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MoveOn's 50 Ways to Love Your Country: How to Find Your Political Voice and Become a Catalyst for Change
When two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs launched MoveOn.org in 1998, they had no idea that they would be hailed as powerful and influential political activists or grow their online advocacy group to 2 million members in just a few years. Their simple mission—fueled by passion for a more open and democratic nation, topnotch and timely information, and the financial support of concerned individuals and organizations—was to jumpstart broad civic dialogue and enable ordinary citizens to effectively voice their political concerns.
In the spirit of simplicity and empowering the citizen, this book is an essential "how to" for becoming politically informed and involved. In this handbook for change, MoveOn members from around the country have written about what it means to be a responsible member of a democracy—what they have done in the past and what they are now doing to help make the United States more accountable, forward thinking, and a better place to live.
The 50 Ways range from simple ideas, such as "Tell a Friend about a Petition" to more dynamic suggestions, such as "Organize a Constituent Meeting," and the editors at MoveOn provided action items and resources for those who want to take inspiration a step further.
In the spirit of simplicity and empowering the citizen, this book is an essential "how to" for becoming politically informed and involved. In this handbook for change, MoveOn members from around the country have written about what it means to be a responsible member of a democracy—what they have done in the past and what they are now doing to help make the United States more accountable, forward thinking, and a better place to live.
The 50 Ways range from simple ideas, such as "Tell a Friend about a Petition" to more dynamic suggestions, such as "Organize a Constituent Meeting," and the editors at MoveOn provided action items and resources for those who want to take inspiration a step further.
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 24, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 1, 2018
Simple but interesting book. Quite outdated but still helpful. Light reading and can give you something very practical to do. I enjoy reading this book.
January 20, 2009
If you feel like the world needs to change but you don't know how to get started on doing your part, this book is here to help. It features 50 personal essays of political action from people all over the US, and each essay has several tips for how you can do something similar in your own life.
A few of the ideas are: starting a political book club, registering voters in likely or unlikely places, taking action with your family, reading more news and watching less TV "news", and so on.
But remember -- these are just normal people. They have day jobs, just like you. They have families and demanding kids, just like you. Sometimes they feel like what they think or do doesn't matter, just like you. The only difference is that they've chosen to take a few minutes out of their month or day or week to do something that makes them feel better about themselves and about the direction of their community.
But this lies in all of us. We all have the power to throw off the restraints of despair and rekindle some hope in our lives and the lives of those around us.
I should probably disclose that the essay on page 30 is mine! But this isn't about personal promotion, I assure you. All the proceeds from this book are funneled back into MoveOn.org: http://www.moveon.org/ I have read the essays in this book, and I find them truly inspiring. I hope you will too.
And with that, I'll leave you with these bits of wisdom...
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." --Maya Angelou
"The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything." --Albert Einstein
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it." --Mahatma Gandhi
A few of the ideas are: starting a political book club, registering voters in likely or unlikely places, taking action with your family, reading more news and watching less TV "news", and so on.
But remember -- these are just normal people. They have day jobs, just like you. They have families and demanding kids, just like you. Sometimes they feel like what they think or do doesn't matter, just like you. The only difference is that they've chosen to take a few minutes out of their month or day or week to do something that makes them feel better about themselves and about the direction of their community.
But this lies in all of us. We all have the power to throw off the restraints of despair and rekindle some hope in our lives and the lives of those around us.
I should probably disclose that the essay on page 30 is mine! But this isn't about personal promotion, I assure you. All the proceeds from this book are funneled back into MoveOn.org: http://www.moveon.org/ I have read the essays in this book, and I find them truly inspiring. I hope you will too.
And with that, I'll leave you with these bits of wisdom...
"You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it." --Maya Angelou
"The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything." --Albert Einstein
"Whatever you do may seem insignificant, but it is most important that you do it." --Mahatma Gandhi
November 2, 2008
This is a description of things anyone can do to become a catalyst for change and help reclaim democracy. The actions run the gamut, from things that take little effort to things that take a more considerable amount of effort.
