Get Opinionated: A Progressive's Guide to Finding Your Voice (and Taking a Little Action) [Paperback]

Amanda Marcotte (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 2010

For those who like their politics blunt, raw, and uncompromising comes Get Opinionated—a guide to the issues you care about: environmentalism, reproductive rights and access, taxes and public wealth, GLBTQ rights, health care, the War on Terror, the War on Drugs, and the Culture Wars.

Get Opinionated will help you find your political voice and galvanize you into action—or at least help you understand which issues you care about (or which ones most piss you off)—and why.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Amanda Marcotte graduated summa cum laude from St. Edward’s University with a BA in English literature. She worked as the blog manager for the John Edwards campaign in 2007, after which she became a full-time writer. Currently, Amanda blogs for Pandagon.com and podcasts and writes for RHRealityCheck.org. Her writing has appeared in many publications, including Salon.com, the Los Angeles Times, and the Guardian (UK). She lives in Austin with her two cats, boyfriend, and record player.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press (March 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580053025
• ISBN-13: 978-1580053020
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,533,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book, misses a few points though... January 17, 2011

By Charles

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The book has a lot to do about integrating an ecological consciousness into your daily life on the cheap. That's most of the action bits.
The author does a good job of getting a broad topic like "progressive" into one book, but missed the mark (and googling her name will get you some of her controversy). She didn't write anything at all about white folks checking their privilege.

In order to work well within the progressive movement, a thorough understanding of race in the history of the United States or [insert your country here] is necessary so you can communicate effectively with your fellow allies. It was the "elephant in the room" of the book. She didn't mention bi folks or trans folks either, but that's probably because she's straight and doesn't think that far.

I regifted this to a progressive friend after reading it (got it just before Giftsmas for that purpose, in case I didn't like it).

Reading feminist/progressive blogs online will get you basically the same content. Save your money.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview of issues July 2, 2010

By Joan Crow-epps

Format:Paperback

An excellent overview of progressive issues, with some very helpful pointers on how to promote them and how to usefully frame the conversation in discussions with the opposition. Not recommended for the prissy, since it is profane and in your face, but well worth reading! It also conclusively debunks the stereotype of "humorless liberal" as it is laugh-out-loud funny with lots of lines you'll take the time to retype into chain e-mails so you can recommend that all your friends buy a copy.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong Contribution From A Strong Writer December 27, 2010

By Timothy Ellis

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

More than just a polemic, "Get Opinionated" is a fun romp through the modern American political scene by one of the strongest writers available. The book is a quick, well-organized read designed to appeal to the internet generation without reducing itself to a series of collected blog posts.

Tipping this book over into the 5-star column was the inclusion of specific actions for the reader to take to address the issues currently facing the nation; adding an active segment to a book on politics seems like a no-brainer, but it is frequently overlooked.

Recommended for progressives especially, but conservatives with a good sense of humor may enjoy it as well.