Toward a Living Revolution


Book Description

The Arab Awakening and other nonviolent insurrections have often failed to produce lasting democratic change. A believer in empowerment, Lakey proposes a stage-by-stage developmental framework to get better, more transformational results. Still incorporating the nonviolent coercive force that has brought down dictators, Lakey uses historical “best practices” from movements to show how people can grow a revolution that roots itself even while it confronts. The five stages begin with consciousness change, lifting an intersectional vision that inspires and provides the basis for a critical mass to join the movement as it pushes through each developmental stage. Lakey shows how to reconcile pre-figurative alternative institutions with confrontive direct action teams, making the most of inherent synergistic potentials. With actual stories from confrontation with violent authorities he describes what works best for unifying and building the movement to the point where it can carry out the mass noncooperation that opens a power vacuum. Earlier democratic organizing structures—growing as the strategy unfolds—can then fill the vacuum. This stage prevents a relapse into the old oppression and defends the new society against counterrevolutionary forces. Although focused on how each society can realize its own revolution, this book acknowledges the context of global power and proposes a vision for transformed world institutions that are on the side of peace and justice. The principles in the book have particular application in the climate crisis humanity now faces, which is why the book describes a living revolution.




Living the Revolution


Book Description

Italians were the largest group of immigrants to the United States at the turn of the twentieth century, and hundreds of thousands led and participated in some of the period's most volatile labor strikes. Jennifer Guglielmo brings to life the Italian working-class women of New York and New Jersey who helped shape the vibrant radical political culture that expanded into the emerging industrial union movement. Tracing two generations of women who worked in the needle and textile trades, she explores the ways immigrant women and their American-born daughters drew on Italian traditions of protest to form new urban female networks of everyday resistance and political activism. She also shows how their commitment to revolutionary and transnational social movements diminished as they became white working-class Americans.







Living Room Revolution


Book Description

The author of The Circle of Simplicity “joyfully invites us to discover a robust and real personal expansion with each other as we remake our society” (Mark Lakeman, cofounder, The City Repair Project). Every man for himself! For too long we have lived in a competitive, consumer-oriented culture, destroying the well-being of people and the planet. We believe that money brings happiness, yet all too often, the opposite is true. The pursuit of wealth at any cost corrupts our values and diminishes our lives. The resulting inequality breaks down social cohesion and generates envy, bitterness, and resentment. Greed breeds more greed. Living Room Revolution refutes the notion that selfishness is at the root of human nature. Research shows that people—given the right circumstances—can be caring, nurturing and collaborative. Presented with the opportunity, they gravitate toward actions and policies embodying empathy, fairness, and trust instead of competition, fear, and greed. The regeneration of social ties and the sense of caring and purpose that comes from creating community drive this essential transformation. At the heart of this movement is the ancient art of conversation. Living Room Revolution provides a practical toolkit of concrete strategies to facilitate personal and social change by bringing people together in community and conversation. The heart of happiness is joining with others in good talk and laughter. Each person can make a difference, and it can all start in your own living room! “Small groups. Study circles. Stop ’n chats. House parties. Movie nights. Online sharing. Bring people together, and you never know what kind of fuse you’ll ignite for change.” —Wanda Urbanska, author of The Heart of Simple Living




Toward an American Revolution


Book Description

In simple direct language, Jerry Fresia reveals the true intent of our "Founding Fathers" who designed the Constitution to protect their property and ensure that the poorer majority would have no real voice in political affairs. Fresia reveals the Founders' fears of "too much" democracy, why the Constitution was opposed by most Americans, and how its ratification was gained through deception and physical coercion. Toward an American Revolution shows how the illegal wars, domestic repression, and economic inequity of late twentieth century America are not incongruous with our Constitutional design. Book jacket.




A Revolution in Generosity


Book Description

"Give over $100 today and get this personalized state-of-the-art fountain pen free!" "Become a gold sponsor and your name wll be featured on our exclusive Wall of Fame!" "Send in your donation by December 31st and enjoy the benefits of giving on your next tax return!" Who hasn't heard fundraising gimmicks like these? Or, who hasn't used these gimmicks on others? As Wes Willmer writes, generosity is the natural outcome of God's transforming work in individuals when they are conformed to the image of Christ. Fundraising and giving are not simply drops in the bucket. Capital campaigns and raising funds go deeper than the money. They are spiritual activities in becoming more like Christ. A Revolution in Generosity is a work by some of the best scholars and practitioners on the subject of funding Christian organizations. As Willmer writes, "The foundation for realizing a revolution in generosity is understanding the biblical view of possessions, generosity, and asking for resources." With over twenty expert contributors, this book is a must-read for organizations striving to rid themselves of secular, asking practices and gain an eternal approach.




Resource Manual for a Living Revolution


Book Description

Covers group dynamics, strategy planning, meetings, group decision making, conflict resolution, personal growth, community support, and training and organizing skills for those seeking nonviolent social change




The Minimalist Revolution


Book Description

Do you find yourself endlessly running after things that you buy on a whim, intending for them to quench that insatiable thirst inside of you?Is your living space filled with items that have started to collect dust because you don't have enough time to use all of them?Are you dissatisfied that your life has become an accumulation of all sorts of stuff, tangible or not, that do not really add value to who you are?If YES typifies your answer to these questions, then you may find yourself bogged down by the things that you think you own, but in reality, they POSSESS you. You are on a continual loop of getting and collecting things that you feel you need but in truth you don't.It's time to seize back CONTROL and TAKE CHARGE. These things, materially or mentally, do not define and own YOU. In fact, if you give it some serious thought, it may be that most of them you can actually do without.By choosing to live INTENTIONALLY and cutting back on stuff that don't ultimately matter in the grand scheme of things, you can be SET FREE from the shackles of consumerism. You will ENJOY a life where you get to live MORE by needing LESS. You will be on the road towards MINIMALISM and will definitely have fun while at it. This book will take you on a journey to living a life of GENUINE SATISFACTION, letting go of the material things that most people will consider a source of happiness. Steer your life in another direction. Turn that page and start your WONDROUS TRIP.




The Revolution of Hope


Book Description

The acclaimed social psychologist and New York Times–bestselling author examines how to maintain hope and humanity in an increasingly technological society. Life often contains events that do not have the outcomes we desire. However, many situations offer the possibility of a better outcome later. We simply need hope. But what is hope? What happens if we choose it? And what happens if we give it up? In The Revolution of Hope, Erich Fromm contemplates the definition of hope and what it means to be human. When the book was first published in 1968, Fromm saw society heading towards complete mechanization, devoted to maximal material output and consumption, directed by computers. With this book, he poses to the reader the choice between becoming a helpless cog in the machine or embracing humanism and hope. “An uplifting exploration of the definition of hope, what it truly means to be human, and steps that should be taken to promote humanization in an increasingly disconnected and technology-driven society.” —Midwest Book Review




Salty


Book Description

Film critic and food writer Alissa Wilkinson sits down with a hypothetical table of smart, engaging, revolutionary women of the twentieth century to explore the ways food centered each woman's creative work. As we meet these multifaceted women, we learn how to live with courage, smarts, saltiness, and sometimes feasting--even in uncertain times.