The first step is to connect with other people. Start a website or blog, and let people know that it exists. Speak out online. Email the President (and other politicians). Spread the word about online petitions. Vote, no matter what. Register voters in unlikely places. Get your office to vote. Maximize the vote on election day. Participate in a phone bank.
Then there is the news media. Read more, watch TV news less. If you know that a piece of reporting is biased, don’t sit and fume, respond to it. Tell the media about uncovered events. Start a political book club. Try your hand at writing an op-ed piece. If you don’t like the media, make your own.
In the area of politics, start with writing to Congress. Support clean elections. Volunteer for, or help run, a campaign. Donate money, or host a house party. Run for office, if only to force the incumbent to actually debate the issues. Investigate your state’s laws about initiating a constitutional amendment; if it’s possible, do it. Serve your community. Take action with your family. Host a political salon. Help others express their political views. If possible, get a socially responsible day job, or bank with or invest in groups that strengthen communities.
This book is excellent. The individual essays are written by actual MoveOn members. Some of the actions may seem like common sense, but everyone needs occasional reminders. These actions can be done by anyone, regardless of age, income level, amount of available time or walk of life. Anyone who wants to get involved in this thing called democracy would do very well to start right here.
The first step is to connect with other people. Start a website or blog, and let people know that it exists. Speak out online. Email the President (and other politicians). Spread the word about online petitions. Vote, no matter what. Register voters in unlikely places. Get your office to vote. Maximize the vote on election day. Participate in a phone bank.
Then there is the news media. Read more, watch TV news less. If you know that a piece of reporting is biased, don’t sit and fume, respond to it. Tell the media about uncovered events. Start a political book club. Try your hand at writing an op-ed piece. If you don’t like the media, make your own.
In the area of politics, start with writing to Congress. Support clean elections. Volunteer for, or help run, a campaign. Donate money, or host a house party. Run for office, if only to force the incumbent to actually debate the issues. Investigate your state’s laws about initiating a constitutional amendment; if it’s possible, do it. Serve your community. Take action with your family. Host a political salon. Help others express their political views. If possible, get a socially responsible day job, or bank with or invest in groups that strengthen communities.
This book is excellent. The individual essays are written by actual MoveOn members. Some of the actions may seem like common sense, but everyone needs occasional reminders. These actions can be done by anyone, regardless of age, income level, amount of available time or walk of life. Anyone who wants to get involved in this thing called democracy would do very well to start right here.
June 25, 2015
This book is really simple: a list of ways to influence politics and find fulfillment in that arena, each helpfully explained by the accompanying essay. The methods are a mix of personal and social, easy and hard; the book also has many sidebars with tips and tricks to accomplishing each goal. If your local library has a copy, go ahead and read its non-partisan advice for how to be a political citizen. You may change your life in an important way.
June 11, 2012
Not bad, though some of the suggestions felt like repeats or felt too impractical. And of course, since it's from MoveOn, all the stories are from a leftist point of view (which resonates with me, of course, but I appreciate diverse viewpoints in my reading). Still, a good inventory of ways to make a difference.
July 28, 2021
Overall, this was a good read for beginners on how to get involved. It hasn't been updated since Bush was President, however, and I would read a new edition/follow up since there have been new civic engagement opportunities developed since then.
February 28, 2023
There were some nuggets of cool ideas to get involved, but it was more like 10 ways to get involved, with 5 variations of each.
May 15, 2026
Quite dated, but has some great stories and ideas.
April 20, 2011
A Simple little book. Some ideas are good, some not so.
More people need/should get involved.
More people need/should get involved.
February 3, 2012
Short, with good practical, non partisan advice.
November 22, 2013
Honestly, I found it pretty boring, didn't bother finishing it.
May 27, 2016
I understand how to love my country
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews