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Keep Marching: How to Take Action and Change Our World
In the months since Donald Trump's shocking presidential upset, a movement has been coalescing in America-and when millions of women descended upon Washington, DC in January 2017 (and six hundred sister marches all across the country and the world), it was a wake-up call and the largest single-day demonstration in the history of the United States. But the truth is, women's rights didn't start or end there. There's a lot more to do.
In Keep Marching, CEO of MomsRising.org and one of the contributing authors of the Unity Principles Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner examines societal, institutional, and political barriers that women historically and currently face and what you can do to dismantle them. Filled with inspiring stories from women on the front lines, along with revealing facts and insights on key issues to arm you with the intel you need to debate anyone from a male chauvinist boss to a policymaker, Keep Marching is a groundbreaking, definitive work that will help move our country forward.
With each chapter focusing on different issues, from gender and racial discriminating laws, mass incarceration, family economic security, glass ceilings, violence against women, reproductive rights and more; Rowe-Finkbeiner offers practical tips and to-do lists on organizing and effecting change in our own communities, advances policy solutions that will lift everyone, and shares high impact strategies that anyone can use to keep marching online and on the ground (and why it matters so much).
This book is a roadmap for a continued movement toward equality. More and more people realize that democracy isn't about one election, one Oval Office, one march, or one day-but it is instead about making democracy a regular practice in our everyday lives. Keep Marching calls for a continued path to change-and it will be lifted by the platform of action and engagement of MomsRising.org, which has an audience of over a million women.
100% of the proceeds of the book will be donated to MomsRising.
In Keep Marching, CEO of MomsRising.org and one of the contributing authors of the Unity Principles Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner examines societal, institutional, and political barriers that women historically and currently face and what you can do to dismantle them. Filled with inspiring stories from women on the front lines, along with revealing facts and insights on key issues to arm you with the intel you need to debate anyone from a male chauvinist boss to a policymaker, Keep Marching is a groundbreaking, definitive work that will help move our country forward.
With each chapter focusing on different issues, from gender and racial discriminating laws, mass incarceration, family economic security, glass ceilings, violence against women, reproductive rights and more; Rowe-Finkbeiner offers practical tips and to-do lists on organizing and effecting change in our own communities, advances policy solutions that will lift everyone, and shares high impact strategies that anyone can use to keep marching online and on the ground (and why it matters so much).
This book is a roadmap for a continued movement toward equality. More and more people realize that democracy isn't about one election, one Oval Office, one march, or one day-but it is instead about making democracy a regular practice in our everyday lives. Keep Marching calls for a continued path to change-and it will be lifted by the platform of action and engagement of MomsRising.org, which has an audience of over a million women.
100% of the proceeds of the book will be donated to MomsRising.
336 pages, Paperback
Published March 29, 2018
23 people are currently reading
635 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
May 31, 2018
If you’re looking for concrete ideas about everyday activism, read Keep Marching: How Every Woman Can Take Action and Change Our World by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner. The author breaks down today’s most critical human rights issues, and provides an action plan.
Keep Marching is full of details, including the results of studies and true stories. Rowe-Finkbeiner delicately balances the statistics with reality, getting her readers all fired up. Then she lays out the details of how to take that information and use it for change.
For example, pick the topic area that matters most to you: Our Money, Our Bodies, or Our Communites. Next delve deeper into one topic, let’s say Our Bodies. In that section, Rowe-Finkbeiner covers health care, Medicaid, reproductive rights, domestic violence, and maternal mortality within this section.
Layered in between the topics are the action steps. One section talks about how to reach out to your legislators. Not just how to find their number, but how best to make that phone call. She explains what to expect, and the best way to get your message across. In another, Rowe-Finkbeiner explains how to make the most of a town hall or community forum. What if you’ve done all that and want to get more involved? Well, there’s a chapter on running for office or supporting a woman who already is running.
My conclusions:
Political action is much more than clicking “like” on Facebook memes. But it doesn’t have to be hard, or a full-time job. More women than ever are banding together, around dining room tables and board rooms. They are making change by doing any small things, consistently, and over long periods of time. Women aren’t letting up on the pressure.
