Activism Books

I bought this to introduce Emma to a young lady and, after looking in it,
decided it would cancel any interest she might have had. Stick to Living My Life and imagine the visuals.

Sharon Rudahl's "A Dangerous Woman" covers the life of a well-known anarchist around the turn of the century. Sharon's art is very appropriate for a fiery speechmaker; the plot as presented by Sharon never drags, and you get a book and a movie at the same time!

I had heard about Emma Goldman, but my political youth was spent in the socialist movement, not the anarchist movement, so I never researched Ms. Goldman's life or work. One piece I found interesting was Ms. Goldman's opposition to the amendment granting women the right to vote, and why she opposed it. Since my grandmother was a prominent suffragette, I approached this part of the book with some skepticism, but it was presented with such passion that I found myself agreeing in principle with some parts of Ms. Goldman's philosopy on this particular topic. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20, and it's difficult to go back in time to try to understand things with the perspective in effect at that time, but Ms. Rudahl does a fantastic job with her art of helping to build that paradigm.

I found it difficult to put the book down, it was so entertaining, and in a way that enlightens. Emma Goldman didn't live her life as an audition for a reality show, so you probably won't get that kind of stilted melodrama from it. What you WILL get is a fascinating historical presentation with Ms. Rudahl's art, and a dialog that both complements the art and creates it's own story.

A very fine book, and I heartily recommend buying it.

Emma Goldman is one of the big name names of American anarchists, as well as one of the earlier to contribute to free speech, birth control, and the labor movements. She was an amazing public speaker, something that is lost in this day of television and radio, and her writing still ranks amongst the classics of Anarchist thought for a free and just society. From her involvement in the shooting of Frick (though Alexander Berkman was a lousy shot) to free speech fights to labor struggles in Massachusetts to getting deported by Edgar Hoover, all the way to being amongst the first radicals to denounce the government of the Bolsheviks (which ostracized her amongst the left), and finally working to raise funds for the Spanish Revolutionary cause. She was jailed for fighting against the draft, advocating for birth control, and for "inciting a riot." In a lot of ways, the stuff she said then was visionary for the time period. She remains one of the most amazing people in history, and someone who gave her all so others could be free and live in a just world.

"Dangerous Woman: A Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman" can be best described as a graphic novel version of "Living My Life", and it's a real treat. The artist, Sharon Rudahl, does a great job capturing Goldman's turbulent and unique life, growing from a fiery Jewish peasant girl fleeing Russia to an active Anarchist speaker and organizer hated by the government, to the patron-saint of the American Anarchist movement, though small by the time of her death. She spares no detail, especially the parts about Emma's sex life and her many partners over the years. One of my favorite scenes in the book is when she has been sent by her mentor, Johann Most, on a speaking tour "Against the 8 Hour Day" (it was too little and was too reformist and not revolutionary enough.) She encounters an older man in the Chicago stop of the tour who tells her that while he understands why young people would be impatient with small demands, but "I won't live to see the revolution. Will I never have a little time for reading or to walk openly in the park?" After this encounter, Emma vowed never to let doctrine or ideology get in the way of a good fight that brought real change to real people's lives. That's a lesson that a lot of radicals then and now could learn and take to heart.
Today, the closest we in the United States have to an Emma Goldman is academics in ivory towers, as loud mouth voices in the sea of state and corporate rule. The speaking tours of yesterday is the youtube, internet, music albums and television of today, which is much more controlled than speaking in public used to be, though less prone to violent disruption by people who disagree with the author. It's hard to imagine a story like hers again where someone from such a humble beginning devotes her entire life, to the point where she refused to correct health problems like infertility, to the cause of fighting the existing order, and becoming such an international figure as she did. Maybe a new Emma Goldman of the internet or TV or music like hiphop will arise to become an inspiration to people's movements everywhere, like Subcommader Marcos in Chiapas has, or elsewhere. It's hard to say. Either way, check out Emma's life in graphic novel comic form, because she's a real life superhero in a way that Superman never could be.

