As the global economic system drags the world further and further into social and ecological poverty, it is becoming increasingly important for regular people to be able to critique our present economic system (as opposed to individual policies) and propose solutions that take us beyond the simplistic arguments of “stimulus vs. tax cuts” towards a more sustainable and just world.

Luckily we live in a world rich with alternatives no longer confined to orthodox economic thought. Writers from every nation and background are exploring how to create new economic experiments that work, not for Wall Street, but for their street. In order to better understand these emerging solutions -- and the system they rebel against -- Firestorm Cafe & Books is launching an "Alternative Economics Book Club." Each month we’ll explore how our economy arrived at it’s present, disastrous state; state capitalism’s effects around the world and in our own communities; and global examples of positive, community, labor and eco-centric economic alternatives.

The first book we’ll be reading is the widely acclaimed Value of Nothing: How to Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy by Raj Patel (see below for reviews). Our second book will be Anti-Capitalism A Beginner's Guide by Simon Tormey, an insightful introduction to modern capitalism, the wide variety of forces opposing it and their vision for moving forward.

Future Books will be chosen by the reading group two months in advance and discussions will be facilitated by one or two readers each month (to be selected in advance).