Scan barcode
mdevlin923's review against another edition
2.0
An introduction to nonviolent activism with five examples from real life.
rkiladitis's review against another edition
4.0
A thought-provoking treatise on nonviolent activism, We Are Power presents six case studies throughout recent history: Gandhi, Alice Paul, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Václav Havel, and Greta Thunberg. Each section explores nonviolent resistance, the roots behind each advocate's activism, and how the power of one person, exhorting nonviolence, can motivate thousands and create change. In an increasingly contentious world, the power of nonviolent activism, and placing this information in the hands of a generation of activists, is not only smart, it's crucial.
Beginning with Gandhi and his theory of "soul force", or satyagraha, each consecutive profile touches on how previous movements inspired one another. Martin Luther King in particular was influenced by Gandhi, while Alice Paul's suffrage activism was a response to the more extreme suffagists in the UK, and her desire to be seen as calm, unflappable, and strong. Cesar Chavez understood that increasing awareness of migrant worker conditions was the best way to bring social justice to migrant workers and received a letter of encouragement from Martin Luther King, himself leading nonviolent resistance movements to bring civil rights to the country. Playwright-turned-Czech president Vaclav Havel used his art to protest; later, letters from prison, where he wrote about truth and opened people's eyes by telling them that they were complicit in allowing their restrictive government's rule by following the rules. Teenager Greta Thunberg began her climate change protest by being the sole student striking for climate change, and motivated a planet to take action.
A solid beginning for a discussion on social justice, activism, and civil disobedience, this is a must-have volume for middle school and high school collections. I can't wait to put this in my order cart when my library, opens again. This would be a great Summer Reading choice, for educators who haven't finished their lists yet. Photographs of protests and tense moments, like seeing schoolchildren attacked by dogs and being doused with hoses, make for great discussions on the use of violence against nonviolence - what stands to be gained? Comprehensive endnotes, bibliography, and index complete the book. Author Todd Hasak-Lowy's author webpage has videos and resources for parents and educators.
We Are Power has starred reviews from School Library Journal, School Library Connection, and Kirkus.
Beginning with Gandhi and his theory of "soul force", or satyagraha, each consecutive profile touches on how previous movements inspired one another. Martin Luther King in particular was influenced by Gandhi, while Alice Paul's suffrage activism was a response to the more extreme suffagists in the UK, and her desire to be seen as calm, unflappable, and strong. Cesar Chavez understood that increasing awareness of migrant worker conditions was the best way to bring social justice to migrant workers and received a letter of encouragement from Martin Luther King, himself leading nonviolent resistance movements to bring civil rights to the country. Playwright-turned-Czech president Vaclav Havel used his art to protest; later, letters from prison, where he wrote about truth and opened people's eyes by telling them that they were complicit in allowing their restrictive government's rule by following the rules. Teenager Greta Thunberg began her climate change protest by being the sole student striking for climate change, and motivated a planet to take action.
A solid beginning for a discussion on social justice, activism, and civil disobedience, this is a must-have volume for middle school and high school collections. I can't wait to put this in my order cart when my library, opens again. This would be a great Summer Reading choice, for educators who haven't finished their lists yet. Photographs of protests and tense moments, like seeing schoolchildren attacked by dogs and being doused with hoses, make for great discussions on the use of violence against nonviolence - what stands to be gained? Comprehensive endnotes, bibliography, and index complete the book. Author Todd Hasak-Lowy's author webpage has videos and resources for parents and educators.
We Are Power has starred reviews from School Library Journal, School Library Connection, and Kirkus.
zoylicious's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
yapha's review against another edition
5.0
We Are Power does a phenomenal job of looking at a variety of nonviolent activists through history and how their movements were able to topple powerful oppressors. Although most of the people may be familiar names, the atrocities that they suffered in the name of nonviolence may not be. These protestors chose not to engage in violence, however those that wanted to maintain the status quo had no problem with using violence and other horrific acts to keep the oppressed people down. Includes detailed chapters on Gandhi, Alice Paul, Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, and Václav Havel. I especially like the addition of Greta Thunberg and the look to the future, as well as a call to action for young activists. Highly recommended for grades 7 & up.
ARC provided by publisher
ARC provided by publisher
bethmitcham's review
4.0
Chapters follow nonviolent movements starting with Gandhi. The text clearly supports each movement, assuming that the goals are righteous, which I guess nowadays makes this a political text? I think maybe Gandhi, Alice Paul, MLK, Chavez, Victor Havel, aren't mainstream heroes among Americans (?). Greta Thomberg, the last chapter, definitely is partisan now. Gosh.
Anyway, I liked the details of each movement, with attention paid to the philosophy and commitment behind nonviolence, and then how each movement played out. Hasak-Lowy is frank about the failures as well as the success, emphasizing how compromise is usually a central principal to nonviolent movements. Clear text and frequent pictures help.
I read an ecopy, and I liked how in the notes section I could go back to see where it was referenced. Personally I prefer explicit footnotes so I can go back and forth, but I can see how they are a bit distracting. The biography includes both scholarly works and more kid-friendly resources, and these are marked. "Searchable" index is a good acknowledgement that we live in an eworld now; I'm guessing it's an actual index in the paper version? Or meant for web searching?
Anyway, I liked the details of each movement, with attention paid to the philosophy and commitment behind nonviolence, and then how each movement played out. Hasak-Lowy is frank about the failures as well as the success, emphasizing how compromise is usually a central principal to nonviolent movements. Clear text and frequent pictures help.
I read an ecopy, and I liked how in the notes section I could go back to see where it was referenced. Personally I prefer explicit footnotes so I can go back and forth, but I can see how they are a bit distracting. The biography includes both scholarly works and more kid-friendly resources, and these are marked. "Searchable" index is a good acknowledgement that we live in an eworld now; I'm guessing it's an actual index in the paper version? Or meant for web searching?
More...