“'(We) are embracing the power within us to create the world anew, thereby freeing ourselves from our elected officials in Washington who disempower us by promising solutions that encourage us to think like victims dependent on them for crumbs.'
No book can provide the solution as society collapses around us, but I’ll find myself returning to Grace Lee Boggs for words of something. She’s an icon of grassroots activism for human rights, and this book first came out in 2011, followed by a new edition in 2012, and its staying power never fades. In the climb for social justice it often feels like we, the people, are standing at the bottom of a sheer rock face covered in ice. But Grace Lee Boggs reminds us that we are the leaders we are looking for.'
Publisher University of California Press
Publication Date 2012-05-31
Section New Titles - Paperback / Politics / All Staff Suggestions / Nonfiction Suggestions / Lily R.
Format Paperback
ISBN 9780520272590
The pioneering Asian American labor organizer and writer’s vision for intersectional and anti-racist activism.
In this powerful, deeply humanistic book, Grace Lee Boggs, a legendary figure in the struggle for justice in America, shrewdly assesses the current crisis—political, economical, and environmental—and shows how to create the radical social change we need to confront new realities. A vibrant, inspirational force, Boggs has participated in all of the twentieth century’s major social movements—for civil rights, women’s rights, workers’ rights, and more. She draws from seven decades of activist experience, and a rigorous commitment to critical thinking, to redefine “revolution” for our times.
From her home in Detroit, she reveals how hope and creativity are overcoming despair and decay within the most devastated urban communities. Her book is a manifesto for creating alternative modes of work, politics, and human interaction that will collectively constitute the next American Revolution—which is unraveling before our eyes.
"Reading Grace Lee Boggs helps you glimpse a United States that is better and more beautiful than you thought it was. As she analyzes some of the inspiring theories and practices that have emerged from the struggles for equality and freedom in Detroit and beyond, she also shows us that in this country, a future revolution is not only necessary but possible." --Michael Hardt, co-author of Commonwealth
"This groundbreaking book not only represents the best of Grace Lee Boggs, but the best of any radical, visionary thinking in the United States. She reminds us why revolution is not only possible and necessary, but in some places already in the making. The conditions we face under neoliberalism and war do, indeed, mark the end of an era in which the old ideological positions of protest are not really relevant or effective--and this book offers a new way forward." --Robin D.G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination
"Grace Boggs has long been a major voice of hope and action for transformation of the United States and the world. Here is her testimony of hope and program for action. It must be taken seriously." --Immanuel Wallerstein, author of Utopistics: or, Historical Choices of the Twenty-first Century
"One of the most accomplished radicals of our time, the Detroit-based visionary Grace Lee Boggs has become one of our most influential and inspiring public intellectuals. The Next American Revolution is her powerful reflection on a lifetime of urban revolutionary work, an ode to the courage and brilliance of her late partner James Boggs, and a plain-spoken call for us to address the troubled times we face with a sense of history, a strong set of values, and an unwavering faith in our own creative, restorative powers." --Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop
