Tipping the Sacred Cow: The Best of LiP: Informed Revolt, 1996-2007

by Brian Awehali

Tipping the Sacred Cow is a flabbergastingly refreshing smarty-pants collection of iconoclastic politics, culture, sex, and humor culled from the uncompromising, eclectic, and frequently laugh-out-loud pages of LiP Magazine.

The late historian Howard Zinn called LiP “Funny, refreshing, intelligent and outrageous!"”

The collection takes critical aim at everything from women-first feminism, green capitalism, and queer assimilation and gay marriage as participatory patriarchy, to the uses and abuses of shoplifting, the currently fashionable cult of catastrophism, and the prefabrication of political speech. Between broadsides, stops are made for a lively community flag burning, intentionally comedic genderqueer erotica, and other items of pointed mirth.

Contributors include Lisa Jervis, Winona LaDuke, Tim Wise, Heather Rogers, Iain Boal, Mattilda a.k.a. Matt Bernstein Sycamore, Neal Pollack, Guillermo Gómez-Peña, Michael Eric Dyson, damali ayo, Tim Kreider, Christopher Hitchens, and Mary Roach, among others.

Editor Brian Awehali is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in or on The Guardian, Britannica.com, Z Magazine, AlterNet, The Brooklyn Rail, The Black World Today, and High Times.

Genres: Anthologies, Politics, Nonfiction, Cultural

240 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

About the author

Brian Awehali is an independent writer, editor and photographer, former online editor at Encyclopedia Britannica, and founder of the North American magazine LiP: Informed Revolt (2004 to 2008). His work has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Utne, East Bay Express, and Project Censored. He's a half-Irish tribal member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, but mostly roams Pacific coasts, with his lovely wife and dog-daughter.

Reviews

[Doug Brunell · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the exception of a few essays, this was an enjoyable read.

The essays were reprinted from LiP, and they tackle things such as the environment, land grabs from Native Americans, racism, shoplifting and evolution. Typically, the writing about such things tends to be dry and scholarly, delivered as if a doctor were telling a patient she has cancer. After all, these are serious subjects that require serious investigations. The pieces here, however, are irreverent and clever, which makes reading them a joy.

And lest anyone think the Left Wing is given a pass here, that just isn't the case. Like the title states, all the sacred cows are tipped ... and in some cases, slaughtered.

[Spicy T AKA Mr. Tea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty awesome anthology of articles from the now dormant LiP (maga)zine. Some of the pieces were just ok, but a lot of them were articulate and edgy. Great stuff to read. I was sorry to read that it ended. I recommend.

[Ietrio · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is this supposed to be comedy? But some are quite dry. Is it a serious commentary? But some writings are over the top. Is it satire? I don't know. Too local for the US, with a strong emphasis on certain popular events and beliefs.

[Ariane · Rating 5 out of 5]

do i need to disclose that some of my writing's in here? The 5 stars are for everyone else...

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Political magazine articles

[Velvetink]

[Brian_Awehali]_Tipping_the_Sacred_Cow_The_Best_o(BookFi.org)pdf