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Make Change: How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future
ACTIVIST AND JOURNALIST SHAUN KING REFLECTS ON THE EVENTS THAT MADE HIM ONE OF THE MOST PROMINENT SOCIAL JUSTICE LEADERS OF OUR TIME AND LAYS OUT A CLEAR ACTION PLAN FOR YOU TO JOIN THE FIGHT.
As a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement, Shaun King has become one of the most recognizable and powerful voices on the front lines of civil rights in our time. His commitment to reforming the justice system and making America a more equitable place has brought challenges and triumphs, soaring victories and crushing defeats. Throughout his wide-ranging activism, King’s commentary remains rooted in both exhaustive research and abundant passion.
In 'MAKE CHANGE', King offers an inspiring look at the moments that have shaped his life and considers the ways social movements can grow and evolve in this hyper-connected era. He shares stories from his efforts leading the Raise the Age campaign and his work fighting police brutality, while providing a roadmap for how to stay sane, safe, and motivated even in the worst of political climates. By turns infuriating, inspiring, and educational, 'MAKE CHANGE' will resonate with those who believe that America can - and must - do better.
RUNNING TIME ⇰ 8hrs. and 27mins.
©2020 Shaun King (P)2020 Audible, Inc.
As a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement, Shaun King has become one of the most recognizable and powerful voices on the front lines of civil rights in our time. His commitment to reforming the justice system and making America a more equitable place has brought challenges and triumphs, soaring victories and crushing defeats. Throughout his wide-ranging activism, King’s commentary remains rooted in both exhaustive research and abundant passion.
In 'MAKE CHANGE', King offers an inspiring look at the moments that have shaped his life and considers the ways social movements can grow and evolve in this hyper-connected era. He shares stories from his efforts leading the Raise the Age campaign and his work fighting police brutality, while providing a roadmap for how to stay sane, safe, and motivated even in the worst of political climates. By turns infuriating, inspiring, and educational, 'MAKE CHANGE' will resonate with those who believe that America can - and must - do better.
RUNNING TIME ⇰ 8hrs. and 27mins.
©2020 Shaun King (P)2020 Audible, Inc.
Audible Audio
First published August 4, 2020
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About the author
Shaun King
3 books179 followersAn award winning entrepreneur and humanitarian, Shaun King is widely regarded as one of today's leading voices on how social media and a little bit of courage can make our world a radically better place. He speaks a message of hope and action over 150 times a year, has appeared in over 100 national and international press outlets, started and sold three tech companies, and raised over $10 million for causes all over the world. Currently a full-time writer for Daily Kos, Shaun recently won the Mashable Award for the Most Creative Social Good Campaign. An executive coach for a rich variety of leaders, Shaun is married to his high school sweetheart, Rai. Their young family currently lives in Los Angeles, but has called South Africa, Atlanta, Kentucky, and Manhattan home over the past few years.
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August 27, 2020
Part memoir, part call to action, Make Change: How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future shows how everyone can make a difference.
September 27, 2020
It took me longer than it should have to finish this. I’m pretty sure it’s bc of a life long history of procrastination and feelings of not being capable. I recently discovered Shaun King through people sharing his words and work on Instagram during the latest wave of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests. I appreciate his voice, his research, and his experience. I have noticed lately he has fallen under some widespread criticism, and I went on a hunt to see why. After some research I have come to the conclusion that the attacks against him are unwarranted, and ridiculous. The latest and loudest criticism came after the death of Chadwick Boseman. A lot of media outlets were accusing him of using his death to promote his book, and that was really a stretch. From there I noticed a pattern that most viral criticism of his came from the same sources, nitpicking his every move and word. Battle of the activists really isn’t benefiting any of the super important causes he is educating people on. Chill the fuck out.
Anyway, I thought this book was a great tool to inspire people to organize and take action. We are living through history right now. We have a white nationalist as president, that is dog whistling his racism and hate through hiding them as conservative values. I mean to think for a second this guy gives a hoot about fetuses' lives is laughable. He's manipulating y'all! Our whole criminal justice system is built on racism and a war on the poor. This “War on Drugs” was blatantly set up to target African Americans, and it’s doing what it was intended to do. As we worked towards more freedom and civil rights our government did what it could to take these away legally. Nixon's policy chief, John Ehrlichman said,
“ You want to know what this was really all about? The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
Mission accomplished and it’s repercussions and actions are still in play today. Mass incarceration is legal slavery, and keeps a disproportionate amount of BIPOC in an underclass. Upon release, classified as a felon, the former innate is unable to obtain employment, housing, and basic rights like being able to vote.
