Standing Up to the Madness ─ Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times

A timely, inspiring, and even revolutionary look at who wields the greatest power in America--everyday people who take a chance and stand up for what they believe in--but also offers advice on what you can do to help. The sister-brother team of Amy and David Goodman traveled the country to detail the ways in which grassroots activists have taken politics out of the hands of politicians. As the Bush administration has waged war abroad and at home, it has catalyzed a vast groundswell of political action. This book tells the stories of everyday citizens who have challenged the government and prevailed. From African-American residents of deluged New Orleans who are fighting to regain their homes, to four librarians who refused to spy on their patrons, challenged the PATRIOT Act, and won, citizens are rising to extraordinary challenges--and changing the way that politics is done.--From publisher description.

Amy Goodman is an internationally acclaimed journalist. She has won many of the most prestigious awards in journalism, including the George Polk Award, the Alfred I duPont-Columbia University Award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Prize for International Reporting. Democracy Now! airs on more than 200 radio and TV stations around the world.

David Goodman is an award-winning independent journalist whose articles have appeared inThe Washington Post, Mother Jones, Outside, The Nation, and numerous other publications. He is the author most recently of the critically acclaimedFault Lines: Journeys into the New South Africa. He lives with his wife and two children in Vermont.