The Activist's Handbook

The Activist's Handbook: A Primer for the 1990s and Beyond details the impact of specific strategies on campaigns across the country, from battles over sweatshops, the environment, AIDS policies, education reform, homelessness, and more: How should activists use media to expose issues and mobilize grassroots support? When should activists form coalitions, and with whom? How are students—be they DREAMers seeking immigration reform or college activists battling ever-increasing tuition costs—winning major campaigns? Whether it’s by inspiring "fear and loathing" in politicians, building diverse coalitions, using ballot initiatives, or harnessing the media, the courts, and the electoral process towards social change, Shaw—a longtime activist for urban issues—shows that with a plan, positive change can be achieved.

In showing how people can win social change struggles against even overwhelming odds, The Activist's Handbook is an indispensable guide not only for activists, but for anyone interested in the future of progressive politics in America.

I read the first edition - a revised and updated edition was published in 2013, and is available from University of California Press.