Our world right now has a lot of very important issues. I feel heavy everyday with the weight of all that is happening. The daily news of Black lives taken from this world by negligent and militarized police. Mass incarceration is destroying families, and enslaving millions of our citizens for nonviolent crimes. Our climate crisis, causing severe weather, fires, unbreathable air, undrinkable water. Factory farming and it’s inhumane (to put it lightly) treatment of animals, the waste that this practice does on our environment, the health of the people who work and live by these plants, and the health of those that consume the flesh of these beings. Our education system is a failure, our healthcare system works only for a privileged few...and now we have Coronavirus! We are polarized as a nation, and because of social media it has become global. With all these problems it is easy to get overwhelmed and end up not committing yourself to any of them.
Coming from a Jewish family, with my own grandmother fleeing nazi Germany, I often wondered as a child how anyone could have hated us so much. I often wondered how in an era not even that long ago, an era in which I still have living functioning relatives with memories of these times, that people went along with these ideas. How were people so easily manipulated by propaganda? How did people all over the world just watch as it happened? I can see it now. I can see the people following the propaganda. I can see people being murdered in full color video while I lay on my couch. I can see the people who are supposed to keep us safe being the perpetrators of these murders and the agenda. And the worst part is I see myself as a person watching it happen. But what can I do?
It’s easy to talk yourself out of making change, to convince yourself that you're insignificant and that you have nothing to contribute. King calls on you to look within yourself for any distinctive skills you have that can be used for social good. What are some things you love doing so much you can do for free? Apply that to make change. An organized movement needs more than people on the street, they need more than knocks on doors and media shares. We can’t put all of ourselves in all of the issues that are presenting itself to us at this moment, but we can pick something, and use our passions and unique skill sets to make a difference. For example, there’s administrative work, cleaning, cooking, childcare...behind the scenes contributions that although not seen, are necessary and extremely helpful to any organization. Maybe you’re like me and you aren’t equipped or comfortable on the front lines of activism, or you’re an introvert who doesn’t do well in debates, there’s still things you can do to be of service, think outside the box.
“It’s on us...I’ve come to understand that the change we want to see in the world is not going to happen until we stand up, organize, and make it happen ourselves...The future we dream of for ourselves and for the generations to come will not simply happen naturally. We have to force that future into existence. We have to imagine and build it ourselves.”
Anyway, I thought this book was a great tool to inspire people to organize and take action. We are living through history right now. We have a white nationalist as president, that is dog whistling his racism and hate through hiding them as conservative values. I mean to think for a second this guy gives a hoot about fetuses' lives is laughable. He's manipulating y'all! Our whole criminal justice system is built on racism and a war on the poor. This “War on Drugs” was blatantly set up to target African Americans, and it’s doing what it was intended to do. As we worked towards more freedom and civil rights our government did what it could to take these away legally. Nixon's policy chief, John Ehrlichman said,
“ You want to know what this was really all about? The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the antiwar left and black people. You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
Mission accomplished and it’s repercussions and actions are still in play today. Mass incarceration is legal slavery, and keeps a disproportionate amount of BIPOC in an underclass. Upon release, classified as a felon, the former innate is unable to obtain employment, housing, and basic rights like being able to vote.
Our world right now has a lot of very important issues. I feel heavy everyday with the weight of all that is happening. The daily news of Black lives taken from this world by negligent and militarized police. Mass incarceration is destroying families, and enslaving millions of our citizens for nonviolent crimes. Our climate crisis, causing severe weather, fires, unbreathable air, undrinkable water. Factory farming and it’s inhumane (to put it lightly) treatment of animals, the waste that this practice does on our environment, the health of the people who work and live by these plants, and the health of those that consume the flesh of these beings. Our education system is a failure, our healthcare system works only for a privileged few...and now we have Coronavirus! We are polarized as a nation, and because of social media it has become global. With all these problems it is easy to get overwhelmed and end up not committing yourself to any of them.
Coming from a Jewish family, with my own grandmother fleeing nazi Germany, I often wondered as a child how anyone could have hated us so much. I often wondered how in an era not even that long ago, an era in which I still have living functioning relatives with memories of these times, that people went along with these ideas. How were people so easily manipulated by propaganda? How did people all over the world just watch as it happened? I can see it now. I can see the people following the propaganda. I can see people being murdered in full color video while I lay on my couch. I can see the people who are supposed to keep us safe being the perpetrators of these murders and the agenda. And the worst part is I see myself as a person watching it happen. But what can I do?
