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The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs
dorouu's review against another edition
5.0
I was lucky enough to receive this book as a gift from a friend, filled with little sticky notes that marked parts where he stopped and things he wanted to highlight.
This is my first book of 2021 and I wish Grace was here to see it now. As a first generation Chinese American who is involved in activism- change seems daunting and impossible on this globalized scale. Grace reminds us that it is with local, community work across different communities across the world that helps to enact true change (and here I am getting my Masters in the EU lol).
What interests me, or saddens me? is that this books is written at the beginning of the Obama Era. When Bush's presidency seemed like the worst of the worst and technology already seemed like a monster against humanity. Grace seemed to think Bush was the end of an era. I wonder how she would view the emergence of Donald Trump?
There are points where I disagree with Grace in the book- but her life is still one I hold in high regard. I hope to continue to be a life long learner like her- to continue to read and engage and speak to those around me. Her book preaches love and light, about humanity and heart. To a certain extent, it's true that in order to not burn out, you have to put your hope in the good of humanity.
Maybe I've become too cynical, but it seems almost impossible for us to pry ourselves out of the consumerist world and "burn our credit cards to demonstrate our independence from the casino economy". Her book seems almost like a pipe dream rather than achievable goals for the 21st century.
This is my first book of 2021 and I wish Grace was here to see it now. As a first generation Chinese American who is involved in activism- change seems daunting and impossible on this globalized scale. Grace reminds us that it is with local, community work across different communities across the world that helps to enact true change (and here I am getting my Masters in the EU lol).
What interests me, or saddens me? is that this books is written at the beginning of the Obama Era. When Bush's presidency seemed like the worst of the worst and technology already seemed like a monster against humanity. Grace seemed to think Bush was the end of an era. I wonder how she would view the emergence of Donald Trump?
There are points where I disagree with Grace in the book- but her life is still one I hold in high regard. I hope to continue to be a life long learner like her- to continue to read and engage and speak to those around me. Her book preaches love and light, about humanity and heart. To a certain extent, it's true that in order to not burn out, you have to put your hope in the good of humanity.
Maybe I've become too cynical, but it seems almost impossible for us to pry ourselves out of the consumerist world and "burn our credit cards to demonstrate our independence from the casino economy". Her book seems almost like a pipe dream rather than achievable goals for the 21st century.
kategilbertson's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
isaflojo's review against another edition
5.0
“We are not aiming to impact one election or one government. Rather we are striving for long term and sustainable transformation, and for that we need the wisdom that comes from many cultures, movements, and traditions.”
solveggie's review against another edition
3.25
I really appreciate grace lee Boggs and learning more about her, and she has such great ideas in this book, but it was so tiring to read and kind of hard to follow. Not sure if it was just because I felt really impatient or had recently read a lot of other books on the same general subject, but I could not wait to be done with it. Wonderful ideas and thoughts and very carefully and thoughtfully written though. I do really want to give her other books a try.
adfj897's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Page 47 on
“...linking Love and Revolution is an idea whose time has come” (47)
“...we need to go beyond traditional capitalism” (48)
“This kind of organizing takes a lot of patience because changing people and people changing themselves requires time” (49)
“ what we urgently need are impassioned discussions everywhere, in group small and large, where people from all walks of life are not only talking but also listening to one another” (52)
“ what do you mean by revolution? It is hard to struggle for something that you have not yet tried to define a name” (53)
“[Jimmy and Grace]... concluded that although rebellion is a stage in the development of revolution, it falls short of revolution” (67)
“[Americans] are the ones who must begin to live more simply so that others can simply live” (73)
“We want and need to exercise power, not take it” (76)
“...a concept of Love ([MLK] called it “Agape”), which is based on the willingness to go to any lengths to restore or create community. Practicing this concept of Love empowers the oppressed to overcome Fear and the oppressors to transcend Hate” (95)
“...Love isn’t about what we did yesterday; it’s about what we do today and tomorrow and the day after” (97)
“[movement builders] hate unjust deeds but are careful not to hate the doers of these deeds” (100)
“[Detroit] views cities as an ecosystem rather than a machine” (124)
“...we need to see progress. It in terms of ‘having more’ but in terms of growing our souls by creating community, mutual self-sufficiency, and cooperative relations with one another” (134)
“Like workers in the factory, children and young people are denied their full humanity by a [school] system that trains them to survive, consume, and produce” (142)
“By recognizing our own culpability instead of putting all the blame on and demonizing others, we can discover the power within each of us to change the world by changing ourselves” (168)
megangafvert's review
3.0
Great chapter on education, but lots of philosophy and history that was over my head