Keep Marching reminded me of all the fire I felt in November 2016. It inspired me to do more, and to connect with like-minded friends and organizations. It helped me feel the power women truly have in the world today.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner’s writing style takes heavily researched topics and makes them approachable. The footnoted content is transformed from dry statistics with many stories of women’s own experiences. Keep Marching isn’t preachy. Instead, after reading it I’m excited to do more to impact my world.
Although I received this book as a digital advanced reader’s copy, I will definitely buy a copy of the finished product. According to the author, “100 percent of the proceeds of this book go to MomsRising to help provide the fuel to keep us all marching.” There’s a reason to purchase copies for friends too!
Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Keep Marching is full of details, including the results of studies and true stories. Rowe-Finkbeiner delicately balances the statistics with reality, getting her readers all fired up. Then she lays out the details of how to take that information and use it for change.
For example, pick the topic area that matters most to you: Our Money, Our Bodies, or Our Communites. Next delve deeper into one topic, let’s say Our Bodies. In that section, Rowe-Finkbeiner covers health care, Medicaid, reproductive rights, domestic violence, and maternal mortality within this section.
Layered in between the topics are the action steps. One section talks about how to reach out to your legislators. Not just how to find their number, but how best to make that phone call. She explains what to expect, and the best way to get your message across. In another, Rowe-Finkbeiner explains how to make the most of a town hall or community forum. What if you’ve done all that and want to get more involved? Well, there’s a chapter on running for office or supporting a woman who already is running.
My conclusions:
Political action is much more than clicking “like” on Facebook memes. But it doesn’t have to be hard, or a full-time job. More women than ever are banding together, around dining room tables and board rooms. They are making change by doing any small things, consistently, and over long periods of time. Women aren’t letting up on the pressure.
Keep Marching reminded me of all the fire I felt in November 2016. It inspired me to do more, and to connect with like-minded friends and organizations. It helped me feel the power women truly have in the world today.
Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner’s writing style takes heavily researched topics and makes them approachable. The footnoted content is transformed from dry statistics with many stories of women’s own experiences. Keep Marching isn’t preachy. Instead, after reading it I’m excited to do more to impact my world.
Although I received this book as a digital advanced reader’s copy, I will definitely buy a copy of the finished product. According to the author, “100 percent of the proceeds of this book go to MomsRising to help provide the fuel to keep us all marching.” There’s a reason to purchase copies for friends too!
Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Hachette Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
May 3, 2018
I am always wary of feminist books, especially when written by white women because feminism, historically, has left women-of-color out of the narrative, out of the statistics, and out of the picture. From the beginning of Keep Marching, Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner preaches inclusivity and intersectionality. She continually reminds the reader that a win for women is a win for society. When women win, we all win. I highly recommend if you're wanting a modern, broad spectrum feminist overview for the United States.
Read my full review at: https://bookishliaisons.wixsite.com/b...
Read my full review at: https://bookishliaisons.wixsite.com/b...
May 12, 2018
This is a well-researched book that serves as a rallying cry for women and their allies. It lays out the current state of the union, and sets a feminist agenda for our current political times. I appreciated that intersectionality, immigrant rights, and police brutality were included in this book. The charts and graphics are also appealing to the eye and informative. I also enjoyed the accessible format in which this book is written - readers of various ages and education levels will be able to pick it up and engage with it.
April 30, 2018
As a Millenial and a Latina woman, I appreciate how this book talks to ALL women in America! This well-written book invites readers to learn about the barriers women face. It also provides the resources needed to take action through policy solutions and strategies. In a time where America feels more divided than ever, Keep Marching is the guide to learn the steps to take for a more equitable nation. I highly recommend it!
December 18, 2019
This is probably one of the best "feminist 101" books I've ever read. It focuses beyond just white women and general, everyday (but important!) topics such as rape culture, equal pay, and more. She also discusses intersectionality, how race ties into our experiences of women, and why immigration rights matter. And even when discussing the "typical" feminist topics, she brings in other important means of viewing such dilemmas--for example, instead of stating why the wage gap is an important topic, she includes statistics that involve various races and discusses how such a wage gap also ties into women being viewed as a separate class, and how such financial disparity affects the economy and small businesses and other rippling, domino effects.
