The award-winning journalists and authors of "The Exception to the Rulers" and "Static" return with this revolutionary work that celebrates the ord...
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reviews
Aug 30, 2009
Judith
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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
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Jun 19, 2009
Paul
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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 Davi More...
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 Davi More...
Jul 07, 2009
Patti
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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 graph More...
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 graph More...
Nov 28, 2011
Sabiel
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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 [ More...
The second, equally stellar essay profiles heroic librarians [ More...
Mar 12, 2009
Adam
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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 enrag
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Sep 20, 2010
Alex
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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
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Feb 19, 2009
David
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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 t More...
Over the course of the book, team Goodman tell us
* how the Common Ground Relief group got organized and fought back when the government t More...
Nov 02, 2009
Kimberly
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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.
Mar 10, 2009
Tehnle
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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. :-)
May 29, 2010
Chris
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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
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Dec 02, 2009
Matthew
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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.
Jun 04, 2009
Toni
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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
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Dec 08, 2010
Real Supergirl
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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 More...
The best sections, IMO, are about the librarians who took on the Patriot More...
Apr 07, 2011
Carol
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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.
May 03, 2011
Audrey
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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 pr
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Oct 01, 2009
Juju
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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 ex
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May 11, 2009
Chris
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I like all of Amy/David Goodman's books. They motivate me to be a better man and raise a little more hell when the world calls for it.
Dec 16, 2009
Bradleyreginald
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Good book, well written but you'd be better off just listening to democracynow.org everyday.(she's the author).
Apr 09, 2009
Katie
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Those Goodmans, they are so cool. One group of ordinary heroes was a few public librarians .... whats not to like?
Aug 29, 2009
Somya
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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.
Apr 09, 2010
Anthony
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quick read and important examples of ordinaly folks resisting injustice in the u.s.
Sep 28, 2011
Dan
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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
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Nov 10, 2008
Grace
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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
