• If you’re new to the whole money topic and you’d like to gain a basic understanding of what it’s all about, check out Paul Grignon’s animated film Money as Debt (watch it on YouTube or look it up on your favorite video portal). Bearing in mind that summarizing such a complex issue in only 45 minutes is all but impossible, Paul has done a magnificent job in defying the odds.

• The End of Money and the Future of Civilization by Thomas Greco is an excellent read: After dealing with the nature of money, Tom describes the issues that come with it and points out possible alternatives. (Also, a free online copy of Thomas Greco’s New Money for Healthy Communities is available here.)

• If you’re interested in climbing way down into the inner workings of our money system, The Money Syndrome by Helmut Creutz is for you. The English edition seems to be out of print, but if you’re able to lay your hands on a used copy, you won’t regret it.

• David Graeber’s Debt: The First 5,000 Years reads like a thriller (while the second half is only excellent, the first half is simply mind-blowing). Read for sheer pleasure and to gain a wider understanding of human existence – the fact that you’ll also learn a ton about the nature of money comes as a bonus.

• E. C. Riegel’s Private Enterprise Money is mind-blowing in a different way. Published some 70 years ago, it almost seems like it was written by a time traveler. Given its age, the book also serves as a warning: While it’s stunning how much was already known in the 1940s, it is equally amazing to see how little has happened since then. Conclusion: We need to try harder! – Available for download here.

• Another documentary well worth seeing is Inside Job directed by Charles Ferguson. The film will give you a better understanding of why we just can’t leave the power of money in the hands of a few, and why creation and control of money must be democratized.

• Last but not least, The Corporation by Mark Achbar seems a tad off topic, but in fact highlights an essential piece of the puzzle. For change to happen, succeeding in the game won’t do – rather, we need to challenge the rules by which the game is played.