Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In

This was the eleventh time I've voted for president but only the first I've ever truly voted FOR someone. I've admired Sanders for a long time but was still surprised at the remarkable success of his campaign, and dearly wish I'd been able to vote for him for president. The book is representative of the man -- straightforward, unembellished and plain spoken. The first section, about 40% of the book, is the chronological story of Sanders' life, from his childhood in Brooklyn through the 2016 campaign. We learn about the events and people that shaped Bernie's beliefs and work as an activist, mayor, representative, senator and candidate. This part of the book is very interesting, both for Sanders' own telling of his life story and the details of his campaign -- how he decided to run, speeches he gave (sometimes given in full), decisions he made and people he met. He does NOT mention primary election irregularities, a controversial topic. EJUSA, an organization of statisticians, journalists and election observers, issued a report stating the odds of the primaries being fair and accurate was 76 billion to 1. Many of Sanders supporters were upset that no one from the campaign ever made an issue of the exit poll disparities in 11 states but, even here, Sanders does not talk about that or most of the dirty tricks and smears by the Clinton campaign. If you ever heard a Sanders policy-laden speech and wished he would talk even longer, section two is for you. Here Sanders lays out his policy positions in depth. Chapters cover the oligarchy, the decline of the middle class, economic justice, healthcare, college costs, climate change, immigration, the poor and disabled, and the compromised corporate media. Each chapter is detailed and generously interspersed with graphs and pictures. The economics chapter, for instance, discusses the minimum wage, pay equity, unions, family leave, vacation and sick leave, jobs, taxes, trade, Wall Street and the Fed! And each topic is discussed in some depth. Often names are given, such as the men who orchestrated our economic collapse and bailout, and the top ten tax avoiding corporations. I learned a lot reading these chapters, and thought Sanders was particularly insightful in the chapter on media. The book is very much like the man himself -- straightforward and no nonsense. There is no gossip, no secrets revealed. There are no in depth character studies. (We'll have to wait for books from others to get those details!) There is no rancor or ego. Dedicated to his parents, family and campaign volunteers, Our Revolution is the unvarnished tale of the good and honest man who should have been president.

First, know that I am not political, never have been. Many years ago as a young person, I was a Republican because my parents and their parents were Republicans & came from Missouri to California via Illinois. As I became a young adult I switched to a Democrat because I began questioning the beliefs I grew up with. What's wrong with integration or blacks for that matter. Being a girl in the 60's I was totally against the double standard. How did that happen and when? Now being a senior and on social security and medicare, my husband and I live in fear of those benefits being cut or even eliminated. At 73 my husband still works full time because we can't afford for him not to. As prices rise greatly his paycheck does not. And at this point we just don't know what President Elect Trump will do, one can only hope! I voted for Bernie for President but I believe the DNC put an end to his being nominated. It seemed like all hope was lost. But today I received Bernie's new book and now I believe I understand more than ever what has happened. It's a wonderful and very informative, eye opening book that everyone of us 99% must read and come together to bring our country back to the 'People' and not leave it to the 1%. We must stand together and vote together. I wish Bernie had run as an independent and maybe he would have won. If he runs again we will certainly vote for him again. By the way, I'm only one seventh of the way through and my knowledge of politics has been increased one hundred fold. If you are unhappy with our government, don't complain, VOTE! I think I'll start watching C-SPAN!

This book is a great read for anyone who has an interest in contemporary politics of America and in the west more broadly. During the 2016 election, a vast populist surge overtook both major political parties. Bernie Sanders represented (and still does) the type of populism that propelled America through the New Deal and beyond. His ideas presented in this book are hardly new to anyone who has followed him, yet his descriptions of his humble rise from campus activist to famous Senator are really worth getting to know. His story is one of building movements from the ground up, a strategy that has served him well throughout his career (and almost won him the nomination). If your a person burned out by the election, this book will give you a ray of light into what is possible with collective action. The second half is largely a point-by-point policy platform for, what is now seeming like, a new wing of the Democratic Party. Criminal justice reform, campaign finance reform, economic reform, etc. Once again, these ideas aren't new to anyone who's followed Bernie, but may be of interest to those that haven't so far. What I took away from this book, more than anything, is how un-radical Bernie's ideas really are. I imagine even an ardent Trump supporter would be bound to find something of value in this book. Bernie, far from advocating "pie in the sky" ideas, is giving us a picture of possible renewal of the party's core New Deal values. In fact, I'd even say that Bernie is a more traditional Democrat than Hillary Clinton and Bill. Reading through this platform is almost like hopping in a time-machine to the pre 90's New Democratic Party, to a time when the party was devoted to the union-driven worker's platform that started under FDR and continued, largely unabated, to the time of "triangulation". This book is worth it, and I'd challenge even the most devoted Trump or Clinton fan to read it. You may be surprised at how much you agree with his ideas!

L'histoire de Bernie Sanders est incroyable et important pas juste pour les américains mais pour tout le monde qui risque d'avoir le pouvoir pris par l'extrême droite.

"The most heroic word in all languages is revolution." - Eugene V Debs Recent tough interviewing by Hasan Minhaj with Canadian Prime Minister revealed a lot about the condition on the dire dependence on fossil fuel industries for boosting the economy to the certain extent so that the government would be able to tackle climate change with the profit money. It is more or less the same thing about countires like Norway. These countries are still better interms of the cultural harmony, lesser poverty, health care benefits under fairer conditions when compared with the rest of the wretched ones. But it also makes me feel that all the good things I mentioned require the consent of the established as well which includes both inside and outside of the government. The very notion of fighting against the politico-economic establishment is almost imposible to imagine in the modernity of globalized and glocalized market societies. And fighting against the very thing that cause the hegemony is everything to do with starting point for trying to solve the real world problems with the no other ideology than being mere humans. I don't think it's a coincidence Bernie Sanders has this book named "Our Revolution" same as the one written 110 years ago by Leon Trotsky. Whenever I use to get upset and whiny about the system and societies here, I'll always be able to think about a serious old man, who lived in my lifetime, fighting against the established on the other side of the world for several decades without losing any damn hope.

This book is a revelation and an inspiration. Everyone who has even the remotest interest in surviving in a world where civilized values and democracy itself are under attack should read it.

Ho acquistato (a 13+2.99€) questo libro (in lingua inglese) per un regalo di natale. Tralasciando la spedizione abbastanza lunga e non tracciabile dal Regno Unito, è di certo un libro interessante, specialmente per la capacità di farsi amare da così tanti giovani. Cosa rara per un testo che di fatto è un programma politico. Penso il regalo sia stato apprezzato. E' di certo consigliato a chi conosce l'autore, e ne è affascinato dalla posizione politica

Libro muy interesante de tipo autobiográfico sobre el senador estadounidense Bernie Sanders, famoso por estar a punto de ganar la nominación demócrata en 2016 contra Hillary Clinton a pesar de ser un completo desconocido hasta entonces, gracias a su mensaje socialdemocrata inédito en EEUU. Yo pensaba que se centraría principalmente en la campaña presidencial, pero me he llevado una agradable sorpresa porque hace mucho hincapié en la biografía del personaje su infancia en los años 40 en Brooklyn y toda su trayectoria política incluyendo sus años como representante sindical sus primeras campañas regionales y su tiempo como alcalde de Burlington.