Swim Against the Current : Even a Dead Fish Can Go with the Flow

by Hightower, Jim; DeMarco, Susan

• ISBN13: 9780470422830
• ISBN10: 0470422831
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-31
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

The New York Times bestselling author and America's funniest activist gives the lowdown on how to put up-not shut up-in the fight for our futureHightower, the country's #1 populist, has picked up some useful advice over the years, from "never eat at a cafÃÂcopy; featuring 'bargain kebobs'" to "never hit a man with glasses; hit him with something much heavier." As he and his longtime co-conspirator Susan DeMarco have rambled through grassroots America, however, they've also come up with more serious words of wisdom to share here, namely: question authority, trust your values, seek alternatives, break away, stand up for your beliefs, and swim against the current!Their book introduces readers to people across the country who have actually done this-people in business, politics, health care, farming, religion, and other areas who are taking charge, living their values, doing good, and doing well. Hightower and DeMarco show how they are doing precisely what the elites want us to believe can't be done: changing their lives and making a difference. He tells the stories of these people and offers inspiration and information that will help readers tap into their own maverick potential in order to navigate a different, more satisfying course of their own.Whether they are young and just starting out or older and searching for a different path, the commonsense folks in this book have escaped the corporate tentacles to find their own way toward a richer life and a better American future. They are creating a new, deeply democratic model for the country, edging it back onto the long road toward egalitarianism and the common good.Hightower and DeMarco are at their contrarian, sharp-witted, and straight-shooting best as they celebrate the triumph of grassroots gumption over the tight-fisted grip of corporate control.Jim Hightower (Austin, TX) is a syndicated columnist, national radio commentator, publisher of the Hightower Lowdown newsletter, and the New York Times bestselling author of Thieves in High Places (978-0-670-03141-2). Susan DeMarco (Austin, TX) is a writer, former radio talk-show host, public-interest activist, and longtime Hightower partner-in-crime.

Author Biography

Jim Hightower is a syndicated columnist, a national radio commentator, the publisher of the Hightower Lowdown newsletter, and the New York Times bestselling author of Thieves in High Places. Susan DeMarco is a writer, a former radio talk-show host, a public-interest activist, and longtime Hightower partner-in-crime.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction 1

PART ONE Business 5

CHAPTER 1 Business without Greed 7

CHAPTER 2 Fair Trade 14

CHAPTER 3 Cooperation Works 19

CHAPTER 4 Socially Responsible 29

CHAPTER 5 Putting Workers in Charge 42

CHAPTER 6 The Good (Business) Life 51

CHAPTER 7 Banking on Change 58

Connections for Part One 66

PART TWO Politics 73

CHAPTER 8 Shape Up, America! 75

CHAPTER 9 Run for It! 83

CHAPTER 10 Clean Elections 92

CHAPTER 11 Democracy School 105

CHAPTER 12 Build It! 111

CHAPTER 13 Granny Power 122

CHAPTER 14 The Politics of Fun 127

Connections for Part Two 134

PART THREE Life 139

CHAPTER 15 Take Charge! 141

CHAPTER 16 How We Live 151

CHAPTER 17 A Mass Movement Arises 158

CHAPTER 18 Flowers in the Field 164

CHAPTER 19 The Conscience of an Evangelical 176

Connections for Part Three 188

Final Thoughts 193

DeMarco's Reading List 197

Index 201