Tales of the Revolution: True Stories of People who are Poking the Box and Making a Difference [Kindle Edition]

Seth Godin (Editor)

Book Description

Early in March, The Domino Project published Seth Godin’s Poke the Box. We Immediately received stories about people taking initiative in their own lives - doing things differently at work or with their families, taking initiative in places they were scared to. Prompted by the number of inspiring stories we received, we launched Tales of the Revolution, profiling examples of passionate self-starters who regularly went above and beyond to make a difference by doing. This free Kindle edition is a sampling of the hundreds of stories we received. Each one could be just the right inspiration for you to keep poking.

The Domino Project
April, 2011

Editorial Reviews

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

What is Tales of the Revolution?
Tales of the Revolution is a collection of first person stories of people who are going above and beyond to take initiative and make an impact. The Domino Project, a new publishing venture created by Seth Godin and Powered by Amazon, launched this initiative after the release of Godin’s newest best-selling book, Poke the Box, started asking people to do just that: create a ruckus. Here is a sampling of some of the many inspiring examples you will find inside this free Kindle edition.

The Power of $10 Ideas
Amy M. McMillan [is] the Genesee County Parks and Recreation Commissioner in Flint, Michigan. Faced with [having to cut her budget], Amy turned to her think tank – her staff – for help. Her plan to balance the budget began with an invitation to staff to suggest cost-cutting initiatives that would each save the Genesee County Parks $10. She hoped the staffs’ ideas would be able to save the parks between $25,000 and $40,000. Before long, dozens of ideas were submitted, evaluated and implemented. Practical suggestions were in place quickly: Cell phones used by seasonal staff were put on “vacation” mode to save monthly fees. Computers, screens and typewriters were turned off at night. Amy agreed to let the staff wear blue jeans instead of the uniform pants that are provided to them. Sand, which is cheap and plentiful, was used in place of salt for snow and ice control where possible. Staff also suggested lengthening the routine mowing cycle by one day to save fuel and labor, and they advocated for a new “grow not mow” philosophy by enhancing natural features of the parks and reducing areas that need to be regularly mowed. A suggested “office supply round-up” generated bins and boxes of unused office supplies taking up space in desks, drawers and shelves. Those supplies were, in turn, made available to staff who needed them, saving on the purchase of new supplies and reducing duplicates. Trophies were switched from mugs to less expensive medals. Even a step as simple as changing the default to black on the color copier saved money by eliminating accidental expensive color printing. By year’s end, the savings totaled a whopping $167,000, enabling jobs to be retained and park services to continue. [T]hat savings of $167,000 kept parks staff employed, [and] it helped keep others in the county employed as well. Many of the savings realized will continue to make a difference in the Parks Commissions bottom line for years to come, because staff have changed forever they way they do things. While she gives full credit for the success of the savings campaign to her employees and members of the Commission, it’s Amy’s signature enthusiasm that gets people fired up and eager to work with her, and her “never say never” attitude that that leads to finding creative solutions for even the toughest problems.

Supermom: The Story of Dr. L. P. Charie
[Ninety year old Dr. L. P. Charie] spent last year literally getting an act of congress passed. And she succeeded, in record time—than a year. Reading through the means test levels for veterans medical benefits, she discovered how outdated and unfair they were. To qualify for care at the veterans hospital, the veteran was asked: Are you a full time student? Are you a full time farmer? and so on. What 80 or 90 year old WW2 vet is a full time farmer or student? It was grossly unfair. These are the people who served and who need care the most, our senior veterans, frail and alone, many of them. Mom wrote her governor; he ignored her. She wrote her congressman, on the veterans committee; he ignored her. She enlisted the aid of a brigadier general, a woman who runs the Women’s Memorial in Washington, and that got action. Mom talked the General's aid for 45 minutes. Mom submitted her work, a detailed review of paragraph and line of each form that needed to change. Within a year, it was done. Mom went to the Vets hospital and read over them. Not only were they changed correctly, but they were done in blue ink so that the change was visible. In a bureaucracy within a bureaucracy, the military and the congress, she effected meaningful change within a very reasonable time.

Product Details

• File Size: 243 KB
• Print Length: 116 pages
• Publisher: The Domino Project (April 19, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004TTHL46
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,958 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
  • #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Management

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 40 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Not to be confused with an actual book May 11, 2011

By Jason C. Williams

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is actually just a collection of anecdotes. No narration. No structure. No themes. Just one anecdote after another. Its all vy inspiring yes, but it also feels like a tossed salad. Totally mixed up with no structure.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring April 20, 2011

By Donna

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book gave me ideas for things I can do to make a difference and has inspired me to take action. This book celebrates the human spirit and showcases remarkable people who are changing the world. As they say hope springs eternal. It;s fascinating to read about these unique people and how they put their dreams in motion.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Buy the real thing, not the free spin-off June 29, 2011

By William Riddell

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Some inspiring stories lost amongst a sea of ra ra and blah blah. Not really worth the time spent to read.