Even more interesting to me, however, was her general perspective as a mother. I personally am not a mother, nor do I ever want to be one, so such perspectives are ones that I do not search out or happen upon. So, that being said, such a new viewpoint helped illuminate some new points for me, such as the increasing cost of child care, or immigration rights, or health care.
What I also found very helpful was the engaging and accessible way that she describes these issues. She also offers various ways to make one's voice heard, from contacting our representatives to urging women to run for office, from city council and onwards--not only does she make this sound important, but she makes it sound fun!
Overall, I found this to be a strong book full of valuable insights that I think most anyone would agree with both opinion-wise and fact-wise. I also think that this is a great book for white moms to better understand just why and how we need these discussions today, and why these discussions are still necessary. Definitely worth reading!
Review cross-listed here!
Even more interesting to me, however, was her general perspective as a mother. I personally am not a mother, nor do I ever want to be one, so such perspectives are ones that I do not search out or happen upon. So, that being said, such a new viewpoint helped illuminate some new points for me, such as the increasing cost of child care, or immigration rights, or health care.
What I also found very helpful was the engaging and accessible way that she describes these issues. She also offers various ways to make one's voice heard, from contacting our representatives to urging women to run for office, from city council and onwards--not only does she make this sound important, but she makes it sound fun!
Overall, I found this to be a strong book full of valuable insights that I think most anyone would agree with both opinion-wise and fact-wise. I also think that this is a great book for white moms to better understand just why and how we need these discussions today, and why these discussions are still necessary. Definitely worth reading!
Review cross-listed here!
August 13, 2018
"Keep Marching" is the book to get your friend who discovered their political outrage after the 2016 election. For a seasoned activist like myself, this book was a nice refresher on the number of issues we have to address. "Keep Marching" also gives you enough of a historical background, without being boring, to remind you even before November 2016 we had a lot of work to tackle.
Rowe-Finkbeiner (whom I call a friend) is deliberate in her attempts to ensure the intersectionality of the book. It is a solid attempt that makes me comfortable recommending this book for activists of color.
What really makes this book accessible is the fact that Rowe-Finkbeiner writes in a manner that makes you feel you are having coffee with a good friend who is sharing their knowledge with you. There is no sense of lecturing or "Where have you been?" There is a simple acknowledgement that for most people, politics and following it can be exhausting. Doubly so if you are working more than one job to pay the bills. Rowe-Finkbeiner pats the seat next to her and says, "Welcome."
In my years of organizing people often ask me why we march. I have always said we march to bring attention to issues and policies. But I have never felt comfortable saying we march to bring people into the movement. Rowe-Finkerbeiner provides us with a tool, a book, that we need to bring people who begin by marching into the movement.
Disclaimer: I was asked to review this book by MomsRising, the organization that Rowe-Finkbeiner runs. I do not feel that impacted my review.
Rowe-Finkbeiner (whom I call a friend) is deliberate in her attempts to ensure the intersectionality of the book. It is a solid attempt that makes me comfortable recommending this book for activists of color.
What really makes this book accessible is the fact that Rowe-Finkbeiner writes in a manner that makes you feel you are having coffee with a good friend who is sharing their knowledge with you. There is no sense of lecturing or "Where have you been?" There is a simple acknowledgement that for most people, politics and following it can be exhausting. Doubly so if you are working more than one job to pay the bills. Rowe-Finkbeiner pats the seat next to her and says, "Welcome."
In my years of organizing people often ask me why we march. I have always said we march to bring attention to issues and policies. But I have never felt comfortable saying we march to bring people into the movement. Rowe-Finkerbeiner provides us with a tool, a book, that we need to bring people who begin by marching into the movement.
Disclaimer: I was asked to review this book by MomsRising, the organization that Rowe-Finkbeiner runs. I do not feel that impacted my review.