It’s easy to talk yourself out of making change, to convince yourself that you're insignificant and that you have nothing to contribute. King calls on you to look within yourself for any distinctive skills you have that can be used for social good. What are some things you love doing so much you can do for free? Apply that to make change. An organized movement needs more than people on the street, they need more than knocks on doors and media shares. We can’t put all of ourselves in all of the issues that are presenting itself to us at this moment, but we can pick something, and use our passions and unique skill sets to make a difference. For example, there’s administrative work, cleaning, cooking, childcare...behind the scenes contributions that although not seen, are necessary and extremely helpful to any organization. Maybe you’re like me and you aren’t equipped or comfortable on the front lines of activism, or you’re an introvert who doesn’t do well in debates, there’s still things you can do to be of service, think outside the box.
“It’s on us...I’ve come to understand that the change we want to see in the world is not going to happen until we stand up, organize, and make it happen ourselves...The future we dream of for ourselves and for the generations to come will not simply happen naturally. We have to force that future into existence. We have to imagine and build it ourselves.”
August 30, 2020
Make change doesn’t feel organized or well thought out. Instead, it’s an amalgamation of sound bites from other more prominent authors. I know not everyone is a writer, I understand that but his entire book felt...borrowed. Shaun King has been accused of stealing other, more experienced, Black women’s ideas and using them as his own which speaks volumes. Also, the fact his book was not told particularly well was grating. I felt like I was reading a high school kid’s nonfiction essay on his life or an incredibly cliche college essay. Much of the vocabulary was sophomoric and his use of foreshadowing kind of silly.
He bounced around between a ton of unsuccessful careers (meanwhile, he’s telling readers to focus their activism...okay...lol) while he tells his life story (he goes from getting his wife pregnant in an earlier part of the book to meeting her midway through...where’s the continuity??). He jumps to conclusions without research (search Rachel Maddow incident or other false accusations he’s made), and has a color complex due to the way he was treated growing up. He has this larger than life persona, but all I really took from this book is that he’s a fraud. He’s not even a jack of all trades despite his varied work experiences, and he’s definitely not a master of any either. He confesses he bounces around a lot without giving things a chance to work. He confesses he takes on too much and fails spectacularly. In the opening pages of Make Change, he wants to drop a college class after only attending once and even considered dropping out of the university altogether because he’s so overwhelmed.
Much of his advice on how to make change is colored by no real follow through with his own projects (search North Star, his fundraising debacles, etc). Whenever anyone calls him out on his BS, he threatens a lawsuit (mainly against Black women and Queer people) and uses his massive platform and following to bully people. His devotees subsequently send death threats to those who’ve attracted his ire. Unfortunately, one man he falsely accused committed suicide due to some of those aforementioned death threats.
In the end, I felt like he was lecturing me on how to be a good activist when all he does “well” is sit behind a technological device and post on IG, tweet @ people, and post things he’s gotten from other accounts. Make Change felt like an incredibly phony book of how not to go about activism or life in general. After reading this and doing some research, I unfollowed him on all social media platforms. As a Black woman, I am more than done with Black activists like Shaun King and DeRay McKesson usurping the cause Black women started. Both of these boys need to have a seat.
He bounced around between a ton of unsuccessful careers (meanwhile, he’s telling readers to focus their activism...okay...lol) while he tells his life story (he goes from getting his wife pregnant in an earlier part of the book to meeting her midway through...where’s the continuity??). He jumps to conclusions without research (search Rachel Maddow incident or other false accusations he’s made), and has a color complex due to the way he was treated growing up. He has this larger than life persona, but all I really took from this book is that he’s a fraud. He’s not even a jack of all trades despite his varied work experiences, and he’s definitely not a master of any either. He confesses he bounces around a lot without giving things a chance to work. He confesses he takes on too much and fails spectacularly. In the opening pages of Make Change, he wants to drop a college class after only attending once and even considered dropping out of the university altogether because he’s so overwhelmed.
Much of his advice on how to make change is colored by no real follow through with his own projects (search North Star, his fundraising debacles, etc). Whenever anyone calls him out on his BS, he threatens a lawsuit (mainly against Black women and Queer people) and uses his massive platform and following to bully people. His devotees subsequently send death threats to those who’ve attracted his ire. Unfortunately, one man he falsely accused committed suicide due to some of those aforementioned death threats.
In the end, I felt like he was lecturing me on how to be a good activist when all he does “well” is sit behind a technological device and post on IG, tweet @ people, and post things he’s gotten from other accounts. Make Change felt like an incredibly phony book of how not to go about activism or life in general. After reading this and doing some research, I unfollowed him on all social media platforms. As a Black woman, I am more than done with Black activists like Shaun King and DeRay McKesson usurping the cause Black women started. Both of these boys need to have a seat.
August 16, 2020
This is equal parts motivation to act on change and practical steps to do so. And it's exactly what I needed right now.
