STEAL THIS COUNTRY
Inspired by Abbie Hoffman’s radical classic, Steal This Book, Alexandra Styron has created a valuable companion for a generation just now coming alive to the power of citizen activism. Both a practical manual and a stirring call-to-action, Steal This Country will speak to every young person with a passion for social justice and the spirit to make change happen.
Organized into three major thematic sections – The Why, The What, and The How – Styron’s book is an irreverent and informative primer on what it takes to make a difference in America. The book opens with a personal essay and a look at both civil disobedience and teenage activism through a historic lens. That’s followed by a deep dive into several key issues – climate change, racial justice, women’s rights, immigration, LGBTQIA rights, religious understanding, and intersectionality – complemented by interviews with experts and celebrities, first person accounts from youth activists, cartoons by award winning artists, and spotlights on progressive organizations. Knowledge translates to action in the book’s final section, which is packed with ideas for ways to engage, and information on how to do it. Organizing, marching, creating petitions, calling local representatives, voting with your wallet, assessing the news. Summer programs and year round volunteering. Being a good ally and talking with relatives whose opinions are entirely different. These methods and many more can all be found in the lively pages of Steal This Country.
This is a perfect book for older middle-schoolers and teens who care about the planet, the people with whom they share it, and the future for us all.
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR STEAL THIS COUNTRY
“I’ve been waiting for this book since I was a socially active and angry teen as I looked upon a world I wanted to change but didn’t know how to do it. I wanted resources that explain the movements of this country and I wanted to know how I could be an active and meaningful part of them. Thank you, thank you, Alexandra Styron, for the book I plan to give to all the young people I know, starting with my sons. Steal This Country will inspire you to invoke in yourself the passion of youth, and ultimately, it can restore all our faith in the possibility for change.”
— Mayim Bialik, Ph.D., author of Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular, and Boying Up: How to Be Brave, Bold and Brilliant, and the award-winning star of The Big Bang Theory
“Precisely what we need most right now, Steal This Country equips concerned, questioning readers with a tangible sense of continuity and tools to better understand intersecting movements—past and present—as interrelated components of a larger, ongoing struggle.”
—Nate Powell, artist, March, winner of the National Book Award and the Coretta Scott King and Michael L. Printz Awards and illustrator of the New York Times bestseller, The Silence of Our Friends.
“Steal This Country is a real-world action plan for young citizens with a conscience – and a much needed reminder to the rest of us what well-aimed protest and resistance can accomplish. Democracy suffocates without it.”
— Carl Hiaasen, nationally bestselling adult author whose popular middle-grade novels include the Newbery Honor book Hoot, as well as Chomp, Flush, Scat, and Skink
“Steal This Country turns America’s best moments – The Boston Tea Party, Seneca Falls, the Birmingham Children’s Crusade – into living history. Alexandra Styron has written a stunning call to action for every young American to read – and to rally behind.”
— Linda Fairstein, New York Times bestselling crime novelist and author of the Devlin Quick Mysteries for children
“As Styron writes in her introduction, this book is a way for her generation to “make amends,” and indeed this text, while for any person, may be especially useful for parents looking for a way to address the current political climate through tangible positive action and activism. A thorough, age-appropriate look at how to be the change you wish to see in the world.”
—Jessica Anne Bratt, Booklist, Oct 1 2018 Issue
“An all-time favorite cartoon moment for me happens when Charlie Brown tells a friend in school, “No one is going to give you the education to overthrow them.” Peanuts creator Charles Schulz would be glad to know that Alexandra Styron has provided that very education with this book. Styron’s credentials are serious both as an activist and a writer. This is no “fake” book.”
— Suzanne Lay, School Library Connection, Nov-Dec 2018 Issue