A great woman and a great cause. Her courage is remarkable no matter which side you are on. History has proven her right.

Liberal sugarcoating--Filled with stretched truth and falsehoods. The author skillfully injects personal opinion and stretched truth to allude her conclusions as fact based on interviews with POWs. Much of the POW information [interviews with the former POWs Fonda met with in Hanoi in 1972] are self-interpreted, not exact quotation. Any versed POW historian using scholarly texts recognizes H's book as utter B.S.

On several accounts, H interjects "her" word "alleged" regarding torture of U.S. POWs [and no...F-tard, don't start spouting about Guantanamo or Abu G; combatants get better treatment than the Appalachian povert too far removed from society to even know about social programs.]


A reviewer writes, "America and the President are today proud to have Jane as a citizen, because she demonstrates, by her efforts, to bring a peaceful conclusion to current conflicts that so disrupt world harmony."

Question: Were hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese boat people fleeing communism, thousands of which died harmonious?

Question: Was the existence of the Khmer Rouge, supported by North Vietnam, resulting in millions dead in the Killing Fields harmonious?

Question: Joan Baez urged Fonda to protest NVN support of the Khmer Rouge....she chastised Baez for being critical of the Hanoi govt. Harmonious? I think not.

Question: After Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden's [sic] Indochina Peace Campaign [IPC] brought an end to U.S. financial support to the SVN govt. [post U.S. pullout] resulting in tens of thousands more South Vietnamese being imprisoned or murdered Harmonious?

Fonda Quote: "If you knew what communism truly was, you would get on your hands and knees and pray that one day we [U.S.] would be communist."

Harmonious--Communism has certainly worked well for millions of people. Too bad the dead tell no tales.

"Books have sprung up arguing that Fonda should be tried for treason." She should.

If you are trying to wrap your mind around the Vietnam era to include activism, and Fonda, as a VN War associated fixture, hunt elsewhere for an objective book, this one is not.

If you blab on and on about neocons, Christians, Republicans, and the right wing--this book is as much fantasy as Larry Potter and Lord of the Rings, defiantly buy it so you can continue to live in your jacked up, clouded little harmonious world that doesn't exist because people out there still want to kill, us and all that they can understand is the sword.

I enjoyed recreating Jane Fonda's antiwar activism during the Vietnam conflict that so divided our nation. Mary Hershberger's earlier book was at once a more generalized account of US liberals sojourning to Hanoi while the two countires were at war, and a much more academic book than this one, which really could be read alongside the Oscar winning actress' own memoirs MY LIFE SO FAR. I think Jane Fonda might have consulted Hershberger for help on some details because at this point it's plain that Hershberger, a Ohio history professor, knows more about what Jane was up to during those years than she does.

In retrospect it is astonishing that, with the weight of all the right wing press against her, Jane was able to make a comeback in the 1970s and 1980s in the movies, becoming one of the world's most popular film actresses. Even though her movies were sometimes preachy vehicles for her social pnilosophies, she was usually pretty good in them and two or three, from today's standpoint, are first-rate films no one should be ashamed of. However, as Hershberger points out, the invention of the internet was decidedly a blow for Fonda, as it has been used by innumerable right wing groups to spread lies about her activities in Hanoi and elsewhere.

To be fair, these rumors have some basis in reality, but often what started out as something good that Jane did was turned around and made into something evil. Thus the urban legend about the US POWs she was alleged to have met with, and then she asked them for their social security numbers, in the guise of helping them get out. In the 2006 version propulgated by hatemongers, Fonda "jeered at the POWs and then handed their pieces of paper to the Vietnamese guards. Again, the men were severely beaten until three of them died, leaving only the fourth one to tell the tale." Needless to say, this story is completely false. Books have sprung up arguing that Fonda should be tried for treason. It's insane.

Not to say she wasn't getting it from the Left the whole time, for the Godard-Gorin LETTER TO JANE is equally an appalling document, based on the fact that men think they can say anything bad about a woman and get away with it. Nasty little creeps.