July 28, 2020
How is it that we live in the deadliest era for gun violence in American history? How could the United States now be listed as one of the ten most dangerous countries in the world for women and the fifth most dangerous country in the world for journalists? -- Shaun King
In 2015, The Washington Post started tracking and recording police killings of civilians in the U.S. It turns out these murders have been occurring at the rate of three per day.
That’s correct: per day.
Furthermore, The Washington Post’s database lists only those killed by shooting and does not even include deaths by beating, choking, and other lethal responses.
Make Change, both practical manual and personal memoir, breaks down what ordinary people can do about the unfettered slaughter of Americans by those entrusted to protect them. Compelling and timely, the book in places reads like a suspense novel. Here’s a sampling of chapter titles:
To Make Change, You Must First Make a Choice
Forget Your Excuses
What is Your Gift? Use it
Mistakes and Rebounding from Failure
Highly recommended for anyone in the U.S. who believes the time is overdue to put our violent past aside once and for all, and co-create a civilization more worthy of our best selves.
Author Sean King was recently named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most important people in the world online. He covers civil rights issues for the Intercept and is writer-in-residence at the Fair Punishment Project at Harvard Law School. He previously served as a pastor, teacher and full-time motivational speaker in Atlanta’s juvenile justice system. – publisher’s notes
“It’s not about me. It’s not about Shaun. It’s about us. If we are going to confront the reality that the United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the history of the world, we must organize.” – Bernie Sanders, from his Foreword to Make Change
Shaun King
In 2015, The Washington Post started tracking and recording police killings of civilians in the U.S. It turns out these murders have been occurring at the rate of three per day.
That’s correct: per day.
Furthermore, The Washington Post’s database lists only those killed by shooting and does not even include deaths by beating, choking, and other lethal responses.
Make Change, both practical manual and personal memoir, breaks down what ordinary people can do about the unfettered slaughter of Americans by those entrusted to protect them. Compelling and timely, the book in places reads like a suspense novel. Here’s a sampling of chapter titles:
To Make Change, You Must First Make a Choice
Forget Your Excuses
What is Your Gift? Use it
Mistakes and Rebounding from Failure
Highly recommended for anyone in the U.S. who believes the time is overdue to put our violent past aside once and for all, and co-create a civilization more worthy of our best selves.
Author Sean King was recently named by Time magazine as one of the 25 most important people in the world online. He covers civil rights issues for the Intercept and is writer-in-residence at the Fair Punishment Project at Harvard Law School. He previously served as a pastor, teacher and full-time motivational speaker in Atlanta’s juvenile justice system. – publisher’s notes
“It’s not about me. It’s not about Shaun. It’s about us. If we are going to confront the reality that the United States incarcerates more people than any other country in the history of the world, we must organize.” – Bernie Sanders, from his Foreword to Make Change
Shaun King
September 30, 2020
“It took hundreds of years, thousands even, to craft the current social order. It is complex, and it is directly linked to keeping certain people in power and preventing others from ever threatening it. Consequently, it is enforced, defended, and protected at great expense. And when you attempt to tinker with the status quo, the pushback you are going to receive will be fierce.”
I found it a little suspicious that he sneakily left out the role of religion in this summary of the ruling apparatus, after all it has been doing it far longer than any other corporate entity, but of course with him being a pastor, that would not be a good look would it.
King sets out his stall early on with his popular brand of fight the power! He reveals the horrendous racism he suffered during high school back in Versailles, Kentucky, which resulted in him being beaten up by a gang and eventual hospitalisation and spinal surgery etc and er a conversion to religion.
“The Nixon campaign in 1968, and the Nixon White House after that, had two enemies: the anti-war left and black people…We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin, and then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities…Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
That is what John Ehrlichman (the Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs) said about the war on drugs, which gives us an idea as to the power and darkness of some of the forces that King and his acolytes are pushing up against.
I can only imagine how the chat might have gone with the agent or publishers…Mind, what we talked about Shaun don’t start in with the god stuff straight away as that can scare a lot of people off, maybe wait til about half way in, and then you can do the weird, creepy god bit. But it soon gets smuggled in at around page 114 and my reaction was one of disbelief. At no point are we told where this mysterious and benevolent god was hiding when he was being repeatedly taunted, bullied and beaten?...
We learn a lot about some of the great work he and others close to him are involved in, like the Real Justice movement whose mission is to challenge the worst DA’s in the country and replace them with new, compassionate ones. Make no mistake about it this guy has done some great work, particularly for people who rarely if ever get a voice in the places of power, from his work in raising the age of prosecution in the allegedly progressive state of New York to the stay of execution he managed to get for Rodney Reed in the definitely not progressive state of Texas.His tireless effort speaks for his self. But the truth of the matter is, the longer this went on the more this guy really started to annoy me and I felt like I had gotten trapped at some god awful sermon in a church service as some arrogant egomaniac held court.
