{"product_id":"it-started-in-wisconsin-isbn-9781844678884","title":"It Started in Wisconsin","description":"In the spring of 2011, Wisconsinites took to the streets in what became the largest and liveliest labor demonstrations in modern American history. Protesters in the Middle East sent greetings—and pizzas—to the thousands occupying the Capitol building in Madison, and 150,000 demonstrators converged on the city.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn a year that has seen a revival of protest in America, here is a riveting account of the first great wave of grassroots resistance to the corporate restructuring of the Great Recession.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt Started in Wisconsin\u003c\/i\u003e includes eyewitness reports by striking teachers, students, and others (such as Wisconsin-born musician Tom Morello), as well as essays explaining Wisconsin’s progressive legacy by acclaimed historians. The book lays bare the national corporate campaign that crafted Wisconsin’s anti-union legislation and similar laws across the country, and it conveys the infectious esprit de corps that pervaded the protests with original pictures and comics.“[A] collection of stories from those that participated in one of the most inspiring movements to erupt in the US heartland in decades. Those stories provide the observer from afar with a fairly universal and nuanced look at the daily lives of those involved in organizing, occupying, reporting and otherwise participating in those weeks of popular democracy. Interspersed between the tales of the workers, students, farmers and other protesters are a number of photographs and comics. The inclusion of these graphics truly enhances the overall effect ... .worthwhile and provocative.”—Ron Jacobs, \u003ci\u003eCounterpunch\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“These essays delve into the historical, political, and ideological underpinnings of the 2011 events. [L]ater chapters are meatier, with events set against the backdrop of early-20th-century Wisconsin progressive politics when Governor Robert ‘Fighting Bob’ LaFollette began the crusade against the dominance of corporate America (at that time, railroads) over government. The book exposes how that same dominance continues today. [W]ill help readers, regardless of their own stance, to understand much of what’s at stake in the country’s current labor and political battles.”—Carol J. Elsen, \u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Midwest pride of place animates much of the writing, along with awareness of Wisconsin’s progressive history, the global context for the Madison protests and a genuine outrage that transcends the particular grievances of public sector union members. If anything, Walker has reawakened a dormant spirit of solidarity. The harvest of the extremism he sowed may be his own undoing.”—David Luhrssen, \u003ci\u003eExpress Milwaukee\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Convey[s] some deeper understanding and offer[s] important lessons valuable for struggles to come ... will stand as a future reference point for those wishing to get some later handle on what happened in the ‘Badger State.’ Importantly, several of the key essays provide a deeper backdrop for an understanding of what happened. The massive show of solidarity with those directly affected by the ‘budget repair bill’ did not come just from police and firefighters exempted from the assault, or from private sector trade union hands. It came from a broader public not directly tied to organized labor. [C]ontains several important perspectives on the state of Wisconsin labor, key for understanding the uprising.”—Allen Ruff, \u003ci\u003eAgainst the Current\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eMari Jo Buhle\u003c\/b\u003e is Emeritus Professor of History and American Civilzation at Brown University. Her books include \u003ci\u003eWomen and American Socialism\u003c\/i\u003e and, co-edited with Paul Buhle, the \u003ci\u003eEncyclopedia of the American Left\u003c\/i\u003e. She lives in Madison.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePaul Buhle\u003c\/b\u003e,formerly a senior lecturer at Brown University, produces radical comics. He founded the SDS Journal \u003ci\u003eRadical America\u003c\/i\u003e and the archive \u003ci\u003eOral History of the American Left\u003c\/i\u003e and, with Mari Jo Buhle, is coeditor of the \u003ci\u003eEncyclopedia of the American Left.\u003c\/i\u003e He lives in Madison.