World Wide Work
Books, Films, and Music You May Have Missed
Many people are wondering what to do about the invasion of the United States by its own government. This short article describes practical steps towns and local businesses are taking to enforce the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches and seizures. More suggestions about what to do about the federal assault on Minnesota and many other communities are provided here.
BOOKS
The Soldier’s House by Helen Benedict (Red Hen). Two U.S. soldiers from the U.S. war on Iraq marry when they return home but still carry deep psychological scars. One of them had an Iraqi interpreter who was killed because he served the invaders. This U.S. soldier saves the dead man’s widow and child by arranging for them to escape to the U.S., where they move into the soldiers’ house. As this powerful and brilliantly nuanced novel shows, the lasting damage the U.S. invasion caused is not over for any of them, but each in their own way is trying to find a way to carry on.
Thirsty Creek by Jennie Bricker (Unsolicited Press). Beginning in the 1960s, opossum shrimp were introduced into several Oregon lakes with the idea that kokanee salmon would eat the shrimp, grow larger, and make better trophies for the sport fishing business. As this creative novel explains, the plan backfired dramatically in many cases. As has happened with so many human interventions in ecosystems, that ill-fated decision has continued to impact future generations of humans and other living beings.
Low April Sun by Constance E. Squires (University of Oklahoma). 2025 marked the 30th anniversary of the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City by white supremacists that killed 168 people. This perceptive novel is set against that atrocity and shows how its lasting impact radiated outward like ripples on a pond. In so doing, Squires skillfully explores obsession, guilt, personal integrity, and forgiveness.
Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth (Graywolf). This quirky novel tells a story that is at once satire and serious about women who decide to disrupt the inhumane way most chicken eggs are produced in the U.S.
The Endling by Keely Jobe (Scribe). Drawing on her own experience living in a remote all-female commune, an Australian novelist imagines a crisis in such a compound when all of the women mysteriously become pregnant and one of the children turns out to be a boy.
Mule Boy by Andrew Krivak (Bellevue Literary Press). Many workers give their health and even their lives to make profits for others. This immersive novel brings that reality to life through the eyes of a man who survived a coal mine disaster that took the lives of his coworkers.
Reclaiming the Cascades (Hawkeye). An anthology of poetry, prose, and art by 14 Indigenous writers and artists in the Pacific Northwest draws on their relationship to the land and their cultural traditions.
Safety Through Solidarity by Shane Burley and Ben Lorber (Melville House). Antisemitism is on the rise. For Jews to be more safe, they have to join forces with other movements for economic and social justice, rather than becoming more isolated in support of the Israeli government’s genocidal war on Palestinians.
The Second Estate By Ray D. Madoff (University of Chicago). The kind of wealth that rich people amass is not taxed or is taxed at very low rates. That’s the main problem that has to be fixed or underfunded public programs will continue to fight over budget scraps.
Undammed by Tara Lohan (Island Press). Many dams across the U.S. are being taken down, thereby boosting biodiversity and water quality, building climate resilience, and making communities safer.
East Nashville Skyline by Brian T. Atkinson (Texas A&M). Todd Snider, who died recently, was one of America’s best songwriters with songs like “Looking for a Job,” “Can’t Complain,” and “Easy Money.” His spirit comes to life in these interviews with Snider himself and many people who knew him.
FILMS
The Voice of Hind Rajab. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, this film based on actual events is a powerful antidote to those who talk about war like it’s a sports event, with winners and losers and no human cost. In 2024, a Palestinian family was evacuating a community in Gaza on orders from the Israeli army. Yet, Israeli tanks (largely funded by U.S. taxpayers) opened fire on their car, killing everyone except a little girl. She connected by phone with the Palestinian equivalent of the Red Cross, but will rescuers reach her in time?
Mr. Nobody Against Putin. When Russia’s current war on Ukraine began, Putin ordered all schools to implement a curriculum promoting militarization. A young teacher at a small-town school was, among other duties, responsible for videoing events and classroom lessons to show higher-ups that the staff was complying with Putin’s edict. When the school year ended, that teacher smuggled all the footage out of the country so it could be turned into this unique documentary. Seeing what dictatorship and militarization look like in another country helps shine a light on where the U.S. could be heading.
Soulemayne’s Story. This timely and compelling feature film follows a Guinean immigrant to Paris who survives making food deliveries by bicycle and who is desperately trying to obtain refugee status.
A World Apart. A teacher in Rome takes a job at a school in a small community in an Italian national park where he has a lot to learn about local customs. When the school faces closure because of declining enrollment, the town welcomes refugee families from Ukraine and Africa.
Sweet As. An Indigenous film director in Australia drew on her own experiences in making this feature. A girl from a troubled home is nearly out of options when her uncle sends her on a road trip with other at-risk teenagers and two adult mentors. The focus of the trip in Australia’s back country is for the young people to learn about photography – and about themselves.
The Ballad of Wallis Island. In this feel-good British film full of wordplay and beautiful scenery, a quirky lottery winner now lives a solitary life on an island off the coast of Wales. His dream is to reunite a duo of folksingers who broke up their professional partnership and romantic relationship years before and to have them perform a concert for him. They don’t discover his agenda until they each arrive at the island.
Lead Belly. Huddie Ledbetter was a Black blues singer who died in the 1940s but inspired many of the most famous rock and folk musicians including The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, Harry Belafonte, B.B. King, Joan Baez, and more. Many of his songs, including Goodnight Irene, Midnight Special, Pick a Bale of Cotton, and Rock Island Line, have been performed by a wide range of artists,
MUSIC
Magic Accident by Della Mae. The all-female bluegrass band presents an album that reflects their skill as musicians, their depth as songwriters, and their energy as performers.
The Red Album Vol 2 by Carsie Blanton. The singer-songwriter who recently was held in an Israeli prison for participating in an international flotilla protesting the blockade of Gaza has released a new album with songs like Another War, FBI, The Future, and The Little Flame.
The photograph above shows a wild barred owl shortly after it nabbed a robin for lunch. More photos at MattWittPhotography.com. Also available is a book of 132 photographs, Monumental Beauty: Wonders Worth Protecting in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, with all proceeds going to local profits that promote and defend public lands.