Activist's Handbook

"Anybody researching or writing anything about contemporary U.S. political life should be familiar withThe Activist's Handbook. Anybody attempting to influence local, state, or national political decisions needs it desperately. Politicians may read it and tremble a bit. For that matter, the rich and powerful will probably read it to see how smart some of their enemies are becoming."--Ernest Callenbach, author ofEcotopia "Provides rare insight into the strategies and tactics environmentalists must use if they are to succeed in today's political climate. A must read."--Barbara Dudley, Executive Director, Greenpeace "This is a unique book, wise, realistic, and enormously valuable for anyone interested in social change. It is practical in its advice, and inspiring in its stories of ordinary people successfully confronting powerful interests."--Howard Zinn, author ofA People's History of the United St ates "The Activist's Handbookcould not have come at a more opportune time. In an era when poverty is growing and national social programs are threatened, the Handbook is an invaluable tool for community groups wishing to mobilize efforts in the service of escalating human needs."--Ben Bagdikian, author ofThe Media Monopoly and Double Vision "Randy Shaw gives us a serious and respectful treatment of the strategic problems and opportunities that confront grassroots activists. This is a dimension of contemporary politics that is rarely treated, and welcome for that reason. Moreover, in developing his analysis, Shaw draws on numerous cases of local struggles to remind us of what the media has come to ignore, the persistent and insuppressible popular activism that is part of American political life."--Frances Fox Piven, City University of New YorkShaw, Randy is the author of 'Activist's Handbook' with ISBN 9780520203150 and ISBN 0520203151.