Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead--My Life Story

by Cecile Richards Narrated by Cecile Richards, Lauren Peterson

Overview

From Cecile Richards, the former president of Planned Parenthood for more than a decade, daughter of the late Ann Richards, featured speaker at the Women's March on Washington, and “the heroine of the resistance” (Vogue), comes “an enthralling memoir” (Booklist, starred review) filled with “practical advice and inspiration for aspiring leaders everywhere” (Hillary Rodham Clinton).

Cecile Richards has been an activist since she was taken to the principal's office in seventh grade for wearing an armband in protest of the Vietnam War. Richards had an extraordinary childhood in ultra-conservative Texas, where her civil rights attorney father and activist mother taught their kids to be troublemakers. She had a front-row seat to observe the rise of women in American politics and watched her mother, Ann, transform from a housewife to an electrifying force in the Democratic party.

As a young woman, Richards worked as a labor organizer alongside women earning minimum wage, and learned that those in power don't give it up without a fight. She experienced first-hand the misogyny, sexism, fake news, and the ever-looming threat of violence that constantly confront women who challenge authority.

Now, after years of advocacy, resistance, and progressive leadership, she shares her “truly inspiring” (Redbook) story for the first time-from the joy and heartbreak of activism to the challenges of raising kids, having a life, and making change, all the while garnering a reputation as “the most badass feminist EVER” (Teen Vogue).

In the “powerful and infinitely readable” (Gloria Steinem) Make Trouble, Richards reflects on the people and lessons that have gotten her through good times and bad, and encourages the rest of us to take risks, make mistakes, and make trouble along the way.

Editorial Reviews

APRIL 2018 - AudioFile

Cecile Richards, longtime president of Planned Parenthood, delivers a terrific performance of her inspiring new memoir. While not a professional narrator, Richards is a practiced public speaker who reads with energy, enunciation, excellent pacing, and emotion as she tracks her career in rabble-rousing from its start at home in Waco, Texas. The child of political activists—her father, a lawyer, often represented unions, and her mother famously became a left-leaning governor of Texas—Richards began her own trouble-making career by getting kicked out of school for protesting the Vietnam War. What a ride it’s been since. Richards is fierce, funny, and pulls no punches, which will offend some and motivate many for whom this stirring audiobook will serve as a call to action. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2018 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Katha Pollitt

Books by public figures, especially when written with help from others…are often pretty deadly, but Make Trouble manages to be genial, engaging and humorous…As its title implies, this is not just a memoir but a call to action. Richards wants you to know that you too can make social change. She also wants you to know that a life of social activism is fun…Considering how often progressives are portrayed as joyless scolds, this is a message that needs to get out more. There's a lot of satisfaction in activism, even if you don't win every battle…It is not going to be easy to undo the damage that every day seems to bring to women's rights, status, opportunities and well-being, but if you're looking for books to fill you with energy for the long haul that lies before us, this one is a great place to start.

Publishers Weekly

03/12/2018
In this passionate self-portrait, activist Richards maps her road to success from union organizer to her tenure as president of Planned Parenthood, recalling the experiences that shaped her career. She opens with the 2015 congressional hearings in which Planned Parenthood faced fierce scrutiny from the heavily Republican committee, sparked by a smear video released by an anti-abortion group. The committee found no wrongdoing, and the outpouring of popular support led Richards to reflect on her career. From there, she goes back to her upbringing as the eldest child of politician Ann Richards, who later became the first female governor of Texas, and civil rights attorney David Richards. Their Dallas home was “the local gathering place for misfits and rabble-rousers.” As Richards relays her college years and onwards, her focus remains squarely on human rights—she met her husband while working for the United Labor Union in New Orleans, and she moved back to Texas to start a family and launch the Texas Freedom Alliance to support public education and religious liberty. Richards’s commitment to progressive values, particularly reproductive rights, is evident throughout this book. It serves as a call to action for women who are mobilizing to make a difference in government and healthcare policies. Photos. (Apr.)

