The New York Women Social Entrepreneurs (NYWSE) Book Club reading list includes compelling narratives and resources, from the legal battles of Code Pink's fiery and inspiring co-founder to a primer on systems thinking.  The NYWSE Book Club will serve as a forum to engage NYWSE members in dynamic discussions about sustainability, leadership, women's issues, and new business models.  Participants will have the opportunity to share ideas and challenges with the group, and, in turn, learn from their peers in a safe space.

Each book club co-hort will consist of 5-8 participants and will meet bi-monthly.  Women who plan to register should feel comfortable opening their living rooms to a minimum of one book club group gathering.

NYWSE partnered with Chelsea Green, a niche publishing house that specializes in sustainability and green living topics, to offer books relevant to the NYWSE mission of empowering and promoting women social entrepreneurs and emerging sustainability leaders in the workplace.

Book Club Reading List 2009/2010

September 2009
AN UNREASONABLE WOMAN
A True Story of Shrimpers, Politicos, Polluters, and the Fight for Seadrift, Texas
By Diane Wilson
A lyrical, gripping narrative about one woman's fight to save her community from polluting oil companies, An Unreasonable Womanis an Erin Brockovich thriller with the literary richness of a Barbara Kingsolver novel.

November 2009
PEARLS, POLITICS, AND POWER
How Women Can Win and Lead
By Madeleine Kunin
A call to action for new political engagement and leadership from the women of America. Informed by conversations with elected women leaders from all levels, former three-term Vermont Governor and Ambassador to Switzerland Madeleine M. Kunin asks: What difference do women make?

January 2010
FINDING THE SWEET SPOT
The Natural Entrepreneur’s Guide to Responsible, Sustainable, Joyful Work
By Dave Pollard
Whatever your situation, this is the book to help you get started. Finding the Sweet Spot explains how sustainable, responsible, and joyful natural enterprises differ from most jobs, and it provides the framework for building your own natural enterprise.

March 2010
THE END OF MONEY AND THE FUTURE OF CIVILIZATION
By Thomas Greco
This book provides the necessary understanding for entrepreneurs, activists, and civic leaders to implement approaches toward monetary liberation, approaches that empower communities to restore their environments and democratic institutions, and begin to build economies that are sustainable, equitable, and insulated from the financial crises that plague the dominant systems of money, banking and finance.

May 2010
COMPANIES WE KEEP
Employee Ownership and the Business of Community and Place
By John Abrams
In this part memoir and part examination of a new business model, John Abrams details his idea that companies flourish when they become centers of interdependence, or “communities of enterprise.”

July 2010
THINKING IN SYSTEMS
A Primer
By Donella Meadows
This essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life.

September 2010
THE GORT CLOUD
The Invisible Force Powering Today’s Most Visible Green Brands
By Richard Seireeni
Featuring interviews of more than 30 “eco-capitalists” from a broad range of industries, The Gort Cloudoffers a rich source of wisdom for green businesses getting off the ground or for any business aiming to improve its environmental performance.