The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century

by Grace Lee Boggs, Scott Kurashige

Overview

The Strategist's Best Books About Asian American Identity, New York Magazine 

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780520953390
Publisher:	University of California Press
Publication date:	05/31/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	736,353
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Grace Lee Boggs (1915–2015) was an activist, writer, and speaker. She has received many human rights and lifetime achievement awards and was celebrated in the National Women’s Hall of Fame. Boggs authored Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century (with James Boggs) and Living for Change: An Autobiography. This was her last book.

Scott Kurashige is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Danny Glover
Preface to the 2012 Edition
Acknowledgments
Introduction by Scott Kurashige

1. These Are the Times to Grow Our Souls
2. Revolution as a New Beginning
3. Let’s Talk about Malcolm and Martin
4. Detroit, Place and Space to Begin Anew
5. A Paradigm Shift in Our Concept of Education
6. We Are the Leaders We’ve Been Looking For

Notes
Afterword: In Conversation with Immanuel Wallerstein
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"A stirring coda to one of the greatest chapters in the history of US radicalism."—American Book Review

"There are lessons here for activists that make this slim volume a handbook for personal, and therefore, social transformation."—Yes! Mag

"A radical start-up kit for combatting neoliberal capitalism."—American Book Review

Editorial Reviews

Boggs (co-author, Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century), the 96-year old activist who co-organized Detroit's 1963 Freedom Now march, examines the need for a new revolution to address the "triple crises of global wars, global economic turmoil, and global warming." Referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s ideas about the inverse relationship between monetary and moral wealth (i.e. an increase in the former begets a decrease in the latter), Boggs suggests that America's consumer-driven society puts an untenable (and immoral) strain on world resources-to teach the importance of providing for others and for oneself, she highlights "new activism" programs like the Earthworks Garden in Detroit. Boggs also calls for a paradigm shift in education, to eliminate outmoded "command and control" factory models in favor of community-based, democratic methods that promote real problem-solving and embrace children's humanity. University of Michigan Associate Professor Kurashige (The Shifting Grounds of Race) pieced together Boggs's speeches and writings for this volume, and though lovingly produced, it feels uneven. Framing this as an anthology with context for each piece would have yielded a smoother read. Nonetheless, this is a much-deserved celebration of an accomplished activist, yielding lessons in civil rights history, stark assessments of today's troubles, and worthy ideas to frame a better tomorrow.
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Publishers Weekly

"Americans are ready for a fundamental change. Not a change of who gets to exercise power over others or a change in the material abundance available to us, but an evolution of humanity. This is the message that legendary philosopher, activist and community organizer Grace Lee Boggs delivers in her new book."

Nation

"The Next American Revolution is a moving and persuasive testimony from one of the greatest scholar-activists this country has ever produced. . . . Whether we are activists, scholars, or both, we all have a great deal to learn from Grace Lee Boggs' exemplary life and work."

Contemporary Sociology

"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."

Resilience

There are lessons here for activists that make this slim volume a handbook for personal, and therefore, social transformation.

Yes! Magazine

"A masterful weaving of history, philosophy, social justice, and activism. The author’s poignant political analysis and synthesis provide the loom that gathers otherwise interesting singular fibers to create a vibrant, revolutionary cloth, one that is purposefully left with space for continued work and growth. It inspires readers to not only think critically but also challenges them to join others in the work needed to create more humane, equitable communities."

Foreword Reviews

"Americans are ready for a fundamental change. Not a change of who gets to exercise power over others or a change in the material abundance available to us, but an evolution of humanity. This is the message that legendary philosopher, activist and community organizer Grace Lee Boggs delivers in her new book."

Nation Daryl

“There are lessons here for activists that make this slim volume a handbook for personal, and therefore, social transformation.

Yes! Mag - Larry Gabriel

“A stirring coda to one of the greatest chapters in the history of US radicalism.

American Book Review - Bill V. Mullen

"A stirring coda to one of the greatest chapters in the history of US radicalism."—American Book Review

"There are lessons here for activists that make this slim volume a handbook for personal, and therefore, social transformation."—Yes! Mag

"A radical start-up kit for combatting neoliberal capitalism."—American Book Review

From the Publisher