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Rise Up

Confronting a Country at the Crossroads

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
NOW A NATIONAL BESTSELLER
WITH A NEW PREFACE BY THE AUTHOR
"This man is a gift from God to the world. This book is a gift from Al Sharpton to us. Let's appreciate them both."—Michael Eric Dyson
Beginning with a foreword by Michael Eric Dyson, Rise Up
is a rousing call to action for our nation, drawing on lessons learned from Reverend Al Sharpton's unique experience as a politician, television and radio host, and civil rights leader.
Rise Up offers timeless lessons for anyone who's stood at the crossroads of their personal or political life, weighing their choices of how to proceed.
When the young Alfred Charles Sharpton told his mother he wanted to be a preacher, little did he know that his journey would also lead him to prominence as a politician, founder of the National Action Network, civil rights activist, and television and radio talk show host. His enduring ability and willingness to take on the political power structure makes him the preeminent voice for the modern era, a time unprecedented in its challenges.
In Rise Up, Reverend Sharpton revisits the highlights of the Obama administration, the 2016 election and Trump's subsequent hold on the GOP, and draws on his decades-long experience with other key players in politics and activism, including Shirley Chisholm, Hillary Clinton, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and more.
The time has come to take a hard look at our collective failures and shortcomings and reclaim our core values in order to build a clear and just path forward for America. Our nation today stands at a crossroads—and change can't wait.
"Full of history, honesty, and valuable suggestions, Rise Up should be a staple in every home, school and library as an essential primer on civil and political rights in America."—Martin Luther King, III
"If you want to learn how to use your voice to change a nation, you should study closely this man—and this book." —Van Jones
"My Bed-Stuy (do or die) brother has been at the forefront of our battles again and again. From way back in da way back to this present revolution the world is in now, Rev. has been about Black Lives Matter from the jump, also at a time when it was not the most popular or hip thing to be about. I look forward, standing next to him, to see, to witness this new energy, this new day that is about to be in these United States of America."—Spike Lee
Don't miss Rev. Sharpton's new book, Righteous Troublemakers: Untold Stories of the Social Justice Movement in America.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 20, 2020
      Civil rights activist Sharpton (The Rejected Stone) interweaves memoir and progressive polemic in this impassioned survey of contemporary American politics. Highlighting his experiences on the front lines of protests over police brutality, anti-immigration policies, and voter suppression, and frequently drawing lessons from Christian scripture, Sharpton weighs in on a wide range of contemporary political and social issues. He casts Donald Trump’s presidency as a racist, knee-jerk reaction to the Obama presidency; laments the national response to the coronavirus pandemic; and defends former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protests as an important symbolic critique of racial inequality. Sharpton also expresses support for the #MeToo movement and the idea that Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden should pick a woman for vice president. Noting that Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies are much harsher than those of his predecessors, Sharpton calls for a broad, multiracial progressive coalition to restore Democrats to the White House in 2020. Lacing his analysis with anecdotes about his interactions with James Brown, Coretta Scott King, Nelson Mandela, and other luminaries, Sharpton makes a persuasive case that America has reached “a historical turning point that’s testing our moral character and endangering all we have fought to gain.” Liberals will be inspired by this well-informed call to action. Agent: Josh Getzler, HG Literary.

    • Kirkus

      August 1, 2020
      The outspoken civil rights leader sees a nation in peril. Baptist minister, former presidential candidate, and founder of the National Action Network, Sharpton mounts an impassioned call for activism. "The hardest job of being a preacher," Sharpton writes, "is to eulogize the life of someone who did nothing. And so I say, give me something to work with." The author believes that the U.S. is "at a historical turning point that's testing our moral character and endangering all we have fought to gain." A host of issues need bold solutions, he writes, including the criminal justice system, police brutality, health care, gender equality, LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, climate change, and environmental racism. He derides those he calls latte liberals, "a form of liberalism that smacks of privilege and cocoons itself by staying out of touch with the messiness that often accompanies real hardship"; the Christian right ("not right Christians"); and those who seek only to hold onto power: "the higher up they are in the chain, the more they want to keep things quiet lest they lose the power that got them to that position in the first place." Sharpton unapologetically portrays himself as a showman who uses his personality as "a lightning bolt for good," and he cites James Brown, Jesse Jackson, Bishop Frederick Douglas Washington, Adam Clayton Powell, Shirley Chisholm, and, not least, his mother, who nurtured his belief in faith, activism, and responsibility. "If I walk over to you and knock you off your chair, that's on me," he writes. "But if I come back next week and you're still on the floor, that's on you." For potential activists, Sharpton offers practical advice: Identify priorities, start small, do your homework, and understand your opposition. As Chisholm once told him, "If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair." A fervent message in hard times.

      COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

    • Booklist

      September 1, 2020
      The Reverend Al Sharpton began preaching and advocating for social justice very early in life, and he has never let up. Here he tells of working with and learning from the groundbreaking men and women at the forefront of the civil rights movement, politics, and entertainment since the 1960s. Baptist minister Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network and a prominent media personality, has consistently and eloquently raised the alarm about the damages done to the Black community through centuries of systemic racism. Written during the 2020 pandemic, a crisis that has laid bare the consequences of these inequities in our society, Sharpton's urgent call for necessary societal changes includes chapters on racial justice, gender equality, LGBTQ rights, voter rights, police reform, immigration reform, and environmental justice. His gratitude to those who taught him and the debt he feels continue to sustain his faith and commitment to his mission. By sharing his own personal struggles and experiences, Sharpton offers inspirational lessons for today's social justice activists and supporters of a just world?and for tomorrow's.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

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  • English

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