On The Front Lines
John W. Whitehead Calls for Change, Urges Americans to Reject Politics as the Answer and Instead Start a People's Revolution to Remake America
"John Whitehead is the Tom Paine of our time, an essential force on how to get our individual liberties back at the imperative source of our freedoms."-Nat Hentoff
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -John W. Whitehead will launch his newest book, The Change Manifesto: Join the Block by Block Movement to Remake America, with a reading and Q&A at his hometown Barnes & Noble bookstore in Charlottesville, Va., on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7:00 pm. Whitehead's first national release after a seven-year hiatus, The Change Manifesto engages readers in a discussion about what it means to be vigilant in safeguarding our freedoms in a post-9/11 America. The book, which is now available in bookstores and online, provides readers with a detailed analysis of the way in which governmental actions have eroded our freedoms, as well as a step-by-step plan for how to fight back.
The Change Manifesto is already getting quite a bit of buzz from individuals across the political spectrum, coming as it does in the midst of a presidential election season. For example, Nadine Strossen, president of the ACLU, had this to say about the book: "With his new book, The Change Manifesto, John Whitehead is sounding the alarm for Americans to take a stand and speak truth to power, and its message has never been more relevant or necessary. This book provides a devastating portrait of the state of our freedoms, which are under attack as never before, and makes a compelling case for resistance and revolution. It is my hope that Americans of all political persuasions will heed what Whitehead has to say in The Change Manifesto before it is too late."
Giving the book high marks, Nat Hentoff calls Whitehead "the Tom Paine of our time."
The Change Manifesto chronicles in detail the wide range of problems Americans face, from governmental interference, police abuse, family and children under attack, the loss of property rights and personal privacy and the approaching military state. However, Whitehead does not simply leave the reader despondent or hopeless. Reminding readers that the burden and the responsibility for turning things around rest with Americans, Whitehead provides the individual citizen with practical pointers for things they can do to fight back and remake America.
Believing that each of us has the ability to have tremendous impact if only we will follow the examples of the national heroes who are fighting for change and demanding accountability from our elected officials at the highest levels, Whitehead tells the stories of local heroes who are creating thriving communities of change by taking individual stands for freedom.
Ultimately, says Whitehead, The Change Manifesto is about making hope happen. "We are on the cusp of a new era of progress, but we can't sit back and hope our elected officials will carry us there. Instead, we must join the people taking action at the local level. If we join these everyday Americans, young and old, and harness our greatest resource, ourselves, there's no doubt in my mind that we can restore our nation to its former role as an example of freedom and justice to the world."
