Dream: Re-Imagining Progressive Politics in an Age of Fantasy by Stephen Duncombe — (FREE PDF) part analysis of popular culture, part how-to guide to creative activism, Steve make a case for how activists can, and must tap into popular dreams and use spectacle in their work…and do it ethically.

The Strategic Questioning Manual by Fran Peavey – (free pdf) A great shift in perspective on how we approach audiences, and how we can use respect and questions (instead of providing answers or challenges) to be more effective.

The Moral Equivalent of War by William James — (free pdf) Classic essay by the great philosopher and psychologist on how we must understand and respect — and appropriate — the good desires that motivate people to do bad stuff.

Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. Almost 50 years old but still the great guide to organizing. And a fun read too.

Organizing by Marshall Ganz. Not a book, but an on-line course on organizing by the knowledgable and inspiring social movement scholar. Go to Harvard for free!

Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution edited by Andrew Boyd and David Oswald Mitchel. An invaluable collection of examples, theories and case studies for those interested in creative activism.

Re:Imagining Change: How to Use Story-based Strategy to Win Campaigns, Build Movements, and Change the World by Doyle Canning and Patrick Reinsborough. People like stories. They help us make sense of our world and our place in it. This book shows you how you can use this in your work.

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Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire. A book that changed the game by insisting that educators (and organizers) need to meet people where they are.

Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal. Translating Freire’s ideas to theatre, and using performance for social change.

Electoral Guerrilla Theatre by L.M. Bogad. From our own West Coast branch director, an important book on how activists have hijacked the electoral system as a stage to perform their own of politics.

“The Gospels” and “Acts,” from the Bible. You don’t need to be a believer or even approve of religion to appreciate that Jesus was a master creative activist and his apostle Paul was an effective — if opportunistic — organizer. See also Moses, Muhammad, Buddha, et al.

A User’s Guide to (Demanding) the Impossible by Gavin Grindow and John Jordan — (free pdf). “This guide is not a road map or instruction manual. It’s a match struck in the dark, a homemade multi-tool to help you carve out your own path through the ruins of the present, warmed by the stories and strategies of those who took Bertolt Brecht’s words to heart: ‘Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape it.’”

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