Books
On Jan. 21, 2017, millions of women made history when they took to the streets the morning after Donald Trump's inauguration to participate in the largest single-day protest in American history. This year, the organizers behind that momentous day, and the 365 days of resistance that followed, are honoring the occasion in a big way with Power to the Polls anniversary events around the country. If you're joining the resistance, you're going to want to read these books in preparation for the 2018 Women's March and another year of rallies, protests, campaigning, and voting.
Last year, the 2017 Women's March created a powerful wave of new activists, leaders, and, most importantly, voters that have since flooded the American political scene. The Power to the Polls anniversary event in Las Vegas this weekend, and the over 250 sister marches around the world, are intended to set the movement's agenda for 2018, which will largely revolve around getting out the vote. According to organizers, the main goal is to turn "the energy and activism of the Women's March into tangible strategies and concrete wins in 2018."
To do that, though, each resistor must first get a firm grasp on the issues at hand, the state of modern American politics, and the process in which real change is brought to Washington, D.C. To do that, each resistor is going to have to do some serious reading.
Break out your protest sign, make sure your voter registration is up-to-date, and check out these five essential books that will help prepare you for the 2018 Women's March and this year's midterm elections. From policy explainers to revolution how-tos, this list has a little taste of everything you need to know before you hit the protest (and the polls) this year.
'Together We Rise: Behind the Scenes at the Protest Heard Round the World' by Women's March Organizers
Before you take to the streets to celebrate the anniversary of the Women's March, brush up on the movement's history with this authoritative account of the "protest heard around the world." Featuring contributions from Maxine Waters, Gloria Steinem, Roxane Gay, and more, Together we Rise not only recounts the incredible birth of the movement, but includes personal stories from the lives of those behind it. Powerful and inspirational, this collection will remind any resistor why they joined the movement, and why they should keep fighting on its behalf.
'When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir' by Patrisse Khan-Cullors & Asha Bandele
What better way to learn about the power (and personal price) of activism than from some of today's greatest movement leaders? In When They Call You a Terrorist, Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele have created a compelling memoir of the Black Lives Matter movement that strives to not only transform a culture that regularly claims the lives of innocent black Americans, but to reveal the strength, tenacity, and resilience it takes to bring about real, meaningful change. An eye-opening book that should be required reading for every modern American.
'It's Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America' by David Cay Johnston
The now-infamous Fire and Fury has nothing on Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Cay Johnston's new White House tell-all, It's Even Worse Than You Think. In his second book on the reality star turned president, Johnston, who has been covering Trump for 30 years, reveals just how dangerous and destructive the current administration really is. Featuring disturbing details about everything from the EPA's new pro-pollution plans to the creation of Trump's family-run kleptocracy, this shocking but necessary book will shake you to your core and remind you exactly why it is so important to head to rally at the polls this November.
'How Democracies Die' by Steven Levitsky
If you've been worried about the breakdown of American democracy, you are from from alone. In How Democracies Die, Harvard professors Steven Levitsky and David Ziblatt draw from decades of in-depth research from across history and around the globe to examine how liberal democracies collapse. In revealing the many ways in which they fall apart, the authors also offer several practical solutions for putting them back together again. Utterly engrossing and compulsively readable, this is one book you can't afford to miss this election year.
'Democracy in America?: What Has Gone Wrong and What We Can Do About It' by Benjamin I. Page
The last year in politics have left so many of us wondering, where did we go wrong? In their new book, seasoned political commentators Benjamin I. Page and Martin Gilens seek to answer those important questions about the flaws in the American political system, as well as provide actionable solutions for repairing it. A powerful condemnation of modern-day Washington, D.C., and a urgent call to action for increased democratic participation, Democracy in America? is a promising road map every engaged citizen can learn from.
