Standing Up To the Madness: Ordinary Heroes In Extraordinary Times

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Standing Up To the Madness: Ordinary Heroes In Extraordinary Times

3.98 of 5 stars 3.98 · rating details · 197 ratings · 38 reviews

Standing Up to the Madness not only is a timely, inspiring, and even revolutionary look at who wields the greatest power in America--everyday people who take a chance and stand up for what they believe in--but also offers advice on what you can do to help. Where are the millions marching in the streets to defend human rights, civil liberties, and racial justice? Where is t...more Standing Up to the Madness not only is a timely, inspiring, and even revolutionary look at who wields the greatest power in America--everyday people who take a chance and stand up for what they believe in--but also offers advice on what you can do to help. Where are the millions marching in the streets to defend human rights, civil liberties, and racial justice? Where is the mass revulsion against the killing and torture being carried out in our name? Where are the environmentalists? Where is the peace movement?

The answer: They are everywhere.

The award-winning sister-brother team of Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now!, and investigative journalist David Goodman traveled the country to detail the ways in which grassroots activists have taken politics out of the hands of politicians. Standing Up to the Madness tells the stories of everyday citizens who have challenged the government and prevailed.

As the Bush administration has waged war abroad and at home, it has catalyzed a vast groundswell of political action. From African-American residents of deluged New Orleans who are fighting racism and City Hall to regain their homes; to four Connecticut librarians who refused to spy on their patrons, challenged the USA PATRIOT Act, and won; to a group of high school students who were barred from performing a play they wrote on the Iraq War based on letters from soldiers; to the first U.S. Army officer to publicly refuse orders to deploy to Iraq, charging that his duty as an officer is to refuse to fight in an illegal and immoral war, Standing Up to the Madness profiles citizens rising to extraordinary challenges. And, in the process, they are changing the way that politics is done, both now and in the future.

In communities around the United States, courageous individuals have taken leaps of faith to stop the madness. They could only hope that if they led, others would follow. That is how movements are born. What begins as one, eventually becomes many. In that tradition, the authors have included the ways in which any individual can take action and effect change.(less)

Hardcover, 272 pages

Published May 1st 2008 by Hyperion (first published 2008)

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Aug 30, 2009 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a beautiful and inspirational book about the real heroes in America, mostly people you never heard of. The most interesting story to me was the one about the 4 librarians in Connecticut who launched a civil liberties lawsuit against the American government and the FBI, when they were served with a "demand" for library records to show who was reading what books and what sites each individual was checking out on the library computers. As an attorney, i found it fascinating that the America...more

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Jun 19, 2009 Paul Ivanov rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

My labmate Tim sent me an email on Wednesday (April 15th) saying that Amy Goodman “Democracy Now! fame, and my heroin” [sic:] was speaking on campus at noon. The place was packed, and it’s the best way I could have imagined to snap back out of the Qualifying Exam bubble I’ve spent the last several months in, and re-engage with the world at large.

One of the excuses for the tour is the paperback release of Standing up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times by Amy and David Goodman....more My labmate Tim sent me an email on Wednesday (April 15th) saying that Amy Goodman “Democracy Now! fame, and my heroin” [sic:] was speaking on campus at noon. The place was packed, and it’s the best way I could have imagined to snap back out of the Qualifying Exam bubble I’ve spent the last several months in, and re-engage with the world at large.

One of the excuses for the tour is the paperback release of Standing up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times by Amy and David Goodman.

Now that I’m a tenured grad student, I can actually allow myself to read for pleasure – guilt free! So I went to the library that Thursday, and picked up the hardcover, which came out last year.

What I liked about this book is what sets it apart from other political books of today. Amy and David don’t just provide us with a laundry list of wrongdoing by the Bush administration, congress, various governmental agencies, as well as highlighting some of the ongoing local struggles. Though the book is chock-full of such details, they are all provided in the context of a particular vignette. What’s more – instead of simply stating the problems, or providing an outline of the authors’ opinions regarding what course of action should be taken, the book highlights the work average citizens have already done to oppose injustice, censorship, racism, etc. One example is T-shirt “terrorist” Raed Jarrar, who wore a shirt with the words “We will not be silent” – written in both English and Arabic – a reference to the White Rose – and was forced to put another shirt over it because JetBlue customers were threatened or offended. With the help of the ACLU, Jarrar sued the TSA and JetBlue, who ended up paying $240,000 to settle the discrimination charges.

