The Revolution Where You Live, Sarah van Gelder
The Revolution Where You Live, Sarah van Gelder
List: $15.99 | Sale: $11.20
Club: $7.99

The Revolution Where You Live
Stories from a 12,000-Mile Journey Through a New America

Author: Sarah van Gelder, Danny Glover

Narrator: Natalie Hoyt

Unabridged: 5 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 01/09/2017


Synopsis

YES! Magazine cofounder Sarah van Gelder sends dispatches from an eighteen-state journey across America, describing how people abandoned by big national institutions are developing creative community-based solutions to environmental and social problems.

YES! Magazine cofounder Sarah van Gelder was worried about the current state of American society. Environmental destruction, growing poverty, urban decay, rural decline-it's a long list. Can we turn this around, she wondered? Are there answers we haven't found yet? She confided her fears to a friend, who said to her, "If the universe could deploy the one small person that is you, what would it have you do?" Her answer surprised them both: "I'd go out traveling and see for myself."

So driving a twelve-year-old Toyota pickup truck with a tiny camper hand-painted by a Suquamish artist, van Gelder visited eighteen states and five Indian reservations, big cities and small towns. She wanted to meet people at the margins of society who were the least embedded in the big institutions that reward status quo thinking.

She came away believing that a profound change is sweeping the country. She went to all kinds of places and met all kinds of people who were dealing with very different problems, but what united them all was best summed up by a phrase she saw on a mural in Newark: "We the People LOVE This Place." Through the connection we each have to place-our physical and ecological place and also the human community-we are creating a new America.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Chessa on February 28, 2017

3.5 stars. I don't know why I didn't love this, and I kept asking myself that question the entire time I was reading this. Part of it might be emotional - this book was written before the election of 45, when the things Van Gelder is exploring felt infinitely more possible than they do now. So part......more

Goodreads review by Robert on June 21, 2017

It's unusual to read a travel book that not only has a strong progressive purpose to the place selections, but also keeps the unnecessary details (especially the autobiographical details) to a minimum. The people and programs van Gelder writes about are fascinating, and there's a lot to learn for on......more

Goodreads review by Mary on November 20, 2017

When all we hear of devastation, desperation and despair it's refreshing to pick up this book and read yet another inspirational story of someone who's beat the odds and is making it work. Gelder traveled 12,000 miles and found these people that weren't going to settle for the status quo. The storie......more

Goodreads review by Karen on April 23, 2018

Interesting stories and thought provoking. The stories are about poor mining areas undergoing transition, Native Americans struggling to find their place, etc. Basic message is to not look to government to solve your problems, attempt grass roots efforts. Grass root efforts are the ones most likely......more

Goodreads review by Glen on January 28, 2019

A terrific window on grassroots action all across the U.S. toward peace, equality, climate justice. . . . Van Gelder brings her almost unequaled experience and insight to a wide spectrum of stimulating and encouraging stories. They are not only engaging and deeply rewarding, they can help us all par......more