Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky

Rules for Radicals

A Pragmatic Primer for Realistic Radicals

Saul Alinsky

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group · Print & ebook · October 23, 1989

“This country's leading hell-raiser" (The Nation) shares his impassioned counsel to young radicals on how to effect constructive social change and know “the difference between being a realistic radical and being a rhetorical one.” First published in 1971 and written in the midst of radical political developments whose direction Alinsky was one of the first to question, this volume exhibits his style at its best.

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Who it’s for
Alinsky pairs impassioned political engagement with a firm insistence on rational discourse and democratic tradition.
Themes
Constructive social change, Realistic radicalism, Democratic political discourse
Genres
Radical Politics, Political Activism, Political Writing

About this book

“This country's leading hell-raiser" (The Nation) shares his impassioned counsel to young radicals on how to effect constructive social change and know “the difference between being a realistic radical and being a rhetorical one.” First published in 1971 and written in the midst of radical political developments whose direction Alinsky was one of the first to question, this volume exhibits his style at its best.

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Like Thomas Paine before him, Alinsky was able to combine, both in his person and his writing, the intensity of political engagement with an absolute insistence on rational political discourse and adherence to the American democratic tradition.

Radical, Not Rhetorical

Alinsky pairs impassioned political engagement with a firm insistence on rational discourse and democratic tradition.

Come here for

  • Counsel on constructive social change
  • A sharp distinction between practical radicalism and mere rhetoric

Expect

  • An engaged yet rational political voice
  • Arguments rooted in American democratic tradition

Where it sits

Radical Politics88%
Political Activism65%
Political Writing22%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Elections & Campaigns
  • Radical Politics
  • Political Activism
Authors
Saul Alinsky
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published
October 23, 1989
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Constructive social change · Realistic radicalism · Democratic political discourse
Reading lane
Elections & Campaigns