May 6, 2018
Your inner advocate was awakened during the Women’s March. Now what?! Keep Marching is your how-to guide to not only understand the history of social and economic justice issues affecting women but what you can do next to strengthen your advocacy and make sure to be fighting for intersectional justice. Peppered with personal stories and resources, this is an easy and important read.
November 20, 2019
This is such an important activist book! It's one of the best I've read since... that incident... in November 2016.
May 1, 2018
This book is not only extremely readable, it’s useful and surprisingly moving. Written in a very personal voice, it is filled with real stories about women trying to make ends meet, struggling with issues like healthcare, surviving violence, fighting for respect and so much more, as though you’re sitting in a coffee shop with a friend telling you about her life. At the same time, it’s filled with research and facts about the issues, along with the policies needed to fix them. The book presents the sweep of issues women face today, how some communities are hit harder than others, and how issues overlap and connect, so you get a comprehensive view of what it’s like to be a woman in America today, and the feeling like we all need to band together to stop the BS! I consider myself fairly well-informed, but the book filled in a lot of blanks for me. The book is also a policy agenda for women, and includes useful advocacy tips for anyone who's wanting to go out and fight for change but isn't quite sure where to start. There are a lot of political books out there right now, but this is one that really helps women understand what's at stake for us and what to do about it. I'll be buying a few copies for my daughter and nieces.
May 1, 2018
[I received an advance reader copy of this book.] There are many, many books out there about politics and policy, about the aftermath of the 2016 election, about the role of women in politics. And if you're on this page, you're probably interested in some combination of all those things. You might have been trucking through these books at your local library. Keep Marching, however, is one that you'll want on your shelf. As Kristin says in her book trailer, you can tear out pages, underline passages, write notes in the margins. This isn't just a book to read-- it's a practical manual to USE.
You'll use it for guidance to start your own local group of women who want to talk about the direction of our nation (maybe especially if you don't usually talk politics), to talk about issues that matter to your life like equal pay, gun violence, health care, and maybe even to find out more about running for office yourself. However you use it, you'll find a treasure trove of resources and Kristin's warm, personal voice guiding you throughout. I'm looking forward to hearing from people who buy this and use it in their organizing and activism, from writing their first letter to the editor to bringing a friend to the voting booth, to voting for themselves on the ballot. #KeepMarching, all!
You'll use it for guidance to start your own local group of women who want to talk about the direction of our nation (maybe especially if you don't usually talk politics), to talk about issues that matter to your life like equal pay, gun violence, health care, and maybe even to find out more about running for office yourself. However you use it, you'll find a treasure trove of resources and Kristin's warm, personal voice guiding you throughout. I'm looking forward to hearing from people who buy this and use it in their organizing and activism, from writing their first letter to the editor to bringing a friend to the voting booth, to voting for themselves on the ballot. #KeepMarching, all!
April 2, 2018
Written by one of the founders of the Women's March, Keep Marching is a primer on how we can stay involved, and more importantly WHY we should stay involved. Written in fairly easy to read text (think less textbook, more informational text) this will appeal to women who are struggling with feeling defeated and knowing what to do next.
I was hoping this would appeal to teens as well, but I don't think it really will, it is definitely geared towards adults (I kind of felt specifically white adults). New Adults will find this book tremendously useful though. I received an ebook galley of this, and have to say it was not very visually appealing. I was hoping for color and eye-catching imagery. I got several black and white graphs. There is a lot of very useful information laid out in this book, but it's laid out as giant blocks of text. Adding in color and breaking up the giant blocks of text would have made the book more accessible, which is a huge part of this book, so the author/editor missed their own point a bit. Hopefully the print version addresses this a bit (galley ebooks often miss a bit, so I'm hopeful.)
Ultimately this is a decent book, well written, and helpful.
