Synopses & Reviews
andquot;Ronnie Gilbertand#39;s life and new book are brilliant, inspirational, exuberant. She has brought me hope for fifty-five years now with no end in sight.andquot;and#160;andmdash;Anne Lamott, author of
Help, Thanks, Wow andldquo;A passionate life,and#160;boldly lived by a social and artistic rebel. Brava!andrdquo;and#160;andmdash;Joan Steinau Lester, author ofand#160;Fire in My Soul: Eleanor Holmes Norton
andquot;Ronnie Gilbert was living history, and Iand#39;m so grateful she wrote this book. My only regret is that she didnand#39;t live to see it published, but knowing her, the journey was the thing.andquot;and#160;andmdash;Janis Ian, Grammy Award winner and writer of andldquo;Societyandrsquo;s Childandrdquo;
andquot;What an extraordinary, well-lived, lefty/Jewish life, complicated and engaged, a glorious weaving of art and politics:and#160;hootenannies to Red-haters, Carnegie Hall to Mother Jones, womenand#39;s music and love for a woman to the bombing of Gaza.and#160;Sing now to the heavens, dear Ronnie!andquot;and#160;andmdash;Penny Rosenwasser, author ofand#160;Hope into Practice: Jewish Women Choosing Justice Despite Our Fears
andquot;A Radical Life in Songand#160;is an uplifting, bold, and adventurous journey with the resilient Ronnie Gilbert as she goes from challenge to challenge, from strength to strength, with gusto and heart.andquot;and#160;andmdash;Clare Coss,and#160;playwright and author of Emmett, Down in My Heart and Dr. Du Bois and Miss Ovington
andquot;Ronnie Gilbert approached her memoir as she lived her life: with love, compassion, and forthright courage. Vividly written, this splendid book presents a life of stunning surprises, harmony and struggle, and the enduring realities of political and personal activism, from the Weavers to Women in Black.andquot;and#160;andmdash;Blanche Wiesen Cook, author of Eleanor Roosevelt, vols. 1andndash;2
and#160;
Review
“A stirring coda to one of the greatest chapters in the history of US radicalism.”
Review
“There are lessons here for activists that make this slim volume a handbook for personal, and therefore, social transformation.”
Review
“A radical start-up kit for combatting neoliberal capitalism.”
Review
“A stirring coda to one of the greatest chapters in the history of US radicalism.” Bill V. Mullen
Review
“A radical start-up kit for combatting neoliberal capitalism.” Larry Gabriel - Yes! Mag
Synopsis
"This groundbreaking book not only represents the best of Grace Lee Boggs, but the best of any radical, visionary thinking in the United States. She reminds us why revolution is not only possible and necessary, but in some places already in the making. The conditions we face under neoliberalism and war do, indeed, mark the end of an era in which the old ideological positions of protest are not really relevant or effective--and this book offers a new way forward."--Robin D.G. Kelley, author of "Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination"
Synopsis
A world dominated by America and driven by cheap oil, easy credit, and conspicuous consumption is unraveling before our eyes. In this powerful, deeply humanistic book, Grace Lee Boggs, a legendary figure in the struggle for justice in America, shrewdly assesses the current crisispolitical, economical, and environmentaland shows how to create the radical social change we need to confront new realities. A vibrant, inspirational force, Boggs has participated in all of the twentieth centurys major social movementsfor civil rights, womens rights, workers rights, and more. She draws from seven decades of activist experience, and a rigorous commitment to critical thinking, to redefine revolution” for our times. From her home in Detroit, she reveals how hope and creativity are overcoming despair and decay within the most devastated urban communities. Her book is a manifesto for creating alternative modes of work, politics, and human interaction that will collectively constitute the next American Revolution.
Synopsis
"Reading Grace Lee Boggs helps you glimpse a United States that is better and more beautiful than you thought it was. As she analyzes some of the inspiring theories and practices that have emerged from the struggles for equality and freedom in Detroit and beyond, she also shows us that in this country, a future revolution is not only necessary but possible."
Michael Hardt, co-author of Commonwealth
"This groundbreaking book not only represents the best of Grace Lee Boggs, but the best of any radical, visionary thinking in the United States. She reminds us why revolution is not only possible and necessary, but in some places already in the making. The conditions we face under neoliberalism and war do, indeed, mark the end of an era in which the old ideological positions of protest are not really relevant or effectiveand this book offers a new way forward."Robin D.G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination
Grace Boggs has long been a major voice of hope and action for transformation of the United States and the world. Here is her testimony of hope and program for action. It must be taken seriously.”
Immanuel Wallerstein, author of Utopistics: or, Historical Choices of the Twenty-first Century
"One of the most accomplished radicals of our time, the Detroit-based visionary Grace Lee Boggs has become one of our most influential and inspiring public intellectuals. The Next American Revolution is her powerful reflection on a lifetime of urban revolutionary work, an ode to the courage and brilliance of her late partner James Boggs, and a plain-spoken call for us to address the troubled times we face with a sense of history, a strong set of values, and an unwavering faith in our own creative, restorative powers."
Jeff Chang, author of Can't Stop Won't Stop
Synopsis
Ronnie Gilbert had a long and colorful career as a singer, actor, playwright, therapist, and independent woman. Her lifelong work for political and social change was central to her role as a performer. Raised in Depression-era New York City by leftist, working-class, secular Jewish parents, Gilbert is best known as a member of the Weavers, the quartet of the 1950s and and#39;60s that survived the blacklist and helped popularize folk music in America. Her joyous contralto and vibrant stage presence enriched the celebrated group and propelled Gilbert into a second singing career with Holly Near in the 1980s and and#39;90s. As an actor, Gilbert explored developmental theater with Joseph Chaikin and Peter Brook and wrote and performed in ensemble and solo productions across the United States and Canada.
Ronnie Gilbert brings the political, artistic, and social issues of the era alive through song lyrics and personal stories, traversing sixty years of collaborations in life and art that span the folk revival, the Cold War blacklist, primal therapy, the back-to-the-land movement, and a rich, multigenerational family story. Much more than a memoir, Ronnie Gilbert is a unique and engaging historical document for readers interested in music, theater, American politics, the womenandrsquo;s movement, and left-wing activism.
About the Author
Grace Lee Boggs, the recipient of many human rights and lifetime achievement awards, is an activist, writer, and speaker. She is celebrated in the National Womens Hall of Fame. Boggs is the coauthor, with James Boggs, of
Revolution and Evolution in the Twentieth Century and the author of
Living for Change: An Autobiography. The daughter of Chinese immigrants, she is 95 years old.
Scott Kurashige is Associate Professor at the University of Michigan and author of The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Foreword by Holly Near
Acknowledgments
and#160;
1. Songs Are Dangerous
2. Family
3. Making My Own Way
4. The Weavers
5. Moving On
6. Theater
7. Heading West
8. British Columbia
9. The Winter Project
10. The Weaversandrsquo; Last Concert
11. Womenandrsquo;s Music
12. Women in Black
13. Learning to Be Old
and#160;
Index