According to Masoud, from those early days of their struggle the organization ran itself like a cult. Members were not allowed to read anyththing except that the organization gave them to read. They were told how to behave and how to think both publicly and privately. Any one with an opinion was ostracized.

Masoud Banisadr gives good account of the Mujahedin operating outside of Iran and their initial popularity with some Western governments and freedom fighters around the world. He expounds on their mililary wing, NLA, and how they conducted their attacks into Iranian territories, believing that they could advance all the way to Tehran which later proved to be just a grand illusion.

As Masoud missed his chances time and again to leave the organization, he misses a vital opportunity again in the book to redeem himself by denouncing violence. Twentieth century has produced remarkable political leaders like Gahndhi, Martin Luther King, Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandela who acheived so much through non-violonce and civil disobedience that there is no justification for human sacrifice in order to achieve liberty.

The book should have been called the The Memoirs of an Unrepented Iranian Rebel.

The main lesson from this book: Life is not black or white but an array of colours and shades. No one is absolute but God. The day you loose your thoughts, this is when you loose it all. Must relay on the people, like Mossadegh, Ghandi, Mandela, and not any absolutist organization for change and for freedom. Life is beautiful, cherish it.
Just read it.

Far too many Americans operate from the mindset that the "enemy of my enemy must be my friend." As such, still sore over the hostage crisis of a quarter century ago, and inclined to believe the worst accounts about Iran, simple Americans, conservative to liberal, leading Congressman to Faux News devotees, have been willing to believe the absurd claims about the Islamic Republic emanating from the Islamic Marxist CULT known to many as the People's Mujahedin of Iran.

As a result, we have "armies" of unthinking Mooj stooges around the USA willing to quote this and that Mooj source as fact. As the "thinking" goes, well, even if it the claim is something other than true, well, who cares - it serves the same desired "cause" - regime change in Iran. Fact is, it is counterproductive to such ends, on nationalist grounds, as few Iranians can stomach supporting an organization that served the ends of Saddam Hussein in his long war against Iran. (The Mooj are still based in Iraq - under de facto US encirclement, over objections from Iraqi leaders)

I know of no reputable INDEPENDENT scholarly observer of Iran who has EVER given credibility, at face value, to the claims emanating from the PMOI/MEK/Mooj.... Ervand Abrahamian is by the best scholar on the subject, yet there are others.

The US State Department has issued periodic reports on the Mooj - and for twelve years plus has been bold enough to call a spade a spade - and issue reports concluding that the PMOI is and remains a terrorist organization. Of course, Mooj defenders and certain neocon players have been claiming that its those State Department "liberals" at it again, and that their brand of the Mooj was merely for "political reasons" as they wanted to "appease" Iran.

Utter rubbish, to anybody with a clue about Iranian realities. Ex-Senator Torricelli (D-NJ) was forced to withdraw from his reelection campaign in part because he was exposed as a Mooj stooge - something less than politically correct after 9/11 and the presumed "war on terror." Other rising politicians, both Republican and Democrat, have also been tempted to take seriously Mooj claims. More seasoned hands know better.

Curiously, even some neocon figures are out now claiming that they "hate" the Mooj and their activities. Even (so-so)Rob Sobhani, the Pretender's (Shah) presumed foreign minister-in-waiting once warned of associations with the Mooj. (something some Monarchists have forgotten of late)

So what's the fuss? This book is a critical start to getting behind the standard propaganda waves behind the PMOI curtain. Yes, its a compelling personal story of Banisadr's political sojourn. I was a bit frustrated that his valuable analytical insights about the PMOI are often burried within long personal missives. I was particularly struck to read his account of the horrendous role of the female "handlers" within the PMOI. Here we had Banisadr acting as a key propagandist for the PMOI in foreign capitals, and yet his every movement, action, writing, and even his personal thinking was subject to "ideological" critiques by his "handlers."