From the Publisher

By detailing her own political battles, Cecile Richards has crafted a blueprint for budding activists.... Genial, engaging, and humorous ... If you’re looking for books to fill you with energy for the long haul that lies before us, this one is a great place to start.”
—New York Times Book Review

“For more than a decade, America has known Cecile Richards as the fierce and fearless president of Planned Parenthood. Make Trouble offers a window into her life: the early organizing effort that landed her in the principal’s office; the historic campaign of her mother, Ann Richards, for governor of Texas; her courageous leadership on behalf of women; her travels during the 2016 presidential election; and the lessons she’s learned from the outpouring of activism America has seen since. With humor, heart, and hope, Cecile Richards offers practical advice and inspiration for aspiring leaders everywhere.”
—Hillary Rodham Clinton

“Cecile Richards’s story is powerful and infinitely readable. Whether you are newly ‘woke,’ a longtime activist, or just a caring citizen wondering how to advance democracy in hard times, Make Trouble has the answers. Cecile takes the mystery out of activism, gives you practical examples of how it's done, and tells stories that melt the distance from your front porch to Washington. She is the best teacher on earth—someone you trust.”
—Gloria Steinem

“Make Trouble is a timely reminder that each of us has the power to fight for justice and create the change we want to see. With insight and humor, Cecile Richards offers a call to action for aspiring organizers and leaders. A must-read for anyone hoping to make a difference and trying to figure out where to start.”
—Senator Kamala Harris

“Cecile Richards is whip-smart, clear-eyed, quick-witted, levelheaded and lionhearted. She employs all of these virtues in her fight for women’s health and women’s rights. She’s also employed them in the writing of this wonderful memoir, Make Trouble. The book, like its author, is a powerhouse.”
—Ann Patchett

“With Make Trouble, Cecile Richards—the fiery feminist icon to whom we are indebted—is now also the relatable warrior we adore. By inviting us beyond her frontline fight for justice and into her heart, Richards shows us that a life of activism isn’t reserved for the perfect—it’s for the passionate—and that it’s never too early or too late for women to show up for themselves and each other. In these difficult times in which equality-minded folks are desperate to find purpose and connection, Make Trouble is a roadmap to both.”
—Glennon Doyle

“An intimate yet wide-ranging chronicle of a life in the trenches and at the pinnacle of her profession, Richards’ enthralling memoir will provide rousing motivation for anyone passionate about social and political causes.”
—Booklist (starred review)

“[T]he guidelines for starting any organization are spot-on: direct, down-to-earth, and highly practical... A memoir that makes palpable the immense influence of an organization that has improved so many women's lives.”
—Kirkus

“In this passionate self-portrait, activist Richards maps her road to success from union organizer to her tenure as president of Planned Parenthood, recalling the experiences that shaped her career... It serves as a call to action for women who are mobilizing to make a difference in government and healthcare policies.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Part autobiography, part handbook for the resistance, this inspiring tale of advocacy is a must-read for every Nasty Woman out there.”
—Bustle

“This memoir/feminist manifesto from Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards will inspire you to make waves and be brave.”
—Glamour

“Truly inspiring.”
—Redbook

“Documenting an inspiring life and offering a call to action, this timely volume is for all readers.”
—Library Journal

Library Journal - Audio

08/01/2018
From protesting the Vietnam War in seventh grade to her years as the president of Planned Parenthood, Richards recounts how she became an activist fighting for women's rights and social justice. She credits her progressive parents, who raised her to question authority and fight to make a difference in people's lives. To some extent, the memoir serves as an ode to her mother—Texas governor the late Ann Richards, whose influence is woven throughout the chapters of her daughter's story. Richards writes unapologetically about her beliefs and politics, catering to her progressive audience. She entertains and inspires with stories about her testimony before a congressional committee reviewing taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood to various moving accounts of the champions of the women's rights movement, including a murdered doctor in Wichita, KS, who supported the pro-choice movement. VERDICT Richards's reading pulls listeners deeper into the narrative. The tempo and emotion in her delivery give them front-row seats to key events in recent history and will inspire them to stand up, speak out, and lead. ["Documenting an inspiring life and offering a call to action, this timely volume is for all readers": LJ 4/15/18 review of the Touchstone hc.]—Gladys Alcedo, Wallingford, CT

School Library Journal

07/01/2018
Questioning authority and challenging the status quo are expected behaviors for most teens, and often considered part of a necessary rite of passage into adulthood. Activism, on the other hand, is not always viewed with the same level of acceptance. In her autobiographical book on leadership, Richards, the quintessential cheerleader for activists of all ages, champions those who publicly take a stand for what they believe. She started making "trouble" at 13 and has never stopped. Her excitement about "fighting the good fight" is palpable. She was raised by liberal parents who worked for social justice on many fronts. In highly conservative Waco, TX, they were avid campaigners for local Democratic candidates, and Richards and her siblings spent many afternoons stuffing envelopes at campaign headquarters. After years of organizing for workers' rights, she followed in the footsteps of her mother, Governor Ann Richards, by taking up the fight for a woman's right to dominion over her own body and access to health care. The author recounts with equal enthusiasm the many campaigns for causes she's lost right alongside the ones she's won. Now, stepping down after 12 years at the helm of Planned Parenthood, Richards appears poised to enter the political arena, joining a growing number of women hoping to change the paternalistic course of U.S. history. VERDICT An inspiring volume for teens looking to involve themselves in politics and/or social justice activism.—Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA