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJohn Nichols\u003c\/b\u003e is the Washington correspondent for \u003ci\u003eThe Nation\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, a contributing writer for the \u003ci\u003eProgressive\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eIn These Times\u003c\/i\u003e, and the associate editor of Madison, Wisconsin’s \u003ci\u003eCapital Times\u003c\/i\u003e. He’s the author of several books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Death and Life of American Journalism\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Genius of Impeachment\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eThe “S” Word\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMichael Moore\u003c\/b\u003e, a filmmaker, author and progressive-radical commentator on politics, has written and occasionally starred in documentary films. He directed and produced \u003ci\u003eBowling for Columbine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFahrenheit 9\/11\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSicko\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eCapitalism: A Love Story\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePatrick Barrett\u003c\/b\u003e is Administrative Director of the A. E. Havens Center for the Study of Social Structure and Social Change and an instructor in the Latin American, Caribbean and Iberian Studies Program at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMary Bottari\u003c\/b\u003e is the Director of the Center for Media and Democracy’s Real Economy Project and works on the CMD websites PRWatch.org, Sourcewatch.org and BanksterUSA.org.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoger Bybee\u003c\/b\u003e edited the weekly \u003ci\u003eRacine Labor\u003c\/i\u003e, 1979–93, and served as Communications Director of three statewide pro-labor organizations. He is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRuth Conniff\u003c\/b\u003e is the Political Editor of the \u003ci\u003eProgressive\u003c\/i\u003e. In 2011, the editors of \u003ci\u003eMadison Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e named Conniff’s coverage of the crisis in Wisconsin the “Best in Madison.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGary Dumm\u003c\/b\u003e, a comic artist and long-time collaborator with the late Harvey Pekar, drew large portions of\u003ci\u003e Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History\u003c\/i\u003e, and has contributed widely to other comic art anthologies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSimon Hardy\u003c\/b\u003e is a spokesperson for the National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts (NCAFC) in the UK, a student at Westminster University and a member of the group Workers’ Power.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrank Emspak\u003c\/b\u003e, emeritus faculty, UW School for Workers, is currently the producer of Workers Independent News (WIN), headquartered in Madison.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAshok Kumar\u003c\/b\u003e is a former Dane County Supervisor (District 5) and was the Education Officer of the London School of Economics Students’ Union during the height of the UK student unrest in 2010.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTom Morello\u003c\/b\u003e, the lead guitarist of Rage Against the Machine, now records under the name Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman. His most recent album is \u003ci\u003eWorld Wide Rebel Songs\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDavid Poklinkowski\u003c\/b\u003e is a member of the Executive Board of the South Central Federation of Labor, has been President and Business Manager of IBEW Local 2304 in Madison since 1985, and has been Secretary of the Utility Workers Coalition—a coalition of utility unions from across the Midwest—since 1992.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMatthew Rothschild\u003c\/b\u003e has worked at \u003ci\u003eThe Progressive\u003c\/i\u003e since 1983 and has been the editor since 1984. He is the author of \u003ci\u003eYou Have No Rights: Stories of America in an Age of Repression\u003c\/i\u003e and the editor of \u003ci\u003eDemocracy in Print: The Best of The Progressive Magazine, 1909–2009\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSharon Rudahl\u003c\/b\u003e, an art editor of the Madison alternative weekly \u003ci\u003eTakeover\u003c\/i\u003e, has contributed widely to comic art anthologies, and wrote and drew \u003ci\u003eA Dangerous Woman: The Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCharity A. Schmidt\u003c\/b\u003e is a PhD student in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. She is an active member of the Teaching Assistants’ Association (TAA) and continues to organize with various community groups in the ongoing Wisconsin struggle.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKim Scipes\u003c\/b\u003e is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Purdue University North Central in Westville, Indiana, and Chair of the Chicago Chapter of the National Writers Union. His latest book is \u003ci\u003eAFL-CIO’s Secret War against Developing Country Workers: Solidarity or Sabotage\u003c\/i\u003e?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eNick Thorkelson\u003c\/b\u003e, the first Underground Comix artist in Madison, drew \u003ci\u003eThe Underhanded History of the USA\u003c\/i\u003e and illustrated \u003ci\u003eThe Earth Belongs to the People\u003c\/i\u003e.","brand":"Verso","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46304655048933,"sku":"NP9781844678884","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781844678884.jpg?v=1767730239","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/it-started-in-wisconsin-isbn-9781844678884","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}