Resistance Reading and How to Protest Paramount
Contrarian Calls To Action: Our how-to guide for making a difference for democracy, April 23-29
Democracy is not a spectator sport. Whether you want to exercise your right to vote, join a protest, call your elected officials, run for office, or keep tabs on the week’s hottest issues and protests, The Contrarian has you covered.
Here are our top suggestions for getting involved in the days ahead. These are heated times; we encourage non-violent and lawful activism.
Reading as Resistance
Today is World Book Day — or International Day of the Book — an annual celebration intended to promote reading and publishing awareness, organized by UNESCO. This global event highlights the power of books to bridge cultures and foster literacy. At a moment when U.S. libraries are facing funding cuts and censorship is on the rise, there’s no better time to visit your local branch, or step into an independent book store.
Here are a few recommendations from The Contrarian:
How to Be a Dissident by Gal Beckerman (library link)
An invigorating guide to fighting back — part philosophy, part history, part manual for living with integrity in an age of conformity and authoritarian drift.
Days of Love and Rage: A Story of Ordinary People Forging a Revolution by Anand Gopal (library link)
A history of how Manbij, Syria, ousted the Assad regime in 2011 — and the extraordinary experiment in democracy that followed — through the eyes of the people who made it happen. Gopal spoke with The Contrarian’s Abraham Kenmore about the work.
Giving Up Is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy by Joyce Vance (library link)
A political manifesto for our present moment — a history lesson and a call to save the republic. Vance reminds us that we’re all in this together and that complacency is not an option.
The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change by Rebecca Solnit (library link)
Solnit brings the precision instrument of her prose — fired in equal parts anger and empathy — to a survey of how the world has changed since 1960, animated by the question of what comes next.
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (library link)
Two-and-a-half years after the war in Gaza began, El Akkad’s combination memoir-manifesto stands as a searing rebuke to the still-falling bombs — and as (probably?) the only National Book Award winner to have begun as a tweet.
How to Dodge a Cannonball: a Novel by Dennard Dayle (library link)
This biting, genuinely hilarious satire has been pitched as the “Catch-22 for the Civil War.” Like Catch-22, it also has a thing or two to say about the present.
What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson (library link)
Johnson, a marine biologist, gives a galvanizing, clear-eyed look at the climate crisis, taking in perspectives from across science, policy, culture, and justice — and dares to look ahead. “Sometimes the bravest thing we can do while facing an existential crisis is imagine life on the other side.”
Why Fascists Fear Teachers by Randi Weingarten (library link)
Book bans, curriculum wars, cuts to the bone of public education: these have been weapons of authoritarian regimes longer than they’ve been Trump-era headlines. Weingarten examines the long history of fascists targeting teachers — and how educators, and the rest of us, can fight right back.
The Mirage Factory: Illusion, Imagination, and the Invention of Los Angeles by Gary Krist (library link)
Books are a useful means of distraction and immersion into a different time and cadence. Among our favorite narrative non-fiction authors, Krist illuminates the birth of Los Angeles, a metropolis that never should have been, through the stories of three complex visionaries who dreamed it into reality.
In the Times of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (library link)
Women drive successful resistance movements but are often footnoted in official narratives. Alvarez captures this truth through a fictionalized account of the Mirabal sisters, real women who led an underground resistance in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. The novel exposes the female-led movement that made liberation possible while breathing the women’s humanity into the story.
“When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.” — Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird
Block the Merger
Help block Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Run by the Trump-allied Ellison family, Paramount is seeking to create a right-wing media monopoly that poses a threat to journalistic independence and artistic integrity. (Watch Meredith Blake’s video explainer or read her article explaining what’s at stake). You can a sign a letter opposing the deal at Block The Merger. If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, consider attending a protest today at 5:30 p.m., or watch the livestream. The Contrarian’s Norm Eisen will speak.
Support SPLC
The Southern Poverty Law Center is being targeted in a malicious prosecution by the federal government on charges that paying informants who infiltrate extremist groups is somehow tantamount to providing support to those same groups. (“The SPLC is manufacturing racism,” Trump toady and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said announcing the indictment, “to justify its existence.” ) Visit SPLCenter.org to learn about the group’s actual work of confronting the threats of white supremacy and violent extremism that the Trump Justice Department is turning a blind eye to — as it harasses one of the nation’s most storied civil rights watchdogs.
Mobilize for May Day
May Day is shaping up to be a major happening for the pro-democracy movement, flexing its economic muscle in the face of authoritarian overreach and billionaire power. Organizers — including Indivisible, labor, and clergy groups — are calling for a nationwide general strike: “No work. No school. No shopping.” As Indivisible puts it: “May Day offers us an opportunity to test our movement’s ability to do nonviolent, economic disruption.” The day will be filled with working-class solidarity — including rallies, demonstrations, and community events. Check out this toolkit for organizing an event locally, or plan to join one of more than 1,000 already on tap nationwide. You can also sign a pledge to participate, print out a poster, or find a script to encourage businesses to shut down for the day. Find out more at MayDayStrong.
Help Impeach Pete Hegseth
Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) has filed articles of impeachment for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, seeking his removal for having waged an unauthorized war, for violating “the law of armed conflict and targeting civilians,” and for reckless endangerment of U.S. service members. If you’d prefer to oust the modern-day crusader from Trump’s Cabinet, ask your representative to cosponsor Ansari’s efforts.
No Blank Check for War
Lawmakers have the power to block funding for Trump’s illegal war in Iran. You can also let your lawmakers know how you feel about Trump’s budget that calls for a 40 percent increase in Pentagon spending. Indivisible has a form to send messages to your members of Congress demanding congressional oversight and a vote on a war powers resolution. Join or organize a peaceful anti-war protest. Find resources here.
Check Your Voter Registration
May and June will be busy primary months. Check your voter registration status and deadline here.
Good, varied list. Glad you included books to read.