I was hoping this would appeal to teens as well, but I don't think it really will, it is definitely geared towards adults (I kind of felt specifically white adults). New Adults will find this book tremendously useful though. I received an ebook galley of this, and have to say it was not very visually appealing. I was hoping for color and eye-catching imagery. I got several black and white graphs. There is a lot of very useful information laid out in this book, but it's laid out as giant blocks of text. Adding in color and breaking up the giant blocks of text would have made the book more accessible, which is a huge part of this book, so the author/editor missed their own point a bit. Hopefully the print version addresses this a bit (galley ebooks often miss a bit, so I'm hopeful.)
Ultimately this is a decent book, well written, and helpful.
June 7, 2018
An enlightening, encouraging and helpful exhortation to women to "Keep Marching." Want to know how to get involved in the current struggle for working women's rights? (Perhaps I ought to say working women's struggle for plain old justice and a level playing field with discrimination and sexism absent?) Pay parity, family leave, raises in the minimum wage, good childcare, an end to pregnancy and maternity discrimination in the workplace are some of the fights working women have facing them every day. Do you know that only 10% of women who work ever earn $75,000 or more? 31% earn between $74,999 and $30,000, but the great majority, 51%, earn less than $30,000. And something like 60% of this 31% are the only breadwinners for their children. Those are just a few of the facts in this pithy, engaging book by one of the founders of the activist group Mom's Rising. This an eye-opening read shows just how far we need to go here in the US for "liberty and justice for all," and shows us some paths to get engaged in the struggle to remake our society into one which lifts up working parents and helps their children to better, more successful lives.
November 14, 2018
This book was an eye opener for me in so many ways. The main one being the dramatic differences in women’s rights in Canada and the US. Issues such as healthcare, abortion laws/women’s health and maternity leave is drastically different in Canada than it is in the US and for that I am so grateful for Canada.
However this book did highlight a lot of the basic women’s rights issues that many western women share such as equality in the workplace. Although we may have access to rights that women in the US are missing right now we still face harsh judgments and prejudices.
This book opened my eyes to many of these issues.
Empowering women with real knowledge on the stats and figures centered around issues of mat leave, health care, workplace equality and immigration. This book covers it all and is a huge wealth of knowledge that we should all be arming ourselves with.
The title fits it well. Keep marching. Because there is still much to be done for women and our equal rights.
However this book did highlight a lot of the basic women’s rights issues that many western women share such as equality in the workplace. Although we may have access to rights that women in the US are missing right now we still face harsh judgments and prejudices.
This book opened my eyes to many of these issues.
Empowering women with real knowledge on the stats and figures centered around issues of mat leave, health care, workplace equality and immigration. This book covers it all and is a huge wealth of knowledge that we should all be arming ourselves with.
The title fits it well. Keep marching. Because there is still much to be done for women and our equal rights.
January 4, 2019
Rowe-Finkbeiner describes issues that continue to plague women, such as the wage gap, health care, incarceration, harassment, and violence. The statistics she provides are sobering.
Rowe-Finkbeiner includes policy recommendations for each issue in her book. here is one of her policy recommendations for eliminating the wage gap:
"Promote bans on salary history requirements. The administration and Congress should also work to ensure that employees are barred from requiring job candidates to disclose previous salary histories, which contributes to the wage gap over times."
Finally, Rowe-Finkbeiner provides an appendix with lists of organizations that support the issues described in each chapter.
When you get clear about what you want to change for women, Keep Marching is an excellent resource.
Rowe-Finkbeiner includes policy recommendations for each issue in her book. here is one of her policy recommendations for eliminating the wage gap:
"Promote bans on salary history requirements. The administration and Congress should also work to ensure that employees are barred from requiring job candidates to disclose previous salary histories, which contributes to the wage gap over times."
Finally, Rowe-Finkbeiner provides an appendix with lists of organizations that support the issues described in each chapter.
When you get clear about what you want to change for women, Keep Marching is an excellent resource.
May 1, 2018
The work to build movements is not an easy one, but this heartfelt "how-to" book on how to activate and make a difference is a great guide to engage if you are looking for a place to start, or deepen your knowledge on a myriad of issues that are impacting our families and communities around the country. The book is very easy to read, my eyes flew off the pages and is educational without being tedious. What I love best is not only the framing of the problems and issues at hand, but also the presentation of hard facts about why changes need to be made to protect and uplift families, as well as policy solutions at the end that give concrete directions on what can be done to pursue the changes we need to see . Thank you Kristin for writing this!
