Durland Alternatives Library

Staff Pick: Don’t Talk About Politics: How to Change 21st-Century Minds, by Sarah Stein Lubrano (Bloomsbury, 2025)

“In a world where politics keeps getting more irrational, dishonest, violent and chaotic, it’s getting much harder to reach people with words alone. So people who really care about democracy must ask: how can we stop arguing and do the deep work to build stronger foundations for political life, and a better world for us all?”

Recommended for anyone who is angry, frustrated, and confused about why the world isn’t making sense right now, Lubrano offers a jumping off point for how to move forward in our everyday lives. As one example, a strong takeaway I had was that we need to really actively use, treasure, and defend our public libraries (as social infrastructure) to prevent the unthinkable from happening.

Thanks to our board member Peter for donating this to our collection!

- Jen (Library Operations Coordinator)

Chapter 1: Don’t Enter the ‘Market’ for Ideas
Chapter 2: Don’t Debate It
Chapter 3: Act First, Think Later
Chapter 4: Think with Your Friends
Chapter 5: Take Back Twitter (and Other Infrastructure)
Chapter 6: Fight Social Atrophy
Chapter 7: Loving and Leaving the Liberal Ideal (or, To My Fellow Lovers of Ideas)

📚 Read it for free by borrowing it from your local library 💕 or ask your favorite independent bookstore if they have or can get a copy for you. You can also buy online through Bookshop.org and select your indie bookstore to benefit from the purchase. 📚 Autumn Leaves Used Books Buffalo Street Books Odyssey Bookstore Protagonist Books & Coffee

Join Yazmin & Jen in repurposing book pages to bring some fun fall pumpkins to life! Materials provided. Free and open to all ages. Registration requested but not required. 🎃✨
Register here: https://luma.com/em0ktxeq

UPDATE: This event is postponed. We will repost once we have a new date & time. Thank you for understanding! 🎃

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On Tuesday, October 7 join us at the Durland Alternatives Library to make a fun book-page pumpkin! Free. Materials provided. Registration requested. Register at https://luma.com/9jrayi3s or link in bio 🎃📚

Durland Alternatives Library is closed today in honor of Juneteenth.

On June 19, 1865, word reached the enslaved in Galveston, Texas that their emancipation had been made formal, though it had been so since January 1, 1863.

Here’s to freedom, resilience, and yes the ONGOING pursuit of justice.

New hours this week: Monday through Friday 11 am - 5 pm. We hope to have expanded summer hours for you coming soon! Until then stop in, relax, have some tea, and browse our collection focused on social justice, ecology, and spirituality ☀️ 🌱

We still have some seeds left in our Seed Library too!