The Stacks 2024 Gift Guide
In the past, I have made gift guides for the book lovers in your life that aren’t books, and this year I was planning to do the same thing, but after the election, I just felt like I couldn’t. But, after a good talk with my pal Ashley Garland, I decided to remix the gift guide into something actionable and bookish.
Since 2016 my family has done a Secret Santa where we donate money to a nonprofit organization and gift a book to whoever we drew in the gift exchange. We don’t need a ton of stuff so giving a little something back and getting a little something to enjoy feels like more than enough. So I’m using this idea as the framework for the guide.
Each section of the guide focuses on an issue that feels urgent. I have paired each issue with at least one nonprofit to donate to1 and two books, in some cases I have also thrown in a gift item that supports the issue at hand. Since I’m only giving four recommendations per issue, know there are hundreds of national and local organizations that could use your help, if you don’t like the ones I suggested I encourage you to google your city and the issue you’re (they’re) more passionate about. I also encourage you to find your own local mutual aid groups to get connected with. My hope is that this guide is the start of thinking about the people in your life, the things they are passionate about, and the ways you can contribute to their passions that feel impactful.
I want this page to also be a resource, so please drop your favorite book recs, organizations, or gifts that fit any of the themes in the comments.
Before I dive in I have a few little things to keep in mind:
If you have a favorite indie bookstore plan ahead and order books from them. Indie bookstores rely on holiday book sales to stay afloat, around 2/3 of their sales come in just the last three months of the year. Show some love to the businesses in your community that pay taxes, employ your neighbors, and create safe spaces for authors and readers to gush over books! I am personally a huge fan of Reparations Club in LA and Loyalty Bookstores in DC (both Black, woman, and LGBBTQIA+ owned stores), and here is a list of even more Black-owned shops to check out.
Libro.FM is an audiobook company that supports indie bookstores (you get to pick which one your money goes to) and offers audiobook bundles to gift. This is a perfect present for any book lover in your life. They are offering 5-10% off on all their book bundles until the end of the year. And, if you’re last minute this is a perfect virtual gift that can get there ASAP or you can plan ahead and schedule send your gift. Keep an eye out for upcoming holiday sales, too.
If you want to buy your books from an online retailer, check out bookshop.org which donates a percentage of their sales to indie bookstores and your favorite book influencers (like, I dunno, me). Again keep an eye out, because they likely will have holiday sales launching soon.
I especially want to remind folks that after Black Friday and Cyber Monday (or whatever the fuck) there is Giving Tuesday, and lots of donations made that day are matched or tripled. So you could get ahead on your holiday gifting and make a bigger impact. Plan ahead, people!
If you like this gift guide and the work I do broadly you can now gift subscriptions to Unstacked and The Stacks Pack (on Patreon) to the bookish people in your life. This is by no means the most urgent work of the moment, but paying for the things I create does make it possible for me to keep bringing you new stuff, like this gift guide.
OK, let’s dive into The Stacks 2024 Holiday Gift Guide.
Two Causes
Donate to a local abortion fund, and help fight the good fight near you.
Sister Song sets out to strengthen and amplify the collective voices of indigenous women and women of color to achieve reproductive justice by eradicating reproductive oppression and securing human rights.
Two Books
Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win by Jessica Valenti
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty by Dorothy Roberts
’s amazing Abortion, Everyday newsletter has an entire resources section so go nuts there people.
A Cause
Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 to combat the abuses of factory farming, advocate for institutional reforms, and encourage a new awareness and understanding of farm animals and the benefits of plant-based living.
A Gift
The bees need our help, not ready to commit to a full hive and beekeeper fit? Try a bee hotel to hang on a tree and host those lovable pollinators.
Two Books
How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in Ten Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler
Open Throat by Henry Hoke
A Cause
Earthjustice. A group that wields the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, preserve magnificent places and wildlife, advance clean energy, and combat climate change.
Want more organizations to support? Check out this list from Vox.
A Gift
Try anything from Patagonia, like their iconic puffer jacket to stay warm. Their CEO recently donated the company to fight climate change, so any purchase there will have some impact.
Two Books
What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming by David Wallace-Wells
A Cause
#PoliceFreeSchools is a National Campaign for Police Free Schools co-convened by the Advancement Project National Office and Alliance for Educational Justice and includes dozens of organizations from across the country.
A Gift
Who doesn’t want flawless skin? Well, Tatcha can give you that (allegedly) while simultaneously donating a portion of your purchase to bringing diverse books into underserved communities and funding education worldwide. Everyone is winning here.
