Synopses & Reviews
PRAISE FOR NOAM CHOMSKY'S
OCCUPY AND ZUCCOTTI PARK PRESS:
Having spent so much time thinking about and engaging with social movements, Chomsky is both optimistic about the energy of Occupy and realistic about the challenges it faces. He appreciates the just do it” ethos and embraces its radical approach to participatory democracy
What makes Chomskys perspective so interesting, aside from the wealth of his political experience, is the range of his interests. He draws from examples around the world to demonstrate his points. ...Its a big agenda that Occupy has identified, nothing less than a complete renewal of U.S. society and the U.S. role in the world. Chomsky sees not only the radical agenda but also the radical practice of the Occupiers. Part of what functioning, free communities like the Occupy communities can be working for and spreading to others is just a different way of living, which is not based on maximizing consumer goods, but on maximizing values that are important for life,” he concludes in this valuable set of remarks and interviews.”
John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus, Pick Review
For decades, Chomsky has been marginalized for his insightful, levelheaded, and accurate observations about how our society functions. In Occupy, Chomsky... sets the record straight. And hes got an answer for everything. Its necessary,” Chomsky warns, to get out into the country and get people to understand what this is about, and what they can do about it, and what the consequences are of not doing anything about it.” Occupy begins with a powerful editors note from Greg Ruggiero, who comments on the heartlessness and inhumanity of the system, where peoples stolen homes are sold off to the highest bidder. And if it isnt obvious to those who are still asking what the demands of Occupy Wall Street are, Ruggiero puts it plainly: Occupy embodies a vision of democracy that is fundamentally antagonistic to the management of society as a corporate-controlled space that funds a political system to serve the wealthy, ignore the poor. One can only cringe at the thought of what will happen if we continue to ignore the wisdom of Noam Chomsky. He gives a clue in Occupy
.”
The Coffin Factory, The Magazine for People who Love Books
Occupy is another vital contribution from Chomsky to the literature of defiance and protest, and a red-hot rallying call to forge a better, more egalitarian future."
Alternet
Chomsky advocates intelligent activism by those who see the divorce between public policy and public opinion. He is both optimistic and realistic towards this first major public response to 30 years of class war.”
IRISH TIMES, PICK REVIEW
Occupy, is at once a vivid portrait of the now-global movement and a practical guide to intelligent activism, infused with Chomskys signature meditations on everything from how the wealthiest 1% came to steer society to what a healthy democracy would look like to how we can separate money from politics. Alongside Chomskys words are some of the most moving and provocative photographs from the Occupy movement. ... [One of] 10 essential books on protest.”
Maria Popova, Brain Pickings
In Occupy, Chomsky discusses the cornerstone issues, questions and demands that have been driving ordinary Americans to critique the influence of the "1%." The book begins and ends with Chomsky celebrating the life and work of his longtime friend and colleague, Howard Zinn, author of A Peoples History of the United States. As a call to action, Chomsky encourages people to continue organizing, to continue struggling, and to continue defending citizenship and community-driven democracy from predation from the relentless encroachments of wealth and corporate power.
Synopsis
With urgency and clarity, Noam Chomsky speaks with the movement as it transitions from occupying tent camps to occupying the national conscience
Synopsis
Since its appearance in Zuccotti Park in September 2011, the Occupy movement has spread to hundreds of towns, cities, and college campuses across the United States. To date, more than 6,500 people have been arrested in 111 US cities, a number that grows daily. By early 2012 it was cliché to say the movement had shifted the national conversationit has. No longer occupying small tent camps, the movement now occupies the national conscience as its messages spread organically from street protests to op-ed pages to the White House itself. From the movement's onset, Noam Chomsky has supported its critique of corporate corruption and encouraged its efforts to increase civic participation, economic equality, democracy, and freedom for the 99%.
Through talks and conversations with movement supporters, Occupy presents a crystallization of Chomsky's latest thinking on the cornerstones issues, questions, and demands that are driving ordinary Americans to protest. How did we get to this point? How are the wealthiest 1% influencing the nation? How are the financial crisis and our political system linked? How has corporate personhood impacted the country and why should it be stopped? How can we get money out of politics? What would a genuinely democratic election look like? How can we redefine basic concepts like "growth" to increase equality and quality of life for all?
Born of the moment, red hot, accessible, affordable, and designed to fit in your back pocket, Occupy articulates the American people's growing rebellion against a political and economic system that helps the rich get richer while ignoring everyone else.
Read this book if you want to do something to protect freedom, democracy, and the economy from further corporate influence and control.
Synopsis
Easy to read, affordable, loaded with photos and practical advice for activists, Occupy is another vital contribution from Chomsky to the literature of defiance and protest, and a red-hot rallying call to forge a better, more egalitarian future....[an] excellent read."Alternet
Since its sudden appearance in September 2011, the Occupy Movement has spread to thousands of towns and cities across the world. For some its the economy. For others, its something deeper. Through relentless organizing and ongoing civil disobedience, the movement now occupies the global conscience as its influence spreads from street assemblies and protests to op-ed pages and the corridors of power. From the movements onset, Noam Chomsky was there, offering his voice, his support, and his detailed analysis of whats been going down and what might be done.
In Occupy, Chomsky presents his latest thinking on the core issues, questions and demands that are driving ordinary people to protest. How did we get to this point? How do the wealthiest 1% influence society? How can we separate money from politics? What would a genuine democracy look like? How can we create new institutions to increase freedom and equality for all?
Following the old course, says Chomsky, isnt going to work. He argues that if we continue to follow the model of growth set for us by the 1%, we'll be like lemmings walking off a cliff. The only alternative is to get involved and fight for a better future. If not now, when? If not us, who?
Read this book if you want to do something to protect freedom, democracy, and the economy from further corporate influence and control.
About the Author
Noam Chomsky is known throughout the world for his groundbreaking work in linguistics and his relentless advocacy for democracy, freedom and self-determination. Author of dozens of books, among his most recent are "Hopes and Prospects" and "Making the Future: Occupations, Interventions, Empire and Resistance." His interview book, "9-11". also edited and produced by Greg Ruggiero, has sold over 350,000 in the U.S. and approximately one million world wide, in more than 25 different countries
In 1988, Chomsky received the Kyoto Prize in Basic Science, given to honor those who have contributed significantly to the scientific, cultural, and spiritual development of mankind.” The prize noted that Dr. Chomskys theoretical system remains an outstanding monument of twentieth century science and thought. He can certainly be said to be one of the great academicians and scientists of this century.”
Chomsky has publicly supported and encouraged the Occupy movement since its first weeks.