In short, no thinking liberal or conservative (that includes you John Hughes) should be willing to quote any "fact" coming from the Mooj without careful checking and corroboration from sources separate from the Mooj. Banisadr's book, despite its minor flaws, provides a critical and moving eye-opener for anyone in the West contemplating how their own governments are being manipulated by ruthless expatriate pressure groups - in this case, vis-a-vis Iran.

The book does a good job explaining how cancer starts and what factors are needed to give cancer the boost it needs to inhabit your body at the cellular level. It explains ways to prevent cancer and the simple things we can do to become activists against such a deadly disease. This book seems to be written for an audience of 9th grade, making it very easy to understand.

This book is the synopsis of a Canadian gov't study. 'nuf said?
The author is on the stump for gov't controls, railing against everything from cigarettes to global warming. If you're at all concerned about cancer you will find:
a) nothing new in this book
b) nothing of value in this book
c) your high-school freshman daughter could have done better.

I teach a course on environmental health and have found this book to be an excellent resource for my students. Although this book was originally intended (I'm sure) as a book for ordinary consumers, I think it's best utilized as a teaching aid in health promotion. It's difficult to find good current resources in this area, and this book compliments widely-used, tried and true titles such as Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson.

While I think it's nice some other reviewers find Transforming Power (hereafter, TP) helpful enough to give it five stars, I confess that it strikes me as a typical product of the "religious left," urging use of government or group ("community") force to realize a certain vision of "social [or economic] justice." Though the text's vision of "how society should be" is put forward as being "the" biblical view, one notes how strongly it disagrees with the view of theonomists or dominionists (Gary North, Rousas Rushdoony, Gary DeMar, etc.), who likewise claim to put forward "the" biblical view. (As they are less selective in their present-day application of Old Testament law, I'd say the theonomists beat the lefties on consistency, though I think choice of allegiance here is more often a product of temperament than exegesis.)

A good example of where TP's authors are coming from is found on p. 56: "What the biblical writers were insisting is that a nation's economy must be socially responsible...equitable....Equitable...suggests carefully constructed vehicles in an economy to periodically redistribute wealth so that no one in the economy experiences either extreme poverty or extreme wealth." Now, of course, this statement ignores economic realities and human motivation, but that sort of thing has never been a hindrance to social and political activists on the left. If you're a liberal Democrat, you'll probably like this book. If you're a conservative Republican, a Libertarian, or someone who frequents and has some understanding of the Ludwig von Mises Institute Web site, you might be tempted to use TP as TP. Though I can't endorse his metaphysics (he was no friend of Christianity), Hayek has some relevant thoughts on "social [and economic] justice" in The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek).

The book is an inspiring, practical Biblically-based manual for moving from
charity to transformation of community. It is enriched by practical examples
from real life experiences in low income communities and working with people with sound
theological underpinnings. It is inspiring;one feels hopeful and not
dependent on experts, but that transformation, step by step, can happen
with committed people inspired by hope and small first successes. A must
book for people working in low income communities, especially with faith
connections.

Transforming Power is Linthicum's challenge to the Evangelical World to be smart about power - not the smoke and mirrors power of politics, which he hardly mentions, but the real, daily life power of bringing positive change to neighborhoods and cities. Starting with a solid biblical theology of society, with its spiritual, cultural, economical and political strands, Linthicum then moves to a description of God's intentions for the world. His discussion of the shalom community will not be new to frequent urbana.org readers, but he manages to bring freshness to the topic.

Linthicum's core message is what he calls the "Iron Rule of Power": never do for others what they can do for themselves. This notion, honed over decades of community organizing, means simply: don't create dependencies. Linthicum's case study is Nehemiah, who managed to enlist the residents of a decimated Jerusalem in the rebuilding of its walls.

Moving to the New Testament, Linthicum discusses the difference between relational power, legislative power, and violent power. The former is the greatest, because it is the longest lasting, and the most effective. It is also the power wielded by Jesus to the tremendous frustration of the wielders of legislative power in his day. In the same way, Christians need to be great stewards of their relationships, in order to most effectively distribute God's empowerment among his church.

