The New York Times bestselling author and America's funniest activist gives the lowdown on how to put up-not shut up-in the fight for our future.

Hightower, the country's #1 populist, has picked up some useful advice over the years, from never eat at a caf featuring 'bargain kebobs' to never hit a man with glasses; hit him with something much heavier. As he and his longtime co-conspirator Susan DeMarco have rambled through grassroots America, however, they've also come up with more serious words of wisdom to share here, namely: question authority, trust your values, seek alternatives, break away, stand up for your beliefs, and swim against the current.

Their book introduces readers to people across the country who have actually done this — people in business, politics, health care, farming, religion, and other areas who are taking charge, living their values, doing good, and doing well. Hightower and DeMarco show how they are doing precisely what the elites want us to believe can't be done: changing their lives and making a difference. He tells the stories of these people and offers inspiration and information that will help readers tap into their own maverick potential in order to navigate a different, more satisfying course of their own.

Whether they are young and just starting out or older and searching for a different path, the commonsense folks in this book have escaped the corporate tentacles to find their own way toward a richer life and a better American future. They are creating a new, deeply democratic model for the country, edging it back onto the long road toward egalitarianism and the common good.

Hightower and DeMarco are at their contrarian, sharp-witted, and straight-shooting best as they celebrate the triumph of grassroots gumption over the tight-fisted grip of corporate control.

"Syndicated columnist Hightower (Thieves in High Places) joins writer and activist DeMarco to produce this irreverent and uplifting look at how individuals and companies can be both successful and socially responsible. Disproving the notion that a business must operate solely to improve its bottom line, they share inspirational stories from a variety of industries including international banking, real estate development, medical services, and environmentally safe, sustainable farming. Hightower and DeMarco include portraits of progressive community organizations, activists and individuals-such as ACORN and the Rev. Rich Cizik-who have bucked the system and realized richer, happier lives. To their credit, the authors do not traffic in abstracts. They provide tangible steps to escape 'corporate tentacles' and become catalysts for change; the book even lists contact information for a majority of the individuals and companies discussed. An entertaining and insightful look at making a living while staying true to one's values, this book will please Hightower's many fans and will earn him more than a few new ones." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Jim Hightower is a syndicated columnist, national radio commentator, publisher of the Hightower Lowdown newsletter, and the New York Times bestselling author of Thieves in High Places.

Susan DeMarco is a writer, former radio talk-show host, public-interest activist, and longtime Hightower partner-in-crime.