Like Hochschild’s King Leopold’s Ghost (1), this book is non-fiction that reads like fiction. Not because it is well-written, though it is, but because of the shocking realities of the content. Leadership cannot be taught, it can only be revealed. Standing up to the Madness gives us dozens of snapshots of the ongoing work of ordinary heroes.

1. which, after I first read it in 2001 became my measuring stick for gauging the quality of non-fiction↩
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Jul 07, 2009 Patti rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a book that makes you proud of the Americans who stand up and say "No! No more, things have to change." Many of the people who are profiled in this book did not set out to take a stand, they made that decision on the fly and made a difference.

My favorite section is the one about the students at Wilton High School who were putting on a play, "Voices in Conflict" featuring the words of Iraq War Veterans. They had previously done plays that dealt with graphic sex, homosexuality, and violenc...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Sabiel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-non-fiction

Although some of these essays are a little repetitive, two of them are *so* good that it is worth getting the book just to read them. One is the story of the students at Wilton High School who battled a scarily pro-Bush Administration censorious regime at their own high school in order to put on a play that was not even anti-war, but merely used soldiers' own first-person narratives to convey the brutal reality of wartime.

The second, equally stellar essay profiles heroic librarians [also in Conn...more

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Mar 12, 2009 Adam rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Adam by: Shelly

Shelves: politics, organizing-and-activism

The title summarizes the book well. “Standing Up to the Madness” paints portraits of individuals who are resisting oppression, usually by the State. Given that these are stories covered by Democracy Now! Radio, it's not surprising that these strike me as being better as radio segments. While the stories are powerful as written, I bet they are more powerful heard in these “ordinary” people's voices. The writing is not particularly strong, but the stories are very compelling, and totally enraging....more The title summarizes the book well. “Standing Up to the Madness” paints portraits of individuals who are resisting oppression, usually by the State. Given that these are stories covered by Democracy Now! Radio, it's not surprising that these strike me as being better as radio segments. While the stories are powerful as written, I bet they are more powerful heard in these “ordinary” people's voices. The writing is not particularly strong, but the stories are very compelling, and totally enraging.

My biggest complaint with the book is that the authors don't transcend reporting the stories. The stories provide a great opportunity to glimpse into the nature of the State, or the psychology of individuals, or an inquiry into social change, or a study of hope in America (The authors write, “Saying 'no' to injustice is the ultimate declaration of hope” (216). But why don't the authors ask how it is that Americans come to hope? See Rebecca Solnit's excellent “Hope in the Dark,” soon to be reviewed by me). There's no attempt made to explore the motivations behind these people's willingness to act, nor is there any indication as to why our government is so oppressive. The result is a journalistic brushstroke across a range of struggles.

The stories are diverse, though many deal with censorship: NASA scientists fighting the censorship of environmental research; high school drama students fighting the censorship of a play dealing with the Iraq war; psychologists fighting the censorship of colleagues' role in the torturing of political prisoners.

Another common thread I identified between these stories is how for many of these individuals, the oppression they were fighting intersected with their jobs. Injustices were being justified by their professions. The NASA scientists , psychologists, high school teacher, and librarians (fighting surveillance of patrons' check-out histories) fought back by appealing to the values of their professions. And so, the librarian, a public servant, stands off the government in the name of civil rights, a core value of the library profession. Even soldiers speak out against the war by calling upon their values of honor, truth, and duty.

For me, these stories are deeper than just “people standing up:” they also demonstrate how people develop loyalty to their professions. They also uncover the contradictions that can form in one's work, and call into question where the boundary lies between people's own actions and those actions that are just performed as “doing their job.” (less)

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Sep 20, 2010 Alex Telander rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-read-in-2008

