The Civil Disobedience Handbook
The Civil Disobedience Handbook
A Brief History and Practical Advice for the
Politically Disenchanted
Edited by James Tracy
$ 10.00 from Manic D Press, www.manicdpress.com
ISBN: 0-916397-76-9
Wow, what an impressive book! This seems like for the first time in many years a book that finally speaks to everyone on something as basic as our right to protest. The best part is anyone a disenfranchised homeless person to a punk rocker to a little old grandmother can actually read and understand this handbook.
This is not the kind of book that you just want to sit down and read for pleasure. No, this is perfect group read — great for communities, such as schools and churches, beginning activists, anyone who wants to make change either through the environment or though social justice issues. Just remember what Martin Luther King said, “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere.”
What we have here is a handbook that is stripped of all political ideas and filled with practical knowledge. For example how to plan a civil disobedience form the start through the end and cover every aspect from the press to arrest.
I will admit there are chapters which get a little heavy — for example the Henry David Thoreau chapter “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” — but even thought it is rather long that’s Henry David Thoreau for you. And even though it’s long it’s a very important part of the history of civil disobedience.
The reasons these stories in the first part of the book are important are to show us we are not alone. It shows us to have courage that if Rosa Parks can sit on the front of the bus, or that a hand full of rich Harvard students can sit in long enough to help cafeteria works and janitors then we can change things to. With this handbook and a cool head, just like Malcolm X put it — “by any means necessary” — we can win the small battles which could turn into the war.
George