Customer Reviews

The Activist's Handbook: A Primer Updated Edition with a New Preface

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Even if you're not an activist and don't want to be, as long as you have any sort of interest in social change, this book will be well worth reading. Packed with examples of how movements have succeeded and failed, this extremely readable handbook will inspire through its analysis of strategies and tactics that can be used to accomplish what many of us desperately want. Most of us understand already that simply arguing for social justice will fail to achieve it, but -- as Shaw demonstrates -- Herculean efforts, if miscalculated, will just as surely fail. In this book, Shaw describes successful strategies for community organizers, effective relationships with elected officials, the use of coalitions, ballot initiatives, the media, lawyers, and direct action strategies. The most persuasive theme tying each of these discussions together is that the best defense is an effective offense, that a failure to aggressively pursue positive change is a strategy for worsening the status quo.

This book is highly readable and has GREAT examples and tips. The author shows examples where organizations succeeded and where they failed. As a novice activist, I found it to be very helpful. The examples are diverse so I think there is a great deal for more experienced activits to learn as well. The only drawback of this book is that it focuses only on domestic issues. For those whose causes are on the international level as well as the domestic level would find that to be the only draw back. Still, this is a useful book with great examples and ideas that any activist could use and relate to their own campaign.

I am almost finished with the book, The Activist's Handbook, and I must say, it is the best book on the subject that I have read. Shaw's insights into why certain tactics and strategies fail when organizing a campaign are spot-on in my experience. His use of case-study examples for each chapters makes the book relevant for activists in any arena. Particularly when I was reading a news article today, I had a better understanding of all of the implications of the State Department giving the green light to the Keystone pipeline. Big fan of the book and would recommend it to anyone and everyone!