It is one thing to want to act; it is another thing to take action; and it is an another thing still to act consciously to bring about lasting change.

Sometimes the most effective activism takes place during ordinary encounters with family, friends, and even strangers—each interaction a chance to educate by example, embodying our ethical beliefs as best we can. In Living Among Meat Eaters, Carol Adams helps us become more aware of the message we're sending, with self-tests, strategies, meditations on vegetarianism, and tips for dining out and entertaining at home when meat eaters are on the invite list.

In Consciousness in Action: The Power of Beauty, Love, and Courage in a Violent Time, Andrew Beath has gathered the wisdom of several leading spiritual activists (John Mack, Julia Butterfly Hill, and others) to show how right mind and right livelihood can bring about enormous change. The activists talk about aligning their spiritual values with their wish to bring about social and political change.

Will Tuttle in The World Peace Diet: Eating for Spiritual Health and Social Harmony offers a powerful and polemical call for us to recognize that our choices not only impact the lives of others but also make us healthy or sick. We can no longer separate our lives off from the lives of the beings who live with us on this planet, and, conversely, working for the good of others is working for the good of ourselves.

In Aftershock: Confronting Trauma in a Violent World, A Guide for Activists and Their Allies, pattrice jones shows how important it is for activists to prepare themselves for their activism and to protect themselves from the trauma of living in a violent world where many of us turn away from suffering and pain and refuse to confront it. This is a vital work for all activists.

For Hillary Rettig (author of The Lifelong Activist), Josephine Bellaccomo (author of Move the Message, and Melanie Joy (author of Strategic Action for Animals, conscious activism means effective activism. Rettig provides abundant solutions for activists to avoid burnout and maintain a positive outlook on one's tasks. Bellaccomo's book is all about communication and presentation: how to write, speak, coordinate, organize, present, and in all ways move your message in the most effective and expeditious manner. Finally, Joy argues that animal activists in particular need to be less concerned with running from one demonstration to another and think more strategically—not only with the outside world, but in their own organizations and life.