Synopses & Reviews
We Are the 99%
The Occupy Wall Street movement named the core issue of our time: the overwhelming power of Wall Street and large corporations— something the political establishment and most media have long ignored.
But the movement goes far beyond this critique. This Changes Everything shows how the movement is shifting the way people view themselves and the world, the kind of society they believe is possible, and their own involvement in creating a society that works for the 99% rather than just the 1%.
Attempts to pigeonhole this decentralized, fast-evolving movement have led to confusion and misperception. In this volume, the editors of YES! Magazine bring together voices from inside and outside the protests to convey the issues, possibilities, and personalities associated with the Occupy Wall Street movement.
This book features contributions from Naomi Klein, David Korten, Rebecca Solnit, Ralph Nader, and others, as well as Occupy activists who were there from the beginning, such as David Graeber, Marina Sitrin and Hena Ashraf. It offers insights for those actively protesting or expressing support for the movement—and for the millions more who sympathize with the goal of a more equitable and democratic future.
Review
Very lively, forward-looking, and filled with interesting insights.
Ralph Nader
Synopsis
Occupy Wall Street protests have spread around the world, with a common slogan of “We are the 99%.” But there is a great deal of confusion and misperception about this movement. This book clarifies the who, what, when, where, why, and how of this movement. It provides profound insight into the movement’s power, messages, significance, methods, and impact. The editors of YES! Magazine bring together voices from inside and outside the protests to show how the meaning and impact of this movement are much bigger and more far-reaching than is being reported.
The central thesis of this book is “This Changes Everything.” The authors show how this movement changes (1) how citizens view themselves, (2) what citizens see is really going on in the world, (3) what is possible in creating a world that works for the many (the “99%”) and not just the few (the “1%”), and (4) how citizens can bring about changes they seek in their communities, nations, and the world.
Synopsis
We're bombarded by messages telling us that bigger and better things are the keys to happiness--but after we pile up the stuff and pile on the work hours, we end up exhausted and broke on a planet full of trash. Sarah van Gelder and her colleagues at YES Magazine have been exploring the meaning of real happiness for eighteen years. Here they offer fascinating research, in-depth essays, and compelling personal stories by visionaries such as Annie Leonard, Matthieu Ricard, and Vandana Shiva, showing us that real well-being is found in supportive relationships and thriving communities, opportunities to make a contribution, and the renewal we receive from a thriving natural world. In the pages of this book, you'll find creative and practical ways to cultivate a happiness that is nurturing, enduring, and life affirming.
About the Author
Since their founding in 1996, YES! Magazine and YesMagazine.org have been showing how powerful ideas fused with practical actions can drive profound change toward a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world. Project Censored calls YES! “the standard for solutions journalism.” Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman calls YES! a “vital voice of independent journalism.” The Utne Independent Press Awards have repeatedly recognized YES! Magazine.
YES! Magazine is donating royalties from the print edition of this book to support the Occupy Wall Street/99% movement.
Sarah van Gelder is co-founder and executive editor of YES! Magazine and YesMagazine.org. She is a frequent guest on radio and television, commenting on current affairs.