Stoking the Fire of Democracy: Our Generation's Introduction to Grassroots Organizing

by Stephen N. Smith

Stephen Smith is a voice from and for the next generation of fighters for social justice. Here he gives his colleagues an introduction to grassroots organizing based on his own experiences in a diversity of locales, such as Harvard University, Botswana and Chicago. Stoking the Fire of Democracy does what every good organizer tells good stories and asks good questions. Smith explains how "could-be radicals" recruit and support new leaders, turn isolated anger into targeted action, and more than anything muster the courage to make mistakes and learn from them. This book is for young people who want to know how to become what Saul Alinsky called "the fire under the boiler of democracy."

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 14, 2009

Reviews

[Renée]

Used with my capstone students. Imparted some good ideas, especially for service-learning projects.

[Julie]

This is a good read, explaining one man's experiences in community organizing, mentoring and leadership.

[Cronje]

I will use this book in my undergraduate classroom. It's not as coherent as I'd like (but perhaps my desire for coherence is exxaggerated by years of grading undergraduate writing???), but it's still got some useful ideas to spark in-class discussions.