APRIL 2018 - AudioFile

Cecile Richards, longtime president of Planned Parenthood, delivers a terrific performance of her inspiring new memoir. While not a professional narrator, Richards is a practiced public speaker who reads with energy, enunciation, excellent pacing, and emotion as she tracks her career in rabble-rousing from its start at home in Waco, Texas. The child of political activists—her father, a lawyer, often represented unions, and her mother famously became a left-leaning governor of Texas—Richards began her own trouble-making career by getting kicked out of school for protesting the Vietnam War. What a ride it’s been since. Richards is fierce, funny, and pulls no punches, which will offend some and motivate many for whom this stirring audiobook will serve as a call to action. A.C.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2018 Best Audiobook © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2018-02-20
The president of Planned Parenthood recounts her life as an activist.For decades, Richards has been at the forefront of anti-war, civil rights, labor, and women's issues; as she demonstrates, activism and the desire to work for the common good run in her family. Her father was a labor attorney and environmentalist, and her mother, Ann Richards, was a fierce fighter for women's rights who became governor of Texas. As a high school girl new to Austin (she was born in Waco), she made and wore a black arm band supporting the moratorium to end the Vietnam War. After graduation, she headed east to Brown University. She supported striking janitors and librarians, took a semester off to intern for the Project on the Status and Education of Women in Washington, D.C., and became a union organizer in New Orleans. There, she met and married labor organizer Kirk Adams and formed a family that has supported labor across the country ever since. After some time in Southern California, she went back to Texas to work for her mother's campaign for governor, and she formed the Texas Freedom Network to fight against right-wing textbook censorship. Then it was off to Washington again to serve on Nancy Pelosi's staff. The author sprinkles short asides throughout the book that alternate between genuinely instructional and boring—e.g., well-worn tips on work-life balance. However, the guidelines for starting any organization are spot-on: direct, down-to-earth, and highly practical. In 2006, Richards and her family moved to New York City so she could assume the lead role at Planned Parenthood in 2006, and she has made the organization instrumental in a wide variety of women's -rights causes. In the past year, she has spent considerable time battling for her organization amid the Trump administration's efforts to cut funding.A memoir that makes palpable the immense influence of an organization that has improved so many women's lives.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170802401
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	04/03/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Make Trouble
“Little lady, you are just trying to make trouble.”

That was my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Powers, at University Park Elementary School in Dallas. She had spent the past fifteen minutes conducting an interrogation: Why was I refusing to recite the Lord’s Prayer with the rest of the class?

Mrs. Powers was a lifer at UPS, with permed helmet hair that was the fashion back then. She was a good old gal who probably smoked with the other teachers in the teachers’ lounge. Looking back, I’m not even sure I knew that it was unconstitutional to have us start each day with the Lord’s Prayer—but by God, we did, right after the Pledge of Allegiance. That morning, though, I just wasn’t having it. When Mrs. Powers asked me why I wasn’t participating, I said calmly, “We don’t read the Bible in my house.” Mrs. Powers’s eyes flew open. I could see from her stricken look that she had taken my candor for cheekiness. I suppose in a way it was.

We weren’t a religious family, not in a traditional sense, but we did go to the Unitarian church, which was sort of a home away from home for progressive families like ours in Dallas—our own little bunker in the middle of the crazy culture war of the ’60s, and the heart of the local anti–Vietnam War movement. Folks in our congregation were involved in everything from the United Farmworkers organizing to Notes from the Underground, Dallas’s radical newspaper, which my dad happened to be defending in court. Religion was cool with me; it just didn’t include the Lord’s Prayer. It was pretty obvious from Mrs. Powers’s reaction what she thought about that. There was no hope for me; clearly, I was headed for a life of crime.

