spirit of the Wind: A Photographic Celebration of the Wild Horses of the Namib Desert, by Miona Janeke, tells the story her photographic journey through relentless winds and gravel plains in order to document these magnificent creatures’ lives. In the course of her adventure, Janeke follows the call of the wild and finds her own free spirit.

(Medina Publishing 2015)

Read more about Beautiful Freedom, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact. 

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: Courtesy of Fin and Fur Productions. Scene from Unbranded.
2. Image: Courtesy of Texas A&M University Press. Unbranded.
3. Image: Courtesy of Tundra Books. Speak A Word For Freedom.
4. Image: Courtesy of Rizzoli Ex Libris. Food & Freedom.
5. Image: Courtesy of Indiana University Press. Trickster Theatre.
6. Image: Courtesy of Mountaineers Books. The WIld Edge.
7. Image: Courtesy of Blurb. Freedom.
8. Image: Courtesy of Counterpoint Press. On Highway 61.
9. Image: Courtesy of From Here to Fame Publishing. Walls of Freedom.
10. Image: Courtesy of Greystone Books. The Wild In You.
11. Image: Courtesy of Medina Publishing. Spirit of The Wind.
12. Image: Courtesy of Fin and Fur Productions. Scene from Unbranded.
13. Image: Courtesy of Fin and Fur Productions. Scene from Unbranded.
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15. Image: by Florian Schulz. Wolf on the Coast.