Reddit reviews Rules for Revolutionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Everything

Sure thing! Here is a shortlist of some of my favourite books (or in the case of Hope In The Dark, highly recommended books from trusted sources).

This Is An Uprising - Mark & Paul Engler
I think this is probably the best entry point. It starts off by challenging the popular notion that social uprisings are spontaneous and unpredictable but the results of years of work. Then they explore what that kind of work looks like, using some historic examples to distil a few of the key concepts. It’s a really accessible book and if you want to believe that revolutionary, transformational change is possible in our times this book is for you.

This Changes Everything - Naomi Klein
I think one of the most insightful books on the politics of climate change ever written. If you wonder why climate change got so politicised and why the right works so hard to deny the science, this book will explain what’s at stake for the rich and powerful and why we simply can not treat climate change as any other issue, but something that cuts to the core of political conflict. It is extremely well researched and detailed but very well written so easy enough to read.

Out Of The Wreckage - George Monbiot
This is probably the most contemporary book in this list. Published just last year and really rooted in the politics of this moment. It attempts to offer a bit of a road map for solving the political, ecological and economic crises we find ourselves in. It’s at its strongest when talking about the narratives and stories we need to tell about ourselves, it gets a bit weaker as it attempts to dive deep into solving democracy. But it still offers a lot of food for thought and big doses of hope.

Rules For Revolutionaries - Becky Bond & Zack Exley
I just love this book. It was written by two of the lead organisers on the Bernie Sanders campaign about how they built a huge voter contact machine that broke all the rules of political organising. While This Is An Uprising covers some of the bigger concepts, this gets into the details of how organising at scale works in practice. Definitely pitched at people who do this sort of work in some capacity, I think it’s one of those behind the curtain books that most people will find interesting.

Hegemony How To - Jonathan Matthew Smucker 
This one goes a bit more into the details of organising radical groups and campaigns. An amazing book that lays out a loving critique of what some of the left has been getting wrong, and builds on what it can do better. I love it. But not a book I’d really recommend for people who aren’t involved in that world yet because it really does go into details that probably aren’t useful unless you are a real geek about this stuff.

Hope In The Dark - Rebecca Solnit
For a lot of people I know, this book is a bit of a sacred text. And I have to be honest, that I haven’t read it yet. But almost everyone I know in the US re-read it after Trump was elected. The main message of this book is that social change is unpredictable and the future is uncertain. From that uncertainty we can, and must draw hope. The future is not decided and we have the capacity to influence it in ways we don’t always understand. While we may experience some campaigns and protests as failures, the history of social change is far from linear. We will experience twists and turns on the path to victory. We need hope to keep pushing, and we need to keep pushing because each failure brings us closer to success. Just not always in the way we expect. If you don’t have time for the whole book, or just want a taste. This is a great article she wrote a few years ago exploring the same basic themes.

Emergent Strategy - adrienne maree brown
This one is more inwardly focused. Connecting personal experience with political struggle. It teaches us to let go of the status quo and embrace change. Fear of the unknown sometimes holds back our ability to imagine a better future or let go of control.

> U.S. House, Ohio District 14 General Election, 2016
> Party, Candidate, Vote %, Votes
> Republican David Joyce 62.7% 214,618
> Democratic Michael Wager 37.3% 127,547

> Total Votes 342,165

Not the worst place to start but far from the best, too. I know some places in Germany which changed by a bigger difference within 2-3 elections. However this often needs quite a few non-voting persons changing their minds and to get your name out. Brand recognition is important if you want to change something on such population levels.

I know someone who lead an election campaign for a mayor in one of Germanies biggest cities, his initial polling was ~45%:55% in favor of his opponent. He still won, but this took 12 years of political activity to prepare. So be aware that all of that will take some time.

I always like Thinking about the Fundamentals - Helvey and will look into Rules for Revolutionaries - How Organizing can change everything - which is about Bernie's campaign structure. If you were happy with the way thinks were talked about in the military Helvey is a good read. He was Army Colonel or something like that.

Are you talking about this?

You should check out her book Rules for Revolutionaries. The whole Beto campaign was organized around the rules it lays out.