Synopses & Reviews
The inside story of an extraordinary politics you probably didnt know existedordinary Americans getting together and acquiring real power for themselves.” William Greider, national correspondent, The Nation
A New York city neighborhood once called the beginning of the end of civilization” is where Michael Gecan starts. Hired by residents to help them save their community, he and local leaders spend more than a decade wrestling New York politicians in an impassioned effort against all odds that brings in five thousand new homes.
From bad behavior by Ed Koch to complicated negotiations with Rudy Giuliani, Gecan tells the inside story of how the city really works, and how any organized group of citizens can wield power in seemingly unmovable bureaucracies.
Gecans unwavering vision of the value of public action has roots in a rough childhood in Chicago, where he witnessed extortion by the mob and a tragic fire in his Catholic grade school that left ninety-two children and three nuns dead.
In his inspiring story of the will to claim the full benefits of citizenship, Gecan offers unforgettable lessons that every American should know: What is the best way to talk to politicians? What resources do all communities need to create change? What kinds of public actions really work?
If you want to know how ordinary Americans accomplished extraordinary thingsbuilt affordable homes, created effective schools, won living wagesthen the story and the strategy reside in this remarkable book. Going Public is at once pragmatic and profound.” Samuel G. Freedman, author of Upon This Rock: The Miracles of a Black Church
Michael Gecan has been an organizer for twenty years. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
About the Author
Michael Gecan has been an organizer for twenty years. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Table of Contents
Contents
Preface: Why Organize?
Introduction
Part I: The Habit of Relating
1. All Real Living Is Meeting
2. The World as It Is
Part II: The Habit of Action
3. Activists on a Manhattan Street
4. Introducing Your Larger Self
5. Merit Means (Almost) Nothing
6. Chutzpah Helps
7. Ambiguity, Reciprocity, Victory
Part III: The Habit of Organization
8. The Hard Edges of Effective Organization
9. Disorganizing and Reorganizing
Part IV: The Habit of Reflection
10. Three Public Cultures
11. Fault Lines and Collisions
12. The Right Relationship
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Index 00