06/02/2026
Ready to make your voice heard for what you believe in?! These are our top 6 book recs for aspiring activists and pro organizers alike, perfect for getting inspired and building a winning strategy 👇👇👇
📖 “Protest: Respect It, Defend It, Use It” by Annie Leonard, a longtime movement leader and former executive director of Greenpeace, is an inspiring look at what peaceful protest has achieved around the world and why we need to act now to protect democracy. Coming soon to bookstores!
📖 “Beautiful Trouble,” is a collection of essays by activist leaders from all around the world. Together, they form a toolkit about how to build a movement and create real change from people who have seen how powerful protest can be. A must-read!
📖 “The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks” by Jeanne Theoharis is everything you didn’t know you didn’t know about Rosa Parks. You probably know the story about the Montgomery Bus Boycott, but she was an activist for her entire life and a radical in the civil rights movement. An excellent read for activists and historians alike.
📖 “We Do This ‘Til We Free Us” by Mariame Kabe digs deep into policing, the prison system and what justice could look like beyond the carceral system. What could accountability look like outside of a punitive prison-centered system of justice?
📖 “We Care: A First Conversation About Justice” by Megan Madison and Jessica Ralli is a children’s book that uses clear, concrete language to introduce the concept of justice. With bright, colorful illustrations, it’s the perfect way to start a conversation about justice in our communities.
📖 “Year of the Tiger” by Alice Wong is part essay collection, part scrapbook, part diary, looking at a year in her life as an Asian American disabled activist and community organizer. It’s witty and fun, with a great message about dismantling systemic ableism.
Which ones are you putting on your summer TBR? Read our statement on how to overcome authoritarianism now: https://benjerrys.co/4dVHaFg