Up until then I was the classic all-A’s first child. I lived to make my parents proud of me, which, given their relative youth and inexperience in child-rearing, meant adhering to certain rules. I was the kid who never got in trouble—a trait that annoyed my younger brother, Dan, to no end. I never forgot the shame and humiliation of being called out in front of my class at age eleven. But in that moment I realized something about myself: my parents weren’t the only ones who didn’t fit into the right-wing Dallas establishment. I too was an outlier.

It was the first time I remember having to decide: Do I accept things the way they are, or question authority? I chose the latter, and from that point forward I was branded a troublemaker. Once the initial shock wore off, it became a badge of honor. I’ve been making trouble ever since—which, to me, means taking on the powers that be, being a thorn in someone’s side, standing up to injustice, or just plain raising hell.

Sometimes being a troublemaker can be pretty damn awesome. After all, it was one of the great troublemakers of all time, Emma Goldman, who said, “If I can’t dance, I don’t want to be part of your revolution.” Other times, it’s scary and carries big risks—the risk of losing your job, your friends, your reputation, or all of the above. Over the years I’ve had the good fortune to meet troublemakers from all walks of life: nursing home workers in East Texas, janitors in Los Angeles, members of Congress, organizers and activists of every age on the front lines of the struggle for justice. I’ve watched in awe as my mother, Ann Richards, went from frustrated housewife to governor of Texas, defying convention and the political establishment. That was one of the things that drew me to Planned Parenthood: its history is the history of brave, troublemaking women (and a few good men) who risked their reputations and even their lives to change things. We fellow travelers have a way of finding each other, whether we set out to or not.

This book is the story of the people who have taught me about courage and defiance and making change. It’s also my story, which has been somewhat daunting to write. Like a lot of rabble-rousers (particularly rabble-rousing women), I’m a lot more comfortable talking about my work than myself. But now almost every day people come up to me, usually with a look of distress, to ask, “How are you doing?” They seem to think working for progressive causes is unpleasant or burdensome. The truth is, anything worth doing has its challenges. And, yes, fighting for what you believe in can be discouraging, defeating, and sometimes downright depressing. But it can also be powerful, inspiring, fun, and funny—and it can introduce you to people who will change your life. That’s the message I want to spread far and wide. That’s why I wrote this book.

I started my career organizing women who were working for the minimum wage. There were women in New Orleans who cleaned hotel rooms or did the laundry because only white women got to work the front desk. Women in small-town Texas who used to joke that they’d stick around their job at the local nursing home until a Walmart opened nearby and they could move on to a better—or at least easier—job. Women who were earning a living and didn’t have much choice about the kind of work they did.

As for me, I know full well what a privilege it is to work for social justice. I’ve had the chance to work on historic political campaigns, go toe-to-toe with the Far Right in Texas, and come back years later to occupy the capitol in Austin as part of the fight for abortion rights. I’ve served the first woman to lead her party in the US House of Representatives and the 2.4 million people who count on Planned Parenthood for health care each year. I’ve seen generational progress through the eyes of my three incredible kids. Sure, there have been some brutal moments along the way—appearing before a certain belligerent congressional committee comes to mind, not to mention a couple of awful election nights—but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Maybe activism is your avocation, not your vocation. You might even be wondering if it’s worth it—especially now, when nothing seems certain. For the first time in my life, I’m wondering whether my own daughters will have fewer rights than I’ve had. That alone is enough motivation for me to keep making trouble. Maybe you’re thinking that any job that might involve sitting in front of a hostile congressional committee for the better part of a day just isn’t your thing. Well, this book is for you too. You don’t have to be a professional troublemaker to take a stand (though it’s a terrific career path I highly recommend).

This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment to decide who we are—as individuals and as a country. Unless we want to be defined by a stream of divisive late-night tweets (not to name any names), we’re all going to have to be brave. Everywhere I look I see people who are stepping up to do things they never could have imagined. Showing up in a town hall meeting with a US senator, wearing a pink pussy hat. Publicly sharing a personal, intimate story about how Planned Parenthood made a difference in their life. Marching with their kids, grandkids, mothers, sisters, and brothers. Risking arrest to stand up for the rights of immigrants and refugees. Or turning their life upside down to run for office or become a grassroots organizer. If you’re not scaring yourself, you’re probably not doing enough.

Maybe there’s some injustice that’s bothering you; maybe you see something in your community or at work that you want to change; maybe you’re trying to get up the courage to share your beliefs with friends or family who see things differently; maybe you’re worried about the world your kids will inherit. I hope this book will inspire you to get out there and do something about it. Just don’t forget: to make a difference, you have to make a little trouble.

Videos