Transforming Power is both a theoretical book and a practical book and is well worth the read. While it could have used a bit more discussion of spiritual realities and strongholds, the book should provide a powerful biblical framework for our use of, rather than our flight from, power.

This is the book we've been waiting for.
Clear, easy to read, the only book on the market for non-profit video-makers. Buy it today!

this book was exactly what i've been looking for! i wish i had it when i started out as a video activist. you must buy this book if you are in anyway involved with campaigning!

This is the first book on the market that tells you about how you can use video to bring about change in your community. The first edition received rave reviews (see below). The second edition is out September 2001. Buy it while stocks last! Here are some other people's reviews: 'This book is about media that doesn't just cover activism, it is activism, a crucial part of the process of reclaiming public space and communities.' -Naomi Klein, author "No Logo", 'The Video Activist Handbook' does exactly what it says on the label. Buy it. Read it. Act on it. Your world will never be the same again." - Charles Secrett, Director, Friends of the Earth. For a full copy of this review click here "Cover-to-cover with the kind of advice that budding video vigilantes should heed: everything from basic kit to broadcast....Thomas Harding has laid out his information in such an accessible, linear way that his book could almost function as a blueprint for any form of activism." -Extract from foreword by Anita Roddick (Body Shop). For a full copy of extract click here "You must read this book if you are in any way involved in campaigning" Robby Kellman Greenpeace "A masterpiece of empowerment. Accessible, friendly, and well-informed. No environmental or social justice campaign group should be without this book... Buy this book. It's inspiring" - Peace News. This second edition of the highly popular Video Activist Handbook includes numerous examples of contemporary video activism from around the world. The first book to provide the basic skills and know-how required for beginning video activism, it also offers a wealth of ideas on video strategies to those with some prior experience. Whether you are involved in campaigning, non violent direct action or simply want to know how to make use of a video as a political tool, this book is for you. Chapters include: A history of video activism Dealing with TV newsdesks Making a campaign video Putting video on the Web Editing a campaign video Organising a video screening Training activists how to use video Getting quality audio and video images The book also includes over a hundred case studies of video activism around the world as well as inspirational photos of video activists in action.

Mickey on the cross, credit card exorcisms and the anti-consumerist gospel are just a few of the wonderful things you can expect out of Reverend Billy's shows. All of this has been captured on the page in this captivating and passionate book. Funny and wise, who needs a Starbucks coffee when you have Bill Talen to wake you up.

You know that local store in your town that has been there for years? Maybe you even know the name of the nice woman behind the counter, or maybe she knows yours. Yeah, that one. Soon it will be gone. A large corporation from another town in another state will move into that store and that nice lady won't work there anymore because they pay somebody from another town less money. Over time you will notice this happening alot. Look around YOUR neighborhood, do you see a Home Depot where the hardware store used to be? Is there an Applebees where your favorite restaurant as a child used to stand? If not, there will be. Unless we listen to the message of Bill Talen, an out of work actor from Hells Kitchen. When in character as "Reverend Billy" he preaches to anyone willing to listen about the serious problems that consumerism and relentless advertisment and big business in general cause in our neighborhoods. He also preaches about the solution to the problem, simple things that we, you and i, can do in our own lives to combat this problem. We can practice consumer disobediance, we can avoid shopping at places like Walmart and go to the local grocery. Or you can actually walk past the fifteen Starbucks' on your block and buy coffee from your local deli. Maybe the guy who owns the deli coaches your kids soccer team. Who owns Starbucks? Does he care about your family or your neighborhood? Rev. Billy cares about your neighborhood and so should you.

Stop shopping. Good advice.

This book let women talk about their own encounter of the difficulties in buddhist life. The situation differs from country to country. In some countries the achievement of women is amazing. They have to swim agianst the stream and all are willing to stuggle for one main goal an equal and forfulling buddhist life for women.

