Uprising: How Wisconsin Renewed the Politics of Protest, from Madison to Wall Street

Uprising: How Wisconsin Renewed the Politics of Protest, from Madison to Wall Street
by John Nichols

Book Description
Publication Date: February 14, 2012

The protest movement that captivated the nation and paved the path for Occupy Wall Street. More than 100,000 public employees, teachers, students, and their allies descended on the capital in Madison, Wisconsin after Governor Scott Walker announced his plan to eliminate the right of public sector employees to unionize. The struggle (and the Democratic caucus’ escape to Indiana in order to prevent a quorum from being reached) elicited extensive national media coverage and debate—as well as enormous grassroots support for protestors. Uprising provides an anatomy of the event and its implications for the political future of the nation. As state legislatures across the US (in Ohio and New Hampshire, to name a few) take up union busting measures, Nichols shows how the Wisconsin case is a blueprint for progressives around America who’ve had enough. He also explores how Wisconsin protesters organized and inspired the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Editorial Reviews
Review

KIRKUS

“An engrossing, informative take on the mass demonstrations that broke out in Wisconsin in early 2011…. [T]his book is well researched and full of keen insights about the state of organized labor and the power of protest…. Nichols is a capable and energetic narrator with a reporter’s knack for getting to the heart of the matter….Richly detailed and inspiring—worth reading for anyone interested in organized labor, civil disobedience or the spirit of Wisconsin.”

Michael Moore

"John Nichols recognized right away that the fight in Wisconsin was about a lot more than one state. It was the fight we had all been waiting for, the one where people say 'We have had it!' John didn't just tell us what was happening in Wisconsin. He told us that what was happening in Wisconsin could happen anywhere."

About the Author

John Nichols is The Nation’s Washington correspondent and the Associate Editor of The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin. He has covered seven presidential races and reported from two-dozen countries. The author or coauthor of eight books on media and politics Nichols delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Congress of the International Federation of Journalists in Athens and addressed the 2009 Global Forum on Freedom of Expression in Oslo. He lives in Madison, WI and Washington DC.