New from NYRB Classics
Political Action
A Practical Guide to Movement Politics
Michael Walzer
Written at one of the darkest moments of the Nixon administration, Political Action is as timely, intelligent, and useful today as it was then. With clarity, wisdom, and wit, Michael Walzer lays out the practical steps for keeping movement politics alive both in victory and defeat. Political Action addresses important questions such as:
- What do people need to do when out of outrage or fear of looming disaster they come together to demand change?
- What can and can’t be accomplished through electoral politics?
- How can movements operate democratically?
- What is effective leadership?
Both an indispensable resource for activists and a lasting call to action, Political Action is an inspiring book for our times.
“The idea of republishing this book came from some high school students in Los Angeles. They were part of a social justice group at their school, and most of the projects they were contemplating involved organizing of some kind. To help them think about that, their faculty adviser photocopied parts of Political Action and handed it out. ‘This is really good!’ they told him. ‘This is what we need.’ What the kids said next became the impetus for this new edition: ‘Why is there nothing like this?’”
– from the new introduction by Jon Wiener
“Walzer’s first political call to action resonates as much in today’s tense, precarious climate as it did when the author originally crafted it… An authoritative master plan for forming effective, influential citizen activism.”
– Kirkus Reviews