If 2007 was the year bipartisan sentiment soured on US politics, then 2008 could be the year Americans go guerrilla. Best-selling activism author, Heather Wokusch, says, "Americans have had enough of governmental business as usual and are looking for positive ways to take back their country."
Wokusch's book, The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now, Volume 1, hit #1 on Amazon's political activism charts last week. Volume 2 of the series also soared to Amazon's top ten list for political activism.
"It's clear that Americans are hungry for The Progressives' Handbooks' message of political self-empowerment," Wokusch said. "They sense the country is headed in the wrong direction and want effective ways to get it back on track."
Volume 1 of The Progressives' Handbook series details the Bush administration's record in the areas of Women's Issues, Education, Mainstream Media and US Weapons of Mass Destruction, while Volume 2 covers Elections & Voting, Environment and Foreign Policy.
Activism tips are featured throughout both Volumes. One chapter, for example, details how to locate biological-weapons research facilities, how to fight the militarization of space, and how to urge US legislators to spend less on destructive technologies. Another chapter reveals how to track which corporations sponsor what politicians and how to make sure every vote is counted.
As one reviewer summed it up, The Progressives' Handbook series is "part encyclopedia and part self-defense manual."
A recent Zogby poll found that both Democrats and Republicans are angry with the US political system. A majority from both parties polled in New Hampshire said they were unhappy with Congress, while nearly half of the Republican voters said they were angry at President Bush.
"But eagerness to 'throw the bums out' does not necessarily translate into positive action," Wokusch says. "Not everyone wants to attend political rallies or Town Hall meetings, and that's why the creative activism ideas featured in The Progressives' Handbook series have proven so popular."
Wokusch points out that 234 years ago this week, a group of Americans took matters into their own hands and ended up changing history. "But I don't expect any more Boston tea parties in the near future," she laughs.
"Entering a critical election year though," Wokusch adds, "Americans want detailed background on the issues they care about most and creative ideas for how they can take back their country. That's what The Progressives' Handbook series is all about."
For additional information on The Progressives' Handbook or on Heather Wokusch visit www.progressiveshandbook.com and www.heatherwokusch.com.
About Heather Wokusch
Heather Wokusch is a blogger and the author of The Progressives' Handbook: Get the Facts and Make a Difference Now series. Her political awakening came in 1986 when she spent a year doing development work in the Philippines and witnessed the People Power Revolution firsthand. Her commentary is regularly featured on major progressive sites and her articles have appeared in publications such as The Baltimore Sun, In These Times, Foreign Policy in Focus and Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung. Heather's a former jazz singer, has an MA in clinical psychology and more than 20 years of experience in education.