Synopses & Reviews
Remarkable, mischievous, inspiringand#8212;the eighty-odd stories in
Small Acts of Resistance bring hidden histories to life. The courage of the people in these stories is breathtaking. So, too, is the impact and imagination of their actions.These mostly little known storiesand#8212;including those written from eyewitness experience of the events and situations describedand#8212;reveal the role ordinary people have played in achieving extraordinary change. and#8220;In the real world, it will never happen,and#8221; the skeptics love to tell us. As this book so vividly shows, the skeptics have repeatedly been proven wrong.Stories in this include how:and#183;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Strollers, toilet paper, and illegal ketchup helped end forty years of one-party Communist ruleand#183;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Dogs (and what they wore) helped protestors humiliate a murderous regimeand#183;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Internet videos about cuddly animals infuriated a repressive government which triedand#8212;and failedand#8212;to ban the crazeand#183;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Football crowds found ways of singing the national anthem so as to defy a junta of torturers, now in jailand#183;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Women successfully put pressure on warlords to end one of Africaand#8217;s bloodiest warsand#183;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; The singing of old folksongs hastened the collapse of an empire sustained by tanksIf you think individuals are powerless to change the world, read this remarkable book and youand#8217;ll surely change your mind.
For more information, go to www.smallactsofresistance.com.
Review
"Powerful, uplifting, mischievous, fascinating." Mia Farrow
At its simplest this is a series of uplifting accounts of the sheer power of the human spirit to overwhelm mans inhumanity to man. But it is also a highly readable voyage through a century of struggle across the world.”Jon Snow, anchor, Channel 4 News UK Too often, people talk of what is unachievable. As this book makes clear, we need to be reminded about what is achievable, too. Small Acts of Resistance is inspiringand real.” Shirin Ebadi, Nobel prize-winning Iranian activist and lawyer An inspiring account of those magic moments of mischief that can transform our livesa book that shows how to poke your tongue out at tyrants without having it cut off.” Geoffrey Robertson, author of Crimes Against Humanity: The Struggle for Global Justice
Synopsis
Prepare to be inspired! In a world of Goliaths, we need stories of Davids to sustain us. With its gutsy, creative, and rousing tales of ordinary people creating extraordinary change,
Small Acts of Resistance proves it is possible-armed with a little ingenuity and a lot of passion-to bring down dictators, change unfair laws, fight injustice, and raise one's voice in freedom by defying those who would deny it. Spanning the globe and history,
Small Acts puts a pop culture spin on human rights with its accessible and inspiring approach to international activism. From Albania to Zimbabwe, throughout Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe, Small Acts offers an engaging collection of over 90 stories celebrating courage, perseverance, and the resilience of the human spirit. They stand as powerful reminders that a defiant spirit can cause the invincible to crack and the unchangeable to change. SMALL ACTS, BIG EFFECTS:
o Afghanistan: Voting for singers on the TV show Afghan Star became a way of reasserting Aghans' right to make their own choices in life
o Burma: Citizens protested by stringing pictures of oppressive military leaders around Rangoon's stray dogs
o Denmark: During World War II, the Danish hid Jewish citizens from the Nazis by checking healthy Jewish children into hospitals with fictitious illnesses and staging fake funerals which Jewish mourners attended
o Iran: Furious tweets from protesters drew worldwide attention to the developing revolution
o Peru: Mass washing ceremonies of dirty linen” were a key ingredient in getting rid of Peru's unloved president, Alberto Fujimori, after more than a decade in power
About the Author
STEVE CRAWSHAW is international advocacy director at Amnesty International in London. He was a foreign correspondent at The Independent from 1986 to 2002 and worked at Human Rights Watch in London and New York from 2002 to 2010. He is the author of Goodbye to the USSR and Easier Fatherland: Germany and the 21st Century.and#160;JOHN JACKSON is Vice President of Social Responsibility for MTV Networks International. Previously, he led social justice initiatives internationally as Head of Campaigns at Christian Aid and was a founding member and Director of the Burma Campaign UK.