Bookshelf

curated by vivian Hutchinson

Tools and Ideas that are inspiring and transforming Citizenship, Communities and the Commons

Reviews

• Citizens by Jon Alexander
“When you see the world through this window, you might well notice that there is a “revolution in progress”. — Brian Eno
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. More resources from this book and author. Jon Alexander - Citizens Website

• The Invisible Doctrine by George Monbiot and Peter Hutchison
“This book is dynamite – shining a spotlight on the evils of neoliberalism, shattering the myth that ‘there is no alternative’, and laying the foundations for a new politics” — Caroline Lucas
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. Book Website. Review in The Guardian. Documentary Trailer. 

• Carbon by Paul Hawken
“Endlessly endlessly fascinating! There’s information, and then there’s wisdom—and this book is a compendium of the latter.” — Bill McKibben
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. 

• The Commoner's Catalog for Changemaking by David Bollier
“Someday, the Commoner's Catalog will sit next to the Bible in hotel bedside tables.”. — Peter Block
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. Read entire Catalog online. David Bollier Website. Frontiers of Commoning Podcast. Peter Linebaugh History of Commoning interview

• Ecocivilization: Making a World that Works for All by Jeremy Lent
“We need to think big — the crisis we're in demands nothing less. And this book does just that. It will fire your imagination.” — Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature, co-founder of 350.org and Third Act
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. Jeremy Lent interview with George Monbiot. Jeremy Lent on Substack

• Together by Ece Temelkuran
“I read it slowly, just one chapter a day. Then I read it again because I had remembered something that I was determined not to forget.”
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. A Perfect Day to be Brave. Ece Temelkuran on Climate Democracy

• Humankind by Rutger Bregman
We are hardwired for kindness, geared toward cooperation rather than competition, and more inclined to trust rather than distrust one another ... “Made me see humanity from a fresh perspective”. — Yuval Noah Harari
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. Our Secret Superpower. Now This. Davos. HARDtalk.

• The Good Ancestor by Roman Krznaric
“This is a book our children's children will thank us for reading”. — The Edge, U2
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. TED Talk. Long Now Foundation Lecture. A Cognitive Toolkit. Salon London Webinar

• Doughnut Economics by Kate Raworth
“This book has become a phenomenon that mainstream economics largely declines to acknowledge but increasingly cannot ignore”. — David Bollier
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. BBC on Doughnut. Kate Raworth in Taranaki 2019 (Just Transition 2050). Radio NZ interview 2019. Leading Interview 2023

• Community: The Structure of Belonging by Peter Block (3rd Edition updated 2026)
With increasing violence, widening ideological divides, and growing economic inequality, a deeper sense of community is desperately needed. Yet typical ways of engaging people civically and organizationally remain unchanged.
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. Restore Commons Website. Designed Learning Website

• The Book of Trespass by Nick Hayes
Lifting the spell of private ownership from land that is, rightfully, our common inheritance, and whose seizure continues to impoverish us all. “A remarkable and truly radical work, loaded with resonant truths” — George Monbiot
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. Guardian Review. The Trespassers Companion. 

• Regeneration by Paul Hawken
Ending the climate crisis in one generation “Honest and informative, a rebuttal to doomsayers who believe it is too late.” — Jane Goodall
Taranaki Book Clubs 2021-22. The Nexus website. Tricycle article. Regeneration Justice and Renewal. What is Regeneration? (short film). 

• How Communities Awaken by vivian Hutchinson
“vivian reminds us of the work we need to do to collectively rebuild and nurture our shared sense of belonging, contribution, and committed action as citizens.”. — Megan Courtney, Inspiring Communities
Read full essays online - How Communities Awaken website. ACE Award 2020. Inspiring Communities - Learning from Taranaki. 

• Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth
It’s humbling when you get to reflect that too many of your basic assumptions are no longer living their best life. “Furiously gifted.” — The Washington Post
vivian Hutchinson review on Facebook. YouTube Interview

• The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
A masterpiece of the imagination, using fictional eyewitness accounts to tell the story of how climate change will affect us all. “The best science-fiction non-fiction novel I’ve ever read.” — Jonathan Lethem
Guardian review. TED Countdown. Long Now Foundation.