STANDING UP TO THE MADNESS BY AMY GOODMAN AND DAVID GOODMAN: The award-winning and bestselling brother and sister team Amy Goodman (popular and successful host of the TV and radio show Democracy Now!) and David Goodman (an investigative journalist), authors of Static and Exception to the Rulers return with Standing Up to the Madness. The Goodmans strike out on a new path in, aiming to not retread on the familiar ground of endlessly criticizing the Bush administration and its endeavors, but to re...more STANDING UP TO THE MADNESS BY AMY GOODMAN AND DAVID GOODMAN: The award-winning and bestselling brother and sister team Amy Goodman (popular and successful host of the TV and radio show Democracy Now!) and David Goodman (an investigative journalist), authors of Static and Exception to the Rulers return with Standing Up to the Madness. The Goodmans strike out on a new path in, aiming to not retread on the familiar ground of endlessly criticizing the Bush administration and its endeavors, but to report and record grassroots stories of people from across the country who have suffered under the current regime, and how they have fought back and gained some ground.

The stories in the book are grouped into subjects on how science is being threatened, schools and education being threatened, the war in Iraq, and simply “Standing up to the Madness.” There is the story Malik Rahim, a native of New Orleans who was there when Hurricane Katrina struck, and is still there now trying to rebuild the ravaged country and its torn and exiled people. Rahim tells of the little help he has seen from the government, and what there remains now. He also provides startling insights into the horrific acts of racism that are now commonplace in the ruins of the city. But Rahim has started a charity group from scratch, Common Ground, that is now strong and increasing in size and popularity, providing aid and shelter to the many citizens of New Orleans that still have no where to call home.

Raed Jarrar, a US citizen originally from Iraq, tells the story of his being prevented from flying on JetBlue because he was wearing a T-shirt that read “We Will Not Be Silent” in both English and Arabic. Clearly it was because of the color of his skin, and with help from the original manufacturers of the T-shirt, he was able to make a stand for freedom of speech. Librarians across the country tell their story of standing against the Patriot Act and its supposed allowance of turning over library members reading histories. Psychologists speak out against the use of their members being used as litmus tests and decision makers when witnessing torture at Guantanamo Bay. American soldiers back from Iraq tell the true story of what was really taking place in the Middle East, and why every day is another step in the wrong direction.

It is easy to criticize the Bush administration, but the authors of Standing Up to the Madness challenge the reader to do something other than criticize. Through the voices and lives revealed in this book, one can see that change and justice is possible, and with an epilogue of advice and suggestions, it gives one fuel to begin the change that is necessary to make American the land of the free once again.

For more book reviews and exclusive author interviews, go to BookBanter.(less)

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Feb 19, 2009 David M. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: direct-action, non-fiction

The brother & sister team of progressive journalists Amy Goodman and David Goodman have collected several stories of people who came face to face with some of the evils of the Dubya Squad years but who made the sadly rare but always heartening decision to not take it lying down. They tell these stories in Standing Up to the Madness.

Over the course of the book, team Goodman tell us

* how the Common Ground Relief group got organized and fought back when the government tried to piggy-back an et...more

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Nov 02, 2009 Kimberly Benson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book a lot. It is a fast inspiring read. I enjoyed the part about the White Rose:"We will not be silent. We are your guilty conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace!" written during Nazi Germany. Any to tie it to today- there is a contemporary campaign will shirts that say "We will not be silent" in both english and arabic.

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Mar 10, 2009 Tehnle rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book actually made me cry a few times, especially the tale about the librarian who stood up to the FBI. These are stories of heroic gumption during a scary time when our rights as Americans were being trampled. I am almost gloating over the fact that I can write about the George W era in the past tense. :-)

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May 29, 2010 Chris rated it 3 of 5 stars

A nice a brief read, but a little too brief. Although Goodman sets up some really great examples of standing up for Democracy, there were too many stories that just didn't get me motivated enough to make changes. There was one story about the Jena Six, a group of African-American high school students who were imprisoned and wrongfully charged for their actions, that Goodman seemed to have stumbled on. I agree that the civil rights laws were breached in order to incarcerate these kids, but I do n...more

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Dec 02, 2009 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Amy Goodman is such a badass. I'm a regular listener of Democracy Now! so none of these stories really surprised me, but they did make me feel woe for the world and wish that everyone listened to Amy Goodman: www.democracynow.org. She's an American hero, and so are the people she discusses in this book.

