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Breaking Through Power

It's Easier Than We Think
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( 246 ratings, 39 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Breaking Through Power by Ralph Nader explores how ordinary citizens can challenge and change the entrenched power structures within political and corporate systems. Nader provides insights and strategies on mobilising grassroots efforts to achieve democratic reforms, emphasising the significant impact of community activism and public engagement in fostering accountability and constructive change in governance.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're intrigued by the dynamics of political power and want to explore how ordinary people can drive change within a democracy, you may find this book appealing. It offers insights and strategies from a veteran activist's perspective, catering to those passionate about civic engagement and reform.

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A Thomas Paine-style indictment of how wealthy corporations control politics and how average Americans, through democracy, can fight-back and win.

TV: Charlie Rose, Daily Show, MSNBC: Rachel Maddow, Tavis Smiley, CNN, CSPAN (We'll send them Ralph's event itinerary), Democracy Now, GRIT TV with Laura Flanders Radio: Fresh Air, NPR: All Things Considered, Talk of the Nation, Democracy Now, Alternative Radio, Pacifica Network stations/shows, Community and NPR affiliate radio stations around the country, Free Speech Radio, New Dimensions, XM: Bob Edwards Show, Tavis Smiley, CBC shows, and more Radio: Promotion via Ralph Nader's weekly radio show, "The Ralph Nader Radio Hour," which is syndicated nationally on the Pacifica stations and available via iTunes. Print: NY Times, LA Times, SF Chronicle, NY Review of Books, New Yorker, Rethinking Schools, The Nation, The Progressive, Christian Science Monitor, In These Times, Atlantic Monthly, Toronto Globe & Mail, Oregonian, Utne Reader, Ode Magazine, SF Bay Guardian, Choice, Vanity Fair, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Boston Review, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun Times, Middle East Report, Minneapolis Star Tribune, USA Today, Washington Post, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs Web: Public Citizen, Alternet, Counterpunch, Huffington Post, Identity Theory/Morning News, Shelf Awareness, leftbooks.com, Molossus, Tomdispatch.com, Wikipedia Promotion via Ralph Nader's web site: www.nader.org, his Facebook (65K likes), and his Twitter (33.8 K followers) Promotion via City Lights social media: City Lights Blog, CL Facebook (27K likes), CL Twitter (80K followers), Goodreads (5000 friends), CL Instagram (3600 followers), CL Tumblr (3700 followers), CL Pinterest (1200 followers) Events: Chicago Council on Global Affairs, World Affairs Councils of America, Council on Foreign Relations DC, Cambridge Forum, Commonwealth Club, Live from the NY Public Library Endorsements from: Phil Donahue, Katrina Van Dan Hueval, Barbara Ehrenreich, Noam Chomsky, Ariana Huffington, Cornel West Academic Marketing: APSA, AHA, Required Reading essay, and more

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"Nader's assessment of how concentrated wealth and power undermine democracy is clear and compelling, but it's his substantive vision of how we ought to respond that makes Breaking Through Power essential reading. Written just before Donald Trump's Electoral College victory, Nader's latest book reads with even greater urgency now." – Yes Magazine

In Breaking Through Power, Ralph Nader draws from a lifetime wagingβ€”and often winningβ€”David vs. Goliath battles against big corporations and the United States government. In this succinct, Tom Paine-style wake-up call, the iconic consumer advocate highlights the success stories of fellow Americans who organise change and work together to derail the many ways in which wealth manipulates politics, labour, media, the environment, and the quality of national life today. Nader makes an inspired case about how the nation canβ€”and mustβ€”be democratically managed by communities guided by the United States Constitution, not by the dictates of big businesses and the wealthy few. This is classic Ralph Nader, a crystallisation of the core political beliefs and commitments that have driven his lifetime of advocacy for greater democracy.

"Ralph Nader is the grand progressive of our time. We overlook his words at our own peril! This book is required reading." – Cornel West

"Ralph Nader's Breaking Through Power is a brilliant analysis of corporate power and the popular mechanisms that can be used to wrest back our democracy. No one has been fighting corporate domination longer, or understands it better, than Nader, who will go down in history not only as a prophet but an example of what it means to live the moral life. We disregard his wisdom and his courage at our peril." – Chris Hedges, Pulitzer-Prize winner and author of Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt

"Nader goes beyond delineating the problem and provides a critical prescription to battle the toxicity of unjust powerβ€”one that every individual can, and must, embrace." – Nomi Prins, author, All the Presidents' Bankers

"People are recognising that our founding, fundamental values of fairness, justice, and opportunity for allβ€”the very values that define our Americaβ€”are being shoved aside to create an un-America of plutocracy and autocracy. Ralph Nader's new book Breaking Through Power provides progressive boat-rockers with inspiration and a plan for reclaiming America from the greedy Plutocrats and Fat Cats who think democracy is for sale to the highest bidder." – Jim Hightower

"I read Ralph Nader for the same reasons that I read Tom Paine. He knows what he thinks, says what he means, and his courage is a lesson for us all." – Lewis Lapham

"Nader insists on speaking up for the little people and backs his arguments and decent sentiments with hard facts." – Publishers Weekly

"This book is short, easy to read, and deserves more than five stars. Nader speaks for the average American, and backs up his arguments with facts. This is extremely highly recommended." – Paul Lappen, Midwest Book Review

About Ralph Nader: Named by The Atlantic as one of the hundred most influential figures in American history, and by Time and Life magazines as one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century, Ralph Nader has helped us drive safer cars, eat healthier food, breathe better air, drink cleaner water, and work in safer environments for more than four decades. Nader's recent books include Animal Envy, Unstoppable, The Good Fight, and the bestseller, Seventeen Traditions. Nader writes a syndicated column, has his own radio show, and gives lectures and interviews year round.

Series: City Lights Open Media

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  • Breaking Through Power
    "Nader's assessment of how concentrated wealth and power undermine democracy is clear and compelling, but it's his substantive vision of how we ought to respond that makes Breaking Through Power essential reading. Written just before Donald Trump's Electoral College victory, Nader's latest book reads with even greater urgency now." – Yes Magazine In Breaking Through Power, Ralph Nader draws from...
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Breaking Through Power by Ralph Nader is praised as a practical guide for combatting corporate domination and mobilising citizen action. Reviewers highlight Nader's enduring optimism and belief in people's power to reclaim democracy. They commend his call for a left-right alliance, describing the book as an energising and essential read for those wanting to challenge abuses of power and push for accountability in government and corporations.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780872867055

Publisher: City Lights Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 October 2016

Country: United States

Imprint: City Lights Books

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 177.0mm

Weight: 155g

Pages: 168

About the Author

Named by The Atlantic as one of the hundred most influential figures in American history, and by Time and Life magazines as one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century, Ralph Nader has helped us drive safer cars, eat healthier food, breathe better air, drink cleaner water, and work in safer environments for more than four decades.

The iconic champion of consumer rights first made headlines in 1965 with his pioneering bestseller Unsafe at Any Speed, a devastating indictment that lambasted the auto industry for producing unsafe vehicles. The book led to congressional hearings and automobile safety laws passed in 1966, including the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Nader was instrumental in the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC), and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Many lives have been saved by Nader's involvement in the recall of millions of unsafe consumer products, including defective motor vehicles, and in the protection of laborers and the environment. By starting dozens of citizen groups, Ralph Nader has created an atmosphere of corporate and governmental accountability.

Nader's recent books include Animal Envy, Unstoppable,The Good Fight, and the bestseller, Seventeen Traditions. Nader writes a syndicated column, has his own radio show, and gives lectures and interviews year round.

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