Spring break reading.
I don’t want to pretend that I even remotely know how to read, but yesterday I was at a lecture and remembered two books that Pinko’s loyal readers might be into. I’ve plugged Blue Grit, by Laura Flanders before. It’s out in paperback and has a new intro from Naomi Klein; it looks at grassroots progressive victories around the country — unexpected places where people are making change.
The lecture yesterday was the famed Texas populist Jim Hightower. His newest, Swim Against the Current is lively and quick and you can put it down and pick it back up at your leisure. Similar to Blue Grit it’s full of really deligtful, totally random stories about good people winning unexpected victories. But Swim Against the Current is kind of dirty in a really good way, walking through case studies like the sex workers unionization at the Lusty Lady in San Francisco and discussing numerous times in American history where social change has started at a bar or tavern over way too many drinks. Hightower extolls the value of a good campaign AND a good party, noting recent examples where they came together quite nicely.
There will be a barrage of new books coming out this Spring that all deal with the “post-Bush” world. Most of them have some title like “Be proud to be progressive,” “how to be a liberal,” “why im a democrat,” “ten steps to taking back ____,” “____ steps to taking back America,” etc. It will be a clusterfuck: some good, some bad, all bunched together at the Barnes & Noble. But Blue Grit and Swim Against the Current were both ahead of the curve.
(Also I’m really enjoying I Was Told There’d Be Cake but I saw it written up in three magazines this week so I feel like a cliche. It’s not political … just a collection of essays, but totally fun.)
Your suggestions? I just finished a day-by-day chronicle of RFK’s 1968 campaign while sitting by the pool in Vegas (at the Flamingo, where I’m told RFK did it with Marilyn, so I was thematic) but I could use some good fiction.
About The Author - Ben Wyskida is a writer, activist, conscientious hedonist and political communications strategist living in Brooklyn. - Visit Ben's site.
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