This had a real bitty and padded out feel as if it were a manifesto or pamphlet and someone has said OK we can squeeze a book out of this bad boy. Ultimately there is very little in the way of originality, but he’s trying to do something positive. I don’t agree with everything he has to say but more power and respect to him and what he is trying to do.
July 26, 2020
Currently, the evils of the world seem overwhelming. Two common reactions are to fall into despair, or try your best doing something, anything to help....until you run out of energy and then fall into that pit of despair.
Shaun King’s book offers his personal experiences navigating this path. He balances reality with optimism, and then grounds both in solutions. Shaun lays out what he’s done over the past years, and how they’ve worked (or not).
My favorite part of reading this was the sense of “I am not alone”. I am not alone in despairing at the state of the world right now. I’m not alone in thinking that ICE is causing irreparable trauma to children that are clearly crimes against humanity... and here we are. Together. Fighting for this country to do better and be better.
10/10 a must read for anyone who realizes the terrible things that are happening and wants to be a part of solving them.
Shaun King’s book offers his personal experiences navigating this path. He balances reality with optimism, and then grounds both in solutions. Shaun lays out what he’s done over the past years, and how they’ve worked (or not).
My favorite part of reading this was the sense of “I am not alone”. I am not alone in despairing at the state of the world right now. I’m not alone in thinking that ICE is causing irreparable trauma to children that are clearly crimes against humanity... and here we are. Together. Fighting for this country to do better and be better.
10/10 a must read for anyone who realizes the terrible things that are happening and wants to be a part of solving them.
July 27, 2020
I am hooked. I have been feeling the PTSD that Americans are currently feeling that Shaun talks about in the book. I have been feeling totally bogged down by all of the horrible tragedies that are constantly occurring in the US. We need to dismantle systematic oppression. Racism is built into the laws in the US and this needs to change. Shaun King has an insight that is important and needs to be read. He inspires people to fight for a better world. I recommend this book to anyone who has been feeling the weight of all of the tragedies and wants to use that weight to fight back and make real change as an individual. You need to do more than just support the movement. If you truly support and want things to be different in this country you need to take part in the change. This book lays helpful groundwork for you.
November 12, 2020
A set of motivational steps for assisting us to define and sustain an activist path, illustrated with powerful personal vignettes from Shaun King's life.
July 26, 2020
After reading the first 30 pages from the preview I am already really into this book. Especially the chapter The Dip made an impact. When the full book is published on August 4th, I will make certain I read the entire book and come back to leave a full review.
It is on the same level as Between the World and Me and How to Be an Antiracist, just from reading the first 30 pages.
A wonderful foreword by Bernie Saunders, firmly placing Shaun King in a long line of (dare I say it? F*** it, YES!) Social Justice Warriors and anti-racists got my attention.
This is a book to read and have in your baggage when you move through life, no matter what age you are.
When it is published, read it, learn from it and take the lessons into practice!
It is on the same level as Between the World and Me and How to Be an Antiracist, just from reading the first 30 pages.
A wonderful foreword by Bernie Saunders, firmly placing Shaun King in a long line of (dare I say it? F*** it, YES!) Social Justice Warriors and anti-racists got my attention.
This is a book to read and have in your baggage when you move through life, no matter what age you are.
When it is published, read it, learn from it and take the lessons into practice!
July 26, 2020
There has yet to be a book that I've waited for with greater anticipation than this. And, while I'm familiar with much of the content of the 30 page preview, I can say at the very least, it's compelling. Since hearing episode #59 of Shuan's podcast 'The Breakdown', I've share these principles (and that episode) with friends, family, and other's who've been frustrated by the status quo. To make change we need more than just energized people concerned about a problem--We need organized people; a sophisticated, nuanced plan; and well funded resources. If you want to learn how to change the world for the better, the principles in this book are the fundamental roadmap. I can't wait to read the rest on August 4th, as nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
The time to make change has come, and make change we will.
The time to make change has come, and make change we will.
August 17, 2020
If you’re interested in social justice and would like to learn more, this is the book for you. Shaun is a high-profile activist who has worked with various organizations to help promote criminal justice reform. He has had in depth experience with leveraging social media and maximizing the impact of individual voices to support larger causes. In his book he tells his own story. It contains great tragedy and great resilience. Shaun highlights his successes and his failures to provide a roadmap for anyone who wants to help make change for the better. His advice will resonate especially with young activists who are full of passion but need some direction to help focus their energy. This impactful book with a foreword by Senator Bernie Sanders is one you shouldn’t miss.
July 26, 2020
I had the pleasure of being able to read the first 30 pages of Shaun King’s book, Make Change before it is on the market. I pre-ordered the book and was sent a preview. I found myself not being able to stop until I had no more to read, and now I can’t wait until the rest comes out. This book was finished in 2019 and it is so relevant to now and what is happening in our country. As a white person I can say that I am learning more everyday about the journey for justice and am realizing that it will be a life long struggle, but a necessary one for all of our liberation. This book will support me along the way. I hope that you join us in the struggle for Freedom!
September 2, 2020
I have been following Shaun on Instagram, getting up to date information on the daily injustice POC face in this country. I had no idea about his background, or story. This was a good read and also gave great, concrete examples on how to make change.
September 22, 2020
Lots of good ideas for getting involved using your particular skill-set.
March 19, 2021
I just couldn't do it. Shaun King has a voice that I appreciate on social media, but I do not want him to be the voice of our generation if this is all he's got.
October 3, 2020
I’ve seen criticism of this book, or of Shaun King, that doesn’t seem to hold water when scrutinized.
“The entire book feels borrowed,” well, every book ever written is in conversation with every other book. It’s called intertextuality. Some call it the noosphere, or the sphere of reason. Of course giving credit where credit is due is a good thing but disregarding everything someone says for not giving credit for each and every idea they’re spreading seems counterproductive to trying to end real suffering.
“The book is unorganized,” if that’s how you feel why don’t you try writing a book that is more organized about all the complexities of issues humanity currently faces and with more solid ideas of how to go about changing them?
At least Shaun King is trying his hardest to actually change things. It’s not easy: the status quo is a multi-headed Hydra that will be damn near impossible to overcome. Before reading this I was basically convinced that there is no changing anything for the better. This book gives me a little hope. I’ll take any amount of hope I can get at this point.
“Shaun King has made mistakes and even admits to them in the book,” who hasn’t made mistakes? Most people who make mistakes are adamantly against ever owning up to them. No one is perfect. It’s like everyone criticizing Shaun King wants to shit on him for being imperfect instead of giving him credit he deserves for actually going out of his way to try to make things better. I commend him.
I commend anyone trying to fight for what is right. I want the world the not be run by the mega-rich. I want people to not profit off of running prisons. I want lawmakers to not target marginalized groups to gain more profits from prisons. I want murderers to go to prison, and even then I want prison to be not-for-profit and to be a place of possible rehabilitation instead of a place of re-traumatization.
Anyone who wants these things is up against a hell of a status-quo. A status quo that condemns people like Julian Assange for exposing war crimes committed in the name of oil-profiteering and murdering of innocent men, women and children overseas. And yet people wonder why it’s so difficult to know how to make things any better.
People who wonder why Shaun King couldn’t fix everything with his book need to stfu and maybe take a history lesson or four. It is not going to be easy to change much of anything. Anyone interested in making lasting change is going to fail more than they are going to succeed, and when someone like Shaun comes around and tries to instill hope and inspiration in anyone with these interests there are always going to be naysayers to the cause.
It is up to us, just like Shaun says!
If we all sit around and hope Shaun fixes everything for us and talk shit about him when he fails in some perverse effort to make ourselves feel better, like so many people seem to do, then the future will just be worse than things already are.
I say that it’s extremely commendable that Shaun is doing his very best to spread awareness and to organize for much needed changes. Don’t expect this book to be the be-all/end-all definitive guide to making the world a better place. Do expect it to shed light on the fact that everything isn’t completely hopeless, yet!, and the more every impassioned individual goes out of their way to try to change things for the better the more likely those changes will come about.
“The entire book feels borrowed,” well, every book ever written is in conversation with every other book. It’s called intertextuality. Some call it the noosphere, or the sphere of reason. Of course giving credit where credit is due is a good thing but disregarding everything someone says for not giving credit for each and every idea they’re spreading seems counterproductive to trying to end real suffering.
“The book is unorganized,” if that’s how you feel why don’t you try writing a book that is more organized about all the complexities of issues humanity currently faces and with more solid ideas of how to go about changing them?
At least Shaun King is trying his hardest to actually change things. It’s not easy: the status quo is a multi-headed Hydra that will be damn near impossible to overcome. Before reading this I was basically convinced that there is no changing anything for the better. This book gives me a little hope. I’ll take any amount of hope I can get at this point.
“Shaun King has made mistakes and even admits to them in the book,” who hasn’t made mistakes? Most people who make mistakes are adamantly against ever owning up to them. No one is perfect. It’s like everyone criticizing Shaun King wants to shit on him for being imperfect instead of giving him credit he deserves for actually going out of his way to try to make things better. I commend him.
I commend anyone trying to fight for what is right. I want the world the not be run by the mega-rich. I want people to not profit off of running prisons. I want lawmakers to not target marginalized groups to gain more profits from prisons. I want murderers to go to prison, and even then I want prison to be not-for-profit and to be a place of possible rehabilitation instead of a place of re-traumatization.
Anyone who wants these things is up against a hell of a status-quo. A status quo that condemns people like Julian Assange for exposing war crimes committed in the name of oil-profiteering and murdering of innocent men, women and children overseas. And yet people wonder why it’s so difficult to know how to make things any better.
People who wonder why Shaun King couldn’t fix everything with his book need to stfu and maybe take a history lesson or four. It is not going to be easy to change much of anything. Anyone interested in making lasting change is going to fail more than they are going to succeed, and when someone like Shaun comes around and tries to instill hope and inspiration in anyone with these interests there are always going to be naysayers to the cause.
It is up to us, just like Shaun says!
If we all sit around and hope Shaun fixes everything for us and talk shit about him when he fails in some perverse effort to make ourselves feel better, like so many people seem to do, then the future will just be worse than things already are.
I say that it’s extremely commendable that Shaun is doing his very best to spread awareness and to organize for much needed changes. Don’t expect this book to be the be-all/end-all definitive guide to making the world a better place. Do expect it to shed light on the fact that everything isn’t completely hopeless, yet!, and the more every impassioned individual goes out of their way to try to change things for the better the more likely those changes will come about.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 4, 2021
The people who like to hate on Shaun should probably just read this book. Here’s a guy who is spending so much time trying to help people whilst teaching others how to do it to and some people can’t get past a Breitbart article lie or some whinging twitter fan of Milo. All the advice here is pretty legit. Whilst being quite a simplified instruction it’s all it needs to be. To just get going and beginning to do the work is 90% of it and Shaun offers no illusions of how hard things can get. This is strong starting point for anyone who feels aimless or tired and unable to help.
December 9, 2020
I follow Shaun King on social media and although I don’t always agree with him, I was intrigued by his book. I’m glad I read it. He makes a ton of excellent points! If you are looking for a way to “make change” his book may be a good place for you to get some ideas. He’s nothing if not inspiring.
August 31, 2020
If you’re thinking about starting or furthering your work in being an activist, this is a great reference . It highlights the ups and downs of this work , plan of action, examples of victories and failures and how to overcome in your failures . I truly enjoyed this book and learning more about Shaun.
February 15, 2021
I enjoyed reading about his story, in the sense that there is power in listening to people talk about their own injustices, even though it's.hard to hear what they are saying.
I liked how he encouraged people to fight for one issue so as to fight effectively and how he outlines some of his mistakes and failures to learn from.
I liked how he encouraged people to fight for one issue so as to fight effectively and how he outlines some of his mistakes and failures to learn from.
July 26, 2020
Admittedly I've been very excited for this book to come out. Although I've only read the first 30 pages, it does a great job of placing the current social and political climate in perspective, (regarding video of the killing of Eric Garner, "Such videos have spread across the world in the years since, but before that day in July, a viral video of someone being killed by police simply did not exist, and so the reality of it was confounding." ...wild to think of a time when flagrant injustice, including murder by police, wasn't a weekly, if not daily, occurrence captured on cell phone video. Most importantly, from Bernie's forward through the introduction, the book makes clear that WE CAN, and WE MUST work together to make change. "Change does not just happen out of thin air. It's made. it's crafted. It's organized. it's fought for. And when we fight together, we win." Like many of us, I feel so helpless, so incapable of doing something to make real change, but when I read Shaun's description of being in those moments in mid to late 2014, I am inspired: "It was a movement without a name. We'd retrospectively call it the Black Lives Matter movement, but as it first grew from sparks in New York and Los Angeles and Ferguson, we were just scores of determined strangers prepared to fight back any way we knew how."
To my fellow "determined strangers," let's #plotplanorganizestrategizemobilize and MAKE CHANGE!
To my fellow "determined strangers," let's #plotplanorganizestrategizemobilize and MAKE CHANGE!
September 14, 2020
I'm 30 pages into this book so far, thanks to the preview provided by the author and publisher. It's inspiring and moving, told in a very personal style about events and issues happening all over the US.
The handheld videos and stories of brutality and injustice emerging from everywhere, combined with the news coverage of protesters clashing with unmarked (and seemingly unaccountable) agents and an often aggressive police response, are overwhelming for the average citizen. If you believe that justice and accountability for crimes are important, and worth stepping outside of your comfort zone, it's also unclear as to what the average person can do about it. How can we advocate for change against an entire system that's aligned at most every point against change? How can we join in the push for a just and equitable society, in a way that utilizes what we have to offer and is strategic?
