People, Power, Change

Organizing for Democratic Renewal

By: Marshall Ganz

Narrated by: Marshall Ganz

At a moment in which our everyday practice of democracy has atrophied, and political, economic, and technological forces have weakened our capacity for collective action, People, Power, Change is a once-in-a-generation book for anyone who wants to create real and lasting change.

Marshall Ganz is one of the world’s leading authorities on democratic leadership, organizing, and action and this book is the culmination of his decades of teaching, research, and practice. In People, Power, Change Ganz offers students, educators, and organizers access to the craft he has learned, adapted, and shared over the last half-century of creating effective collective action. It is not a blueprint, but a road map.

Ganz explores the values, ideas, and craft core to the practice of organizing and offers an actionable framework for how to actually do it. He focuses the book on the creation and substance of relationships, the fuel of values and narrative, the resources and power of strategy, the necessity of structure, and the accountability of action. Across these five organizing practices, Ganz weaves in his personal experiences from a lifetime of organizing in iconic social movements and campaigns to illustrate how collective action actually works and to build the practices and skills that must be developed to do it with intention and with success.

“If there was ever a moment when this message needed to be heard, this is it! Read it, and then get to work!”—Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and Third Act

This audiobook contains a supplemental PDF.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Oxford University Press (P)2024 Recorded Books

The Teacher

Tools for all dedicated to organizing, anti-racism, labor-centered, and progressive democracy. Marshall Ganz is an amazing teacher and American treasure.

Just like the title says

Marshall calls on us to organize towards the democracy we all imagine for America. Through strategy, structure and leadership, he provides the tools and tactics to organize for democratic renewal. No better time to finish this book. If not now, when?

Anyone can learn from this

I loved that I didn’t need any prior knowledge or foundation to understand and learn from this book. Highly recommend it to anyone!

One of the most essential books (and teachers) about organizing and mobilizing people

Marshall Ganz's "People, Power, Change" is a brilliant distillation of his extensive experience and expertise in democratic organizing. Having studied and worked with Ganz, I can say this book perfectly captures his key ideas.

What's fantastic about "People, Power, Change" is how accessible it is. The book lays out a clear framework for organizing, focusing on relationships, values and narratives, strategy, structure, and accountability. Ganz uses real-world examples from his own life in social movements to bring these concepts to life, making them easy to understand and apply to various issues.

This isn't just a book for community organizers or politicians. It's essential reading for any manager or leader who wants to mobilize people and drive meaningful change. Ganz's insights are timely and relevant, especially now when our collective ability to create change feels weakened.

In short, "People, Power, Change" is a must-read for anyone looking to make an impact. It's a practical, inspiring guide from one of the best in the field.