This is a set of 16 essays on Buddhist women's social change efforts around the globe, including little-known areas as Newar Buddhists of Nepal, Spiti Valley, & the unnerving "Trafficking in Buddhist Girls." The quality of the articles varies dramatically. However, as David Gellner points out, p. 156, "Social work by monks or nuns, worthy though it is, is a modernist adaptation of traditional Buddhist practice." Indeed, the book seems an application of feminism to Buddhism, disregarding Buddhist spirituality. In fact, some of the interviewed nuns disagreed with Western women authors on the why of gender differences, their meaning to them, & their actual importance. IMHO, the strong Western feminist bias detracts from the book's impact. Per Caren Ohlson p. 248: "The conflict between Asian and Western cultural values is just one example of the challenges...Western focus on individual goals and the cultivation of a `unique' identity grate against the Asian idea of identity in connection to family and community, not to a sense of individual uniqueness." Strangely, her article is replete with bias & high valence language-seemingly she knows better than Asian nuns what's best for them. "Misogyny" is overused-in truth, nuns model it--its main meaning is "anti-marriage;" though "institutional androcentrism" & "anti-feminist" are justified, IMO. Several writers convincingly (both historically & per present trends) object to the 8 special rules making nuns subservient to monks. But their discounting Sri Lanka monks' objections to breaking lineage & labeling them misogynists is unjustified--people vary in need for structure etc. & attributing motivations to other people (& in a different culture) is risky at best. Also, most of their arguments are sociological-- p. 239: Caren Ohlson: "the socially constructed dichotomy of `woman' as the temptress and `man' as tempted." Jungians might consider this as psychological projection. Tsomo states: p. 67: "If Buddhist monastic institutions are to continue in the modern world, they must be based on gender equity...Neither the Buddha, his followers, nor the Buddhist monastic codes can be extracted from their social context...Now that gender equity has become part of a new global ethic, it is opportune to explore how Buddhism's egalitarian principles can be practically applied to social and religious institutions." But this assumes that SE Asia chooses to enter the "modern" (Western) world-one in which Buddhism has yet to make a major impact--despite p. 231 note 8: Elise Anne DeVido saying: "The requirements of the modern world demand modification to , or liberal interpretation of, the Vinaya." True, in her Introduction, Tsomo argues cogently concerning the legitimacy of Vinaya monastic rules & their relation to the 8. She is supported strongly in the last essay: pp. 237-8: Caren Ohlson: "Sponberg claims that the above story is by no means a historical account to the establishment of the nun's order. On the contrary, he asserts that the story was fabricated by monks...after the death of the Buddha...The 8 special rules that were created to govern nuns' behavior represented a mirror image of the husband/wife relationship in the lay community." Still, it's the prevailing Buddhist myth and scattered social action is unlikely to change it quickly especially without strong, active involvement & leadership by local Buddhist men & women. Tsomo & others' books do document progress in this & related areas.

I wanted to love this book, because I wanted to find some hope in the matter of global warming. But I couldn't find much within the covers that I would call practical. There is little here to appeal to ordinary citizens. It makes me think of the Federalist Papers, the theoretical arguments in favor of representative government. It just doesn't have a lot to do with ordinary citizens, trying to earn a living and support a family. "Ignition" is probably a great read for theorists, but if your interests lie more in the realm of practical action, rather than theoretical underpinnings, "Ignition" is going to be a tough slog. It surely was for me.

Combining incisive essays with success stories. It shows how to save our planet and fight global warming.

This book is disappointing. While it may help a college student or other really new person grasp some of the concepts of organizing it is not useful to practioners.

The Midwest Academy used to have a very good training manual covering many issues. As the book got slicker looking the information got worse.

Get Shel Trapp's old Basics of Organizing instead - much more useful, and free on the internet.

This manual takes you through waht you need to know about organizing. From strategy development to research to implementation, this book shows you how to do it. Well written and simple to understand. Outstanding reference for novice to experienced organizer.

The best purchase you can make and you won't need to buy others.