March 5, 2020
Keep Marching is all about maintaining the momentum we felt during the surge of Women's Marches after the 2016 election. This book is not only a handy reference when I need a quick primer on issues - like health insurance, wage inequality, U.S. maternal mortality - but it also provides brief snippets of advice on taking action as well. I only wish there were a bit more detail on how to follow through with those suggestions. Reading this book and joining Moms Rising, the organization Rowe-Finkbeiner co-founded, is a great way to jump start your personal advocacy in the new year if you haven't been so active lately.
June 21, 2019
Informative book. Well researched and organized. I enjoyed the balance between real life stories and facts. The author is self aware, conscious, and woke about her areas of privilege and repeatedly writes to direct attention to women and organizations she knows represent marginalized issues. Anyone, man. woman, or non-binary can read this book to learn not only the issues facing women today, but how to advocate in general. I feel like each time I read this, I could get something else out of it. Highly recommend.
February 17, 2019
This was a very powerful book and I suggest it to anyone who is concerned with the inequities in our country of race, gender, wealth, or pay. If you are concerned about violence against women and the inequity of the way US courts handle justice for blacks and whites, you need to read this. You can't talk about one kind of discrimination without touching on all discrimination, and this book not only tells you why, it tells you what we can all do to help.
May 1, 2018
Love this book! Kristin Rowe-Finkebeiner provides an intersectional, personal, and actionable take on the top issues in the country. I look forward to sharing stories and stats with my family and friends, and using the guidance on advocacy to improve my own activism. Then I hope to pass it on to others, so they can get as much out of it as I did!
December 17, 2019
I often hear from people that want to get involved or become more informed about the intersectional feminist cause. Keep Marching was my first civil rights/social justice informative book, and I found it super digestible and interesting. I suggest this book to anyone that seeks to become more informed about the activist community as a whole and doesn't know where to start.
July 8, 2018
This book gave me a lot to think about, particularly how white privilege blinds us. It took the current administration to show me how much more work we need to do to truly become a country with justice for all
July 29, 2018
Incredibly well researched and thought out, Kristin shows how important it is for us all to realize the intersectionality of women’s rights and people of color gaining equality and full representation.
Specific examples and motivation for us all to find ways to take action and make a difference.
Specific examples and motivation for us all to find ways to take action and make a difference.
February 22, 2020
Full of facts on today's key issues and step-by-step instructions on how to have an impact on legislation at the city, state or national level. Very inspiring and practical - a worthwhile read for anyone who longs for more Civic engagement but doesn't know where to start.
June 21, 2020
This is a great primer for getting involved! It’s got harrowing stats, excellent resources, and terrific processes for next steps.
What it isn’t is unbiased, so if you can overlook that, it’s an outstanding read on how to make a positive impact in your community.
What it isn’t is unbiased, so if you can overlook that, it’s an outstanding read on how to make a positive impact in your community.
July 26, 2018
Review to come
August 13, 2018
"When we speak about women's issues, we must speak to the issues that impact every woman - not just the issues that impact able-bodied, middle-class, cis, and straight white women."
This is an incredibly self aware book about how women can step up to make change. This book particularly focuses its message for straight, white, middle-class women on the importance of intersectionality especially when it comes to gender identity and race and accessibility.
This book talks about how many things are womens issues from equal wages to the cost of child care and environmental sustainability. It's a really well-rounded book on issues that also tells people how they can get involved and make a difference to help all women.
This is definitely a must read.
This is an incredibly self aware book about how women can step up to make change. This book particularly focuses its message for straight, white, middle-class women on the importance of intersectionality especially when it comes to gender identity and race and accessibility.
This book talks about how many things are womens issues from equal wages to the cost of child care and environmental sustainability. It's a really well-rounded book on issues that also tells people how they can get involved and make a difference to help all women.
This is definitely a must read.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews