BOOK REVIEW: The Resistance, United in Love

~Blurb~

We the people 

Will not be silenced 

Our voices are important. 

We the people 

Will not be pushed aside 

We will be seen 

Our numbers are more than you know. 

We the people 

Will make a difference 

We will hold the government accountable 

Our empathy is not a weakness. 

In these turbulent times we the people will stand together in the face of hate knowing we are all equal, and every life matters. 

We the people are The Resistance, United in Love 

Authors coming together to write a collection of poems and essays that reflect our views on what has happened and our hopes for the future. 

This work is not affiliated with any political party. 

100% of the proceeds will be donated to the ACLU 

The Resistance and its authors are independent entities and not affiliated with the ACLU or any political party. 

Authors: Danielle Allen, Dylan Allen, JC Andrijeski, Megan Benjamin Evans, Elizabeth Burgess, Deborah Cunningham Burst, Emme Burton, M.C. Cerny, Selene Chardou, S. Simone Chavous, T. Thorn Coyle, Sarah M. Cradit, Ella Dominguez, Nicole Falls, John Gregory Hancock, Bayli Lane, Robin Lee, Olivia Linden, Grant Miller, Harper Miller, Morgan Jane Mitchell, C. Ricketts, Katherine Rhodes, Kimberly Rose, Amalie Silver, M. Stratton, Leslie Claire Walker, and Zoe York.

GOODREADS

5 Stars

Over two dozen romance authors have come together to present this collection of short essays, poems, and letters detailing their reactions to and experiences of the events surrounding the US's current political climate. They do not represent a political party; they are speaking as individuals, documenting history in a turbulent time as many have done before. 

"At this point, we are beyond politics. What's happening right now is about equal rights, human rights, social justice, and civil liberties." — Danielle Allen

I previously gave a shout out to this book in a post a few weeks ago upon hearing about it in an article from the Huffington Post. At the time, I hadn't even read it beyond the foreword by M. Stratton in the Amazon sample before 1-clicking it, but I was attracted to its cause. On that note, it bears repeating that 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). 

I've now read it and continue to recommend it. I say everyone should read this book and read it with an open mind and an open heart. Not everyone will experience the same reactions. That’s okay. That’s what makes literature great and people different. Some will benefit from this book by gaining better understanding and others will benefit by having someone to relate to.  

"We’re better than this or at least we could be

If you’d open your eyes, maybe you’d see.”

I personally was most moved by Danielle Allen’s eloquently written pieces, “Do You See Me? Because I See You” and “For Who?” In “For Who?” she breaches the campaign rhetoric and gets to the heart of the matter, exposing the racism, sexism, elitism, xenophobia, and homophobia in one campaign slogan.  Every time in 2016 that I passed a campaign sign with that catchphrase and in 2017 every time I've heard it echoed in the context of it being a positive thing, I've shuddered. Shuddered, because I too saw the underlying context.  I wish more had thought about those words as Danielle Allen did in her contributions.  Maybe now they will after reading this publication.

Other noteworthy pieces include Ella Dominquez’s “Legacy” where she poses the question of what will the US leave behind. “Will it be a legacy of love and acceptance, or of fear and intolerance?”  Now there's a question every citizen should be considering. “I thought I lived in a world that was becoming better; in a world that was learning, albeit slowly, to accept everyone and all of their differences. Where has all of that change gone? Yet, I know there is hope,” she laments. I've had that very same reaction, and it's comforting to know I'm not alone. 

Robin Lee's reaction to November 8, 2016 was also the same as mine.  In “The Decimation of Democracy” and “Clueless” she paints a disturbing but very true portrait of the new POTUS.  

Harper Miller ponders the hypocrisy parents must face when espousing one message to their children but voting for a completely different message in her piece, "The Day Reality Set In.”

And in the final piece, Zoe York closes with an important reminder in “My Immigrant Blood” — “We are all refuges waiting to happen.”

There are many more contributions. I've merely touched on the few that spoke the most to me. But other writings may resonate with other readers; hence why I recommend this anthology.

 👏I applaud all the authors who contributed-- for not sitting down or shutting up, but instead standing up for what is right!

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