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Roots to Power A Manual for Grassroots Organizing
Second Edition

Lee Staples

Foreword by Richard A. Cloward and Frances Fox Piven

Book Code: B6998

ISBN: 0-275-96998-3

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-96998-1

DOI:

392 pages, Figure

Praeger Paperback

Publication: 12/30/2004

List Price: $26.95 (UK Sterling Price: £14.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Paperback

Also Available: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Reviews:

Lee Staples provides a manual for organizers and much more. The greatest strength of the book is the way in which Staples brings together clear tools for organizing while reminding the reader that organizing is a significant tool for social change....Staples' experience, analytic eye, passion for social justice, and his belief in the power of organizing define the book and it is without a question a must read for anyone remotely interested in organizing, or anyone who would like to see a world defined by justice and indeed true democracy.
—Journal of Community Practice 2007
This handbook is a primer on grassroots community organizing (GCO) and is a practical handbook for employed community organizers, executive directors of human service and grassroots organizations, lay volunteers, community activists and others who want to make a difference for those who don't have power....Roots to Power: A Manual for Grassroots Organizing is a comprehensive overview of this field of practice. In fact, several times since I received my MSW from the University of Michigan in 1968, I have dreamed about writing such a book - and never did. I'm glad that Lee Staples did, and he has packed it full of information, theories, experience and practical steps to develop tactics and strategies for local groups to take collective action in "response to problems, hopes, concerns, visions, and dreams for a better future that arise from everyday situations." I highly recommend that it be read but, more importantly, practiced.
—Social Work with Groups 2006

Endorsement From Howard Zinn: Lee Staples, by ingeniously gathering and analyzing the experiences of community organizers in a multitude of situations, makes an important contribution to our understanding of social change. His book is more than a theoretical examination; it is a guide to organizing. In an era of concentrated global power, he reveals the hidden power of local action.
Endorsement From Robert Fisher
Professor of Social Work and Director, Urban and Community Studies,
University of Connecitcut- West Hartford: A splendid second edition that surpasses the first. Roots to Power reflects the depth and variety of Lee Staples's 35 years of community organizing, combining the organizing wisdom and "how-to" instruction of this veteran organizer and master teacher. Staples's book is always clear and steady, and it never loses sight of the critical importance of power in all organizing. If you want to move people to action-- whether in your neighborhood, cultural group, or agency-- or simply want to understand better the dynamics and practice of grassroots community organizing, Roots to Power is an absolutely invaluable text. I can't wait to use it in with my students.
Endorsement From Cheryl Hyde
Associate Professor
University of Maryland, School of Social Work
Chair, Association of Community Organization and Social Administration: Much to my surprise, Lee Staples has improved on what was already a classic in the field of community organizing. This new edition of Roots to Power is a must read for scholars, practitioners and students. I highly recommend it.
Endorsement From Lorraine Gutierrez
Professor of Social Work
University of Michigan: In this new edition of Roots to Power, Lee Staples provides important tools for activists in the 21st century. This book presents different tactics and techniques for community organizing work and addresses emerging topics, such as the uses of technology. It is an invaluable resource for our field.

Description: When ordinary people band together to gain more control over their life conditions, the first order of business is to organize in pursuit of collective action. This how-to manual presents strategies, tactics, methods, and techniques that community members can use to set their own goals, select issues, campaign for these issues, recruit members, develop leaders, hold effective meetings, conduct research, lobby politicians and legislators, and get the word out to the media. The author brings more than three decades of experience to the task of explaining root principles for developing and exercising collective power; he moves effortlessly from such broad discussions into providing specific tips for effective organizing methods and techniques. Armed with the information in this book, any community can bring about social change through collective action.


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