Hope for the Homestretch: A Message from Bonnie Raitt and Howard Zinn

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION
by Bonnie Raitt and Howard Zinn

Dear Friend,

These are tough political times. We want to recommend a new book that lifts the fog of political despair that envelops so many these days -- "The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear."

This book creates a conversation among some of the most visionary and eloquent voices of our times: Think Nelson Mandela, Maya Angelou, Arundhati Roy, Tony Kushner, and Václav Havel. Alice Walker, Jonathan Kozol, Diane Ackerman, Susan Griffin, and Marian Wright Edelman. Cornel West, Terry Tempest Williams, Jim Hightower, and Desmond Tutu. There's also some guy named Howard Zinn.

With this book, editor Paul Rogat Loeb, whom Susan Sontag has called "a national treasure" for his work on courage and conscience, builds on his activist classic, "Soul of a Citizen." He explores what it's like to go up against Goliath, whether South African apartheid, the iron fist of Eastern European dictatorship, or Mississippi segregation. These stories don't sugarcoat the obstacles. But they inspire hope by showing what keeps us keeping on -- even when the odds seem overwhelming. They replenish the wellsprings of our commitment.

If you care about change in a world where most people are told their voices don't count, think of this book as a gift to yourself -- hope for the homestretch in an immensely critical election, bread for the journey to keep on working for justice no matter what happens in November, sustenance to return to again and again at those points when your spirit begins to flag.

Find out more by visiting www.theimpossible.org. You'll find excerpts from the book, wonderful reviews, suggestions for reading groups and classroom questions, and lots more.

[BuzzFlash Plug: Then get your copy from BuzzFlash.com]

Barbara Ehrenreich says, "For anyone worn down by four years of Bushism, 'The Impossible Will Take a Little While' is a bracing double cappuccino!" MoveOn cofounder Joan Blades says, "As I read these stories, I'm reminded yet again of the incredible power individuals have when we come together." And Arianna Huffington writes, "Put away your Prozac and pick up 'The Impossible Will Take a Little While.'"

Please forward this to anyone who could use a song of hope in these difficult times. And do your soul a favor by reading the book.

Yours,

Bonnie Raitt & Howard Zinn

PS. Like "Soul of a Citizen," "The Impossible" should be a great classroom resource. See www.paulloeb.org/impossible/classroom.htm for classroom study questions, academic exam copy info and related material. Also if you live in any of the cities where Paul is doing events, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Denver, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, Portland OR, Portland ME, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC, you can find out where he's speaking and tell your friends by visiting www.paulloeb.org/schedule.htm. If you'd like some other ways to pass the word, see www.paulloeb.org/passtheword.htm.

The tour starts August 18 at Politics & Prose in Washington DC and continues through the election.

A BUZZFLASH GUEST CONTRIBUTION