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Jun 04, 2009 Toni Tabora-Roberts rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: activist, everyone

Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman and her journalist brother David Goodman present a range of inspiring stories (covering everything from Hurricane Katrina to librarians taking a stand against the patriot act to conspiracies to hide the truth about global warming) about everyday folks and their heroic stories of activism and action. With government power at a seemingly all time high and with big corporate media seemingly complicit or too ignorant, these kinds of stories need to be heard so people kee...more

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Sep 04, 2010 Real Supergirl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

An easy, quick read. Was hoping it would be a little less depressing. It tries to be hopeful and encouraging, by structuring itself around activists who have stood up against global warming deniers, racists, censors, the military-industrial complex...but a couple of the battles were such uphill battles that reading about their description proved to be more depressing than encouraging. Still, an important read.

The best sections, IMO, are about the librarians who took on the Patriot Act, the Conn...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Carol rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Carol by: Mya A.

Shelves: politics, covergirls

Enlightening book. The book describes many disturbing events of the presidential administrations (mostly George W. Bush). Topics include: Rosa Parks, Hurricane Katrina, Global Warming, USA Patriot Act, Iraq War.

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May 03, 2011 Audrey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I should have read this book three years ago when it first came out (it largely focuses on issues during the Bush administration). But regardless of being a few years behind, I found the book an intriguing and engaging read. It includes inspiring stories of individuals who started grassroot movements to support causes they strongly believed in (whether that was standing behind the science supporting global warming, the treamtment of survivors in New Orleans after Catrina, protecting people's pri...more

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Oct 01, 2009 Juju rated it 4 of 5 stars

With the news raining disaster all around us it's refreshing to read this awesome collection of true stories about courageous everyday people. The stories presented here address mostly current concerns. From the Common Ground Relief organization in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans which grew out of government incompetence and indifference to the disillusioned soldiers who drafted the Appeal for Redress as an effort to give a voice to the voiceless in the military, these are all excellent exam...more

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Dec 16, 2009 Bradleyreginald rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good book, well written but you'd be better off just listening to democracynow.org everyday.(she's the author).

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Apr 09, 2009 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Those Goodmans, they are so cool. One group of ordinary heroes was a few public librarians .... whats not to like?

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Aug 29, 2009 Somya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Clear, concise, well written - a testament to the gravity and courage it takes to speak out against injustice. I feel humbled after reading these stories.

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Apr 09, 2010 Anthony rated it 4 of 5 stars

quick read and important examples of ordinaly folks resisting injustice in the u.s.

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Dec 22, 2009 Wendy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Inspirational read. Amy Goodman is great as always.

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Jul 03, 2009 Cynthia rated it 5 of 5 stars

A good read. Amy really gets to the truth of things.

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Nov 30, 2008 Karen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Inspired me to be a better person...

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Feb 11, 2009 Sara Blair rated it 4 of 5 stars

I heart Amy Goodman.

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Dec 09, 2008 Kaitlin marked it as to-read

She's my hero.

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Dec 05, 2008 kacey marked it as to-read

i heart amy goodman

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Jul 28, 2011 Breanna Dahl added it

Inspiring.

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Sep 28, 2011 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great book, I'd highly recommend it to anyone... unfortunately though many people would never read it, it's a bit too political for some people. My only critique is there is some parts that I wish were longer (because I was so wrapped up in the real life stories being told) and there were some instances where (in the interest of being thorough) they had a little too much of a full transcript from court cases, and I understand why they did this... but it can be a bit dry and tedious to read throu...more

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Feb 13, 2013 Connie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Real life stories of people who stood up to injustice and changed their part of the world

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Nov 10, 2008 Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was certainly inspiring and eye-opening. I think that it's important to read it with a little bit of discretion, however, because it's clearly written in support of one side of the argument. Anyway, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a something to restore their hope in "people power", oh, and to restore their fear of the government, because it does that too. enjoy

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About Amy Goodman

Amy Goodman is an American broadcast journalist, syndicated columnist and author.

A 1984 graduate of Harvard University, Goodman is best known as the principal host of Pacifica Radio's Democracy Now! program, where she has been described by the Los Angeles Times as "radio's voice of the disenfranchised left". Coverage of the peace and human rights movements — and support of the independent media —...more

More about Amy Goodman...

Books by Amy Goodman

The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them

Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back

The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope

Truth, Torture, and the American Way: The History and Consequences of U.S. Involvement in Torture

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