This book is written by an experienced advocate and strategic thinker, one who has leveraged both the new platforms of social media and the pre-existing structures of media and the legal system. He has made tremendous progress and achieved many victories - and struggled with the sense that even those victories were but a drop in the bucket against an entrenched and wealthy system. So he has many lessons to share with those of us stepping into the streets and social media networks, and I'm eager to continue reading once the book is finally published.
The handheld videos and stories of brutality and injustice emerging from everywhere, combined with the news coverage of protesters clashing with unmarked (and seemingly unaccountable) agents and an often aggressive police response, are overwhelming for the average citizen. If you believe that justice and accountability for crimes are important, and worth stepping outside of your comfort zone, it's also unclear as to what the average person can do about it. How can we advocate for change against an entire system that's aligned at most every point against change? How can we join in the push for a just and equitable society, in a way that utilizes what we have to offer and is strategic?
This book is written by an experienced advocate and strategic thinker, one who has leveraged both the new platforms of social media and the pre-existing structures of media and the legal system. He has made tremendous progress and achieved many victories - and struggled with the sense that even those victories were but a drop in the bucket against an entrenched and wealthy system. So he has many lessons to share with those of us stepping into the streets and social media networks, and I'm eager to continue reading once the book is finally published.
July 26, 2020
There are hundreds of words that I can use to describe Shaun Kings book "Make Change: How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future", however to simplify it in its truest form I only need two; life changing! Shaun does an outstanding job of taking the whirlwind of emotions, outrage, hope, grief, optimism, that we feel daily when we hear of the next, latest and greatest atrocity to hit the world; and helps organize them into a way that we can utilize them to truly make change. This book is a true road map for creating a better future for humanity one day at a time. This book aids in breaking down the overwhelming burdens that confront people who want to help whatever cause they are passionate about but don't really know what steps to take to get there. Shaun highlights the absolute importance of organization and how movements are the catalyst for ever changing and ever excelling standards of living for all individuals from Blacks, to Latinx, to LGBTQ, to Muslim, to...you name it. Organization and leadership are a crucial part of progress, and Shaun helps readers figure out exactly where they fit in within an organization, whether it be support, leadership, or anything in between. Absolutely incredible read that I will recommend to anybody looking to help "Make Change".
January 10, 2023
If you love Shaun King, this book is exactly what you knew it would be: Shaun uses his own life and growth into activism to encourage others to join the fight.
If you loathe Shaun King, this book is exactly what you knew it would be: Shaun manages to put himself front and center in every political protest since 2014, with activism advice that you would get at the orientation of a volunteer opportunity near you.
I personally feel that the book fails in its goal to encourage activism because it tries to be both memoir and call to action. Not wanting to throw the baby out with the bathwater, however, there are a couple of things that I appreciated: (1) his summary of Leopold Von Rancke's theory of "the dip," and (2) the forward by Bernie Sanders.
If you loathe Shaun King, this book is exactly what you knew it would be: Shaun manages to put himself front and center in every political protest since 2014, with activism advice that you would get at the orientation of a volunteer opportunity near you.
I personally feel that the book fails in its goal to encourage activism because it tries to be both memoir and call to action. Not wanting to throw the baby out with the bathwater, however, there are a couple of things that I appreciated: (1) his summary of Leopold Von Rancke's theory of "the dip," and (2) the forward by Bernie Sanders.
July 27, 2020
Shaun King lets us in to his world in Make Change: How to Fight Injustice, Dismantle Systemic Oppression, and Own Our Future. Thought provoking and inspiring. To understand what made a family man turn activist in the face of police brutality and mass incarceration. A place we all need to stand when it comes to the injustices in our country, not only for today, but for tomorrow and forever. We are supposed to be the GREATEST country in the world, we need to start behaving as such. Make Change is the guidebook to finding your passion and pursuing a society that works for EVERYONE! Not me, not you, but US together!
August 15, 2020
Excellent, impassioned, inspirational, historical analysis of the current social, cultural & political realities of life in the USA. Details how we got here, & how we can Get Out. Activism is important, yes; activism with carefully thought out & constructive Planning is essential! Interspersed with the author's personal stories & experiences. Good Forward message from Senator Bernie Sanders. Start where you are. Do what you can. Highly recommend!
August 17, 2020
4.5 stars. If anyone ever was looking to help in the fight for racial and social justice, King’s book is a primer leading up to a masters degree in the subject. Every carefully read chapter remains positive even when in despair. His early life story depicts how he came to be an activist and agent for change. The book ebbs and flows and is told in easy to understand language that is also forceful to get more of us on board. Totally impressed with this one and applaud his commitment.
November 5, 2020
I read this book before finding out some of the horrible and shady things King has done and continues to do. It's incredibly unfortunate that such a good message should be carried by an unscrupulous person.
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