Black and Read Friday

Join us for our annual "Black and Red Friday" book sale on the day after Thanksgiving with deep discounts on all new books. Purchases help to sustain our project, allowing us to continue providing free community resources, accessible event space and an alternative economic model based on cooperative, libertarian principles!

2011 New Releases

1. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making
   Originally released as a free web-novel, this exquisite title combines illustrations by acclaimed artist Ana Juan with Catherynne Valente's extraordinarily fresh take on the fairytale genre. For readers of all ages who love the charm of Alice in Wonderland and the soul of The Golden Compass.
2. Green is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege
   A guided tour of the political, legal and public relations strategies that make up the "Green Scare" and the FBI's campaign to silence eco-activists through fear and intimidation. Required reading for activists!
3. Queer America: A People's GLBT History of the United States
   Written in the tradition of Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States, this book provides a decade-by-decade overview of major issues and events in GLBT history including the Harlem Renaissance, military policy, the Stonewall riots, AIDS, same-sex marriage and media representation.
4. Wildflowers and Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont
   This richly illustrated field guide from UNC Press features 340 plants from our region with fascinating information about the ecology and natural history of each plant in its larger environment.
5. Work
   A new release from members of CrimethInc., the decentralized anarchist collective known for their stellar graphic and literary propaganda, this well-designed little book outlines an analysis of capitalism: what it is, how it works and how we might dismantle it.

2011 Firestorm Best Sellers

1. Anarchism and Its Aspirations
   Written by cafe friend Cindy Milstein, this little book quickly brings the uninitiated reader up to speed on some of the most influential anarchists in history and their ideas about how we might achieve the transformation of society.
2. Botany in a Day
   Required reading for local students of herbalism, this book teaches you the patterns method of plant identification so that you can discover the wonderful world of plants around you, wherever you go.
3. Consensus
   Used by #occupiers, quakers and native peoples, consensus is a powerful system for directly democratic decision making. This quick-and-easy guide supposes no prior experience and breaks the consensus process down into easy-to-follow steps. Written by cafe friend Peter Gelderloos.
4. Girls Are Not Chicks Coloring Book
   This unique coloring book subversively and playfully examines the female gender stereotypes that pervade daily life. Produced by Reach & Teach, a peace and justice learning company, responsible for Firestorm kids' favorite, Sometimes the Spoon Runs Away with Another Spoon Coloring Book.
5. Mountain Justice
   Local author and activist Tricia Shapiro deftly profiles the nonviolent resistance of coalfield residents, students and Earth First! members to mountaintop removal, a particularly destructive form of strip mining in Southern Appalachia.
6. Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning
   A book that goes back to the future with 250 recipes celebrating traditional but little-known French techniques for storing and preserving edibles in ways that maximize flavor and nutrition.
7. Redefining Our Relationships
   This little book offers a fresh introduction to facing your true desires in life by asking yourself what you really want from all of your connections, from friends to lovers and everyone else.
8. Value of Nothing
   This accessible title offers a fresh way to think about economics and the choices we will all need to make in order to create a sustainable economy and society. If you only read one book on economics, make it this one!
9. Wild Fermentation
   Written by local author and cafe friend Sandor Katz, this classic title takes readers on a whirlwind trip through the wild world of fermentation. Printed by radical eco-publisher Chelsea Green, this is consistently our very best selling book!
10. Wobblies and Zapatistas
    Structured as a conversation between two activists -- one an anarchist from the Balkans, the other an American peace activist -- this book invites the attention of readers who believe that a better world, on the other side of capitalism and state bureaucracy, may indeed be possible.