Two Books
The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers by Josh Cowen
Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal by Bettina L. Love
You may want to go hyperlocal for this one, find schools to support on Donor’s Choose lists, or search for local initiatives that need your support. Also, consider supporting certain kinds of school programs like the arts or STEM. Here is a previous list I made for literacy organizations as well.
A Cause
World Central Kitchen is first to the frontlines, providing fresh meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
A Gift
Support farmers and the consumption of local seasonal foods by gifting a subscription to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. Find one near you/your recipient here.
Two Books
Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm's Practical Guide to Liberation on the Land by Leah Penniman
How the Other Half Eats: The Untold Story of Food and Inequality in America by Priya Fielding-Singh PhD
Two Causes
Guns Down America is focused on fewer guns, safer communities, and prioritizing public safety, not gun industry profits.
Advance Peace is dedicated to ending cyclical and retaliatory gun violence in American urban neighborhoods. They invest in the development, health, and well-being of those at the center of this crisis.
Two Books
Another Day in the Death of America: A Chronicle of Ten Short Lives by Gary Younge
One Nation Under Guns: How Gun Culture Distorts Our History and Threatens Our Democracy by Dominic Erdozain
A Cause
Covenant House is the largest, primarily privately funded charity in North and Central America providing immediate and long-term support for young people facing homelessness and survivors of trafficking.
A Gift
Who doesn’t want delicious baked goods? Check out the brownies from Greyston Bakery, who not only create meaningful job opportunities for those who have experienced barriers to employment, but they also offer their employees low-cost housing, community gardens, and childcare. You might know their brownies because they’re the brownies in the Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream.
Two Books
Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O'Connell's Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People by Tracy Kidder
Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
A Cause
RAICES defends the rights of immigrant, refugee, and asylum-seeking people and families, empowers communities, and advocates for liberty and justice.
African Communities Together is an organization of African immigrants fighting for civil rights, opportunity, and a better life for our families here in the U.S. and worldwide.
Two Books
Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America, and the Making of a Crisis by Johnathan Blitzer
Beautiful Country: A Read with Jenna Pick: A Memoir of an Undocumented Childhood by Qian Julie Wang
Two Causes
Freedom Reads. Founded in 2020, Freedom Reads builds and places libraries in prisons to create transformative experiences and elevate the dignity of the millions of people in this country touched by the criminal legal system.
The Bail Project, provides free bail assistance to those in need, restoring the presumption of innocence, reuniting families, and gathering evidence for change.
Two Books
Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and the Pursuit of Freedom by Derecka Purnell
Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
A Cause
Doctors Without Borders provides medical and psychological assistance to people affected by the long-term conflict and occupation.
A Gift
Nöl collective works with family-owned businesses, artisan workshops, and women's cooperatives throughout Palestine to produce beautiful clothing, accessories, and more.
Two Books
The Gaza Kitchen: A Palestinian Culinary Journey by Laila El-Haddad and Maggie Schmitt
The Hundred Years' War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance, 1917-2017 by Rashid Khalidi
A Cause
Transanta delivers gifts to trans youth in need, safely and anonymously.
A Gift
Atomic Gold is a genderless, affordable, and locally sourced fine jewelry brand founded by AL Sandimirova, a nonbinary Indigenous entrepreneur.
Two Books
American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era by Nico Lang
The Other Olympians: Fascism, Queerness, and the Making of Modern Sports by Michael Waters
I would love to hear from you about the organizations, books, and gifts you’re gifting this year that speak to these issues or anything else that feels particularly urgent to you this holiday season. I’ll also leave this list from Oprah about gifts that give back, just in case.
If you want more of me and my nonsense be sure to listen to The Stacks podcast every Wednesday and follow me over on Instagram for a lot more book content. Make sure you’re subscribed right here, so you never miss an installment of Unstacked.
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The descriptions of each nonprofit are copied directly from their websites, with slight changes to verb tense. I did not write my own blurbs.
An inspiring list! For those looking for orgs defending immigrants’ rights in the upper Midwest (an area with a lot of need for deportation defense representation and that gets fewer donations than border nonprofits), a few good options include National Immigrant Justice Center, The Advocates for Human Rights, Immigrant Law Center of Mn, and Mid-MN Legal Aid. For MN folks wanting to support an awesome bookstore that has done a ton for our community and has an amazing selection, Moon Palace is the best! Or Birchbark Books which is owned by Native American author Louise Erdrich and has a huge selection of work by Native authors. Thanks for doing this Tracy!
I’ve been thinking of skipping Christmas/holidays this year with things so grim. This, however, gives me a reason to support others and give back. Thank you, Traci, for being you and for your thoughtful contributions to us all. I am eternally grateful and will share this with my disgruntled friends and family. ❤️✨