The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now, Vol. 1: US Weapons of Mass Destruction, Women's Issues, Education, Mainstream Media [Paperback]

Heather Wokusch (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Heather Wokusch's political essays stand prominently among a noble American tradition of dissent and free thought, and provide vital ammunition for all who seek to realize a world where peace and social justice may prevail. Wokusch's exceptionally intelligent, witty, and passionate work beckons us to action." -- Sunil K. Sharma, DissidentVoice.org Editor and Publisher

Heather Wokusch stands in a fine - though scarcely flourishing - tradition of American journalism: she's committed to serving the people for whom she writes, to giving a voice to the voiceless and not taking buzzwords for an answer. If you want to know what's at stake in today's politics, don't rely on the corporate-controlled media: read The Progressives' Handbook. -- Steven P. McGiffen, Editor of Spectrezine.org and author of Biotechnology: Corporate Power Versus The Public Interest

What sets the books above the heap of other politically-inspired manuals is Wokusch's writing style. She is punchy but not preachy and her ability to synthesize information, giving readers everything they need to know and leaving out the rest, is invaluable. -- Tara Lohan, AlterNet.org

About the Author

Heather Wokusch is a blogger and the author of The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now series. Her political awakening came in 1986 when she spent a year doing development work in the Philippines and witnessed the People Power Revolution firsthand. Her commentary is regularly featured on major progressive sites and her articles have appeared in publications such as The Baltimore Sun, In These Times, Foreign Policy in Focus and Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 198 pages
• Publisher: Heather Sutherland Wokusch; Updated edition (November 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0978784200
• ISBN-13: 978-0978784201
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,323,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Eye-Opener, September 17, 2006

By 

Leigh Hall "Leigh Hall" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now, Vol. 1: US Weapons of Mass Destruction, Women's Issues, Education, Mainstream Media (Paperback)

I consider myself informed but was stunned at the information presented here. I've read Wokusch for years and waited for this book, and it lives up to all expectations. She's got a way of making complex topics understandable and getting across how big political issues affect each of us personally.

The US Weapons of Mass Destruction chapter is amazing, and should be mandatory reading for all Americans. I don't think anyone else has brought out so much information about US biological/chemical/nuclear weapons programs before. Readers will be stunned at how much money is being diverted to these secretive programs and how much danger they pose to all of us.

The Education chapter comprehensively covers threats to American public education. As Wokusch writes: "Put it all together and the Bush administration's scam seems clear: force public schools to meet impossible demands through NCLB testing, don't give them enough money to make the required changes, and then question the patriotism of anyone who disagrees. Shut down the many schools which inevitably fail and offer vouchers as the solution, thereby privatising education and mandating that taxpayers fund religion in the classroom. Nifty way to institutionalize huge corporate profits with almost no accountability."

The Women's Issues chapter is a great review of rollbacks in women's rights under Bush, with witty subsections like "Back to the Kitchen, Betty" and well-documented facts. It's worth buying the book just for the Mainstream Media section on Jeff Gannon alone ("Snow job or blow job?"). Hysterical.

I really enjoyed reading this book. Wokusch describes the problems America is facing but then gives tons of ideas for how each of us can make the situation better. Can't wait to start reading Volume 2.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant book!, December 2, 2007

By 

Sutter - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now, Vol. 1: US Weapons of Mass Destruction, Women's Issues, Education, Mainstream Media (Paperback)

This November 2007 updated version of The Progressives' Handbook (Volume 1) is even better than the first one, including a lot of new links and information. I've never read a better summary of the Bush administration's hidden weapons of mass destruction programs anywhere else and Wokusch's rundown of rollbacks in women's issues, education and media should be recommended reading for all Americans. She has a fun and accessible writing style, but the information packs a punch. Buy one for your best progressive friend - buy two for your right-wing relatives.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Progressives' Handbook, October 22, 2006

By 

Viviane Lerner "Viviane" (Hilo, HI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now, Vol. 1: US Weapons of Mass Destruction, Women's Issues, Education, Mainstream Media (Paperback)

This book is a Progressives' dream.

Here comes a relentless chronicle of what the Bush Administration has brought us in so many areas [US Weapons of mass Destruction, Women's Issues, Education, Mainstream Media, Elections & Voting, Environment, Foreign Policy...]. Heather Wokusch tells us very concisely where we stand as a result, with simple suggestions on what we can do about it.
Chock-full of well-documented facts yet very easy to read, lively, uncompromising, here's the perfect Reference Book for our troubled times.

This was a colossal undertaking, no doubt, on the behalf of us the *real* people who may get confused at times by the thickness of the lies raining on us. This book feeds our mind and also frees our intuition and vision for a better world.

It also provides countless tips on what we can do to hold on to this vision and help it unfold.

What a Must-Read, we have much to thank Heather Wokusch for!