Politics

A stunningly original and timely collection that makes the case for “socialism, American style”

It’s a strange day when a New York Times conservative columnist is forced to admit that the left is winning, but as David Brooks wrote recently, “the American left is on the cusp of a great victory.” Among Americans under thirty, 43 percent had a favorable view of socialism, while only 32 percent had a favorable view of capitalism. Not since the Great Depression have so many Americans questioned the fundamental tenets of capitalism and expressed openness to a socialist alternative.

We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism—American Style offers a road map to making this alternative a reality, giving readers a practical vision of a future that is more democratic, egalitarian, inclusive, and environmentally sustainable. The book includes a crash course in the history and practice of democratic socialism, a vivid picture of what democratic socialism in America might look like in practice, and compelling proposals for how to get there from the age of Trump and beyond.

With contributions from some of the nation’s leading political activists and analysts, We Own the Future articulates a clear and uncompromising view from the left—a perfectly timed book that will appeal to a wide audience hungry for change.

Table of Contents

Part I: Is a New America Possible?

Introduction
Kate Aronoff, Peter Dreier, and Michael Kazin

How Socialists Changed America
Peter Dreier and Michael Kazin

Toward a Third Reconstruction
Andrea Flynn, Susan Holmberg, Dorian Warren, and Felicia Wong

A Three-Legged Stool for Racial and Economic Justice
Darrick Hamilton

Democratic Socialism for a Climate-Changed Century
Naomi Klein

Part II: Expanding Democracy

Governing Socialism
Bill Fletcher Jr.

We the People: Voting Rights, Campaign Finance, and Election Reform
J. Mijin Cha

Confronting Corporate Power
Robert Kuttner

Building the People’s Banks
David Dayen

Democracy, Equality, and the Future of Workers
Sarita Gupta, Stephen Lerner, and Joseph A. McCartin

Who Gets to Be Safe? Prisons, Police, and Terror
Aviva Stahl

On Immigration: A Socialist Case for Open Borders
Michelle Chen

On Foreign Policy: War from Above, Solidarity from Below
Tejasvi Nagaraja

Part III: The Right to a Good Life

Livable Cities
Thomas J. Sugrue

What Does Health Equity Require? Racism and the Limits of Medicare for All
Dorothy Roberts

The Family of the Future
Sarah Leonard

Defending and Improving Public Education
Pedro Noguera

Reclaiming Competition: Sports and Socialism
David Zirin

What About a Well-Fed Artist? Imagining Cultural Work in a Democratic Socialist Society
Francesca Fiorentini

How Socialism Surged, and How It Can Go Further
Harold Meyerson

Afterword: A Day in the Life of a Socialist Citizen
Michael Walzer

A leading sociologist’s brilliant, revelatory argument that the future of politics, work, immigration, and more can be found in California

Lauded by James Fallows on the front page of the New York Times Book Review as “concise, clear, and convincing” upon its hardcover publication, State of Resistance makes the case for honestly engaging racial anxiety in order to address our true economic and generational challenges, renewing our commitment to public investments, cultivating social movements and community organizing, and more.

Once upon a time, any mention of California triggered unpleasant reminders

of Ronald Reagan and right-wing tax revolts, ballot propositions targeting undocumented immigrants, and racist policing that sparked two of the nation’s most devastating riots. In fact, California confronted many of the challenges the country faces now—decades before the rest of us.

As white residents became a minority and job loss drove economic uncertainty, California had its own Trump moment twenty-five years ago but has become increasingly blue over each of the last seven presidential elections. Today, California is leading the way on addressing climate change, low-wage work, immigrant integration, overincarceration, and more. Pastor expertly reveals how the Golden State did it.

And as Neera Tandeen, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, said, “State of Resistance paints a brilliant picture of how our generation can seize the opportunity to forge a more inclusive, just, and prosperous America for every family.”

Featured in the New Yorker‘s “Page-Turner”

One of Mashable’s “17 books every activist should read in 2019”

A stunning collection of previously unpublished interviews with key figures of the black freedom struggle by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author

In 1964, in the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and poet Robert Penn Warren set out with a tape recorder to interview leaders of the black freedom struggle. He spoke at length with luminaries such as James Baldwin, Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Ralph Ellison, and Roy Wilkins, eliciting reflections and frank assessments of race in America and the possibilities for meaningful change. In Harlem, a fifteen-minute appointment with Malcolm X unwound into several hours of vivid conversation.

A year later, Penn Warren would publish Who Speaks for the Negro?, a probing narrative account of these conversations that blended his own reflections with brief excerpts and quotations from his interviews. Astonishingly, the full extent of the interviews remained in the background and were never published. The audiotapes stayed largely unknown until recent years. Free All Along brings to life the vital historic voices of America’s civil rights generation, including writers, political activists, religious leaders, and intellectuals.

A major contribution to our understanding of the struggle for justice and equality, these remarkable long-form interviews are presented here as original documents that have pressing relevance today.

The day after the 2016 presidential election, filmmaker Carlos Sandoval found Ku Klux Klan fliers on the seats of the Long Island Railroad and recounts how his Cuban American niece Lexi’s world was “shattered” by the election—she is one of thousands of children wondering if they will be deported or denied benefits under the Trump administration. Other children are taunted on the playground, have their head scarves ripped off, or are left to wonder, “Does Donald Trump not like brown boys like me?” And girls everywhere are devastated that a crass and bigoted bully was elected over the woman poised to become America’s first female president.

In the wake of the election, even the most thoughtful and progressive parents across the country found themselves at a loss for words. Borrowing its title from the memorable election night question posed by Van Jones, How Do I Explain This to My Kids? brings together moving first-person accounts by parents including novelist Mira Jacob, Pulitzer Prize winner Viet Thanh Nguyen, scholar Robin D.G. Kelley, New York Times blogger Nicole Chung, and others, who recount their best efforts to parent effectively in the current climate. The second half of the book features advice from leading child psychologist Ava Siegler, whose bestselling book What Should I Tell the Kids? established her as an authority on talking to children about difficult topics. From racism and homophobia to anti-Semitism, lying, sexism, and bullying, Dr. Siegler provides concrete advice for parents of kids of all ages—grade schoolers, preteens, adolescents, and young adults—for helping their children navigate a complicated, difficult time.

The outspoken Connecticut congresswoman provides “a powerful case for protecting and expanding America’s safety net” (Elizabeth Warren).
 
Cynical politicians like Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump argue that the people of the United States would be better off without food stamps, Obamacare, and workplace protections. Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro knows these folks are just plain wrong.
 
Growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, DeLauro saw firsthand how vulnerable hard-working people are in the face of corporate indifference and government neglect. From fatal industrial fires to devastating childhood poverty, DeLauro witnessed it all—and emerged convinced that social programs are worth going to the mat for, again and again. Worker protections, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and housing assistance lift up all Americans; they fulfill this country’s promise of opportunity for everyone and are essential for our country’s health.
 
For twenty-five years, DeLauro has been fighting for everyday Americans, earning a reputation as the most impassioned defender of our social safety net. The Least Among Us tells the story of a quarter-century of deal-making on behalf of people too often overlooked, told by a woman as fearless as she is opinionated. Part House of Cards, part progressive manifesto, The Least Among Us shares lessons about power—how it’s gained and how to wield it for everyone’s benefit.
 
“Can you imagine how cool the world would be if we had Rosa DeLauro getting s*** done instead of Congress being held hostage by terrible people!” —Wonkette
 
“An impassioned, urgent defense of democratic values and the role of government to serve and benefit all citizens.” —Kirkus Reviews