Generation Occupy
Reawakening American Democracy
by Michael Levitin
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Pub Date Sep 14 2021 | Archive Date Apr 27 2021
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Description
On the ten-year anniversary of the Occupy movement, Generation Occupy sets the historical record straight about the movement’s lasting impacts. Far from a passing phenomenon, Occupy Wall Street marked a new era of social and political transformation, reigniting the labor movement, remaking the Democratic Party, and reviving a culture of protest that has put the fight for social, economic, environmental, and racial justice at the forefront of a generation. The movement changed the way Americans see themselves and their role in the economy through the language of the 99 versus the 1 percent.
But beyond that, in its demands for fairness and equality, Occupy reinvigorated grassroots activism, inaugurating a decade of youth-led resistance movements that have altered the social fabric, from Black Lives Matter and Standing Rock to March for Our Lives, the Global Climate Strikes, and #MeToo. Bookended by the 2008 financial crisis and the coronavirus pandemic, Generation Occupy attempts to help us understand how we got to where we are today and how to draw on lessons from Occupy in the future.
Advance Praise
"Michael Levitin's Generation Occupy is a much needed debrief on the Occupy Movement, one that focuses less on lofty theoretical meanings and more on nuts and bolts and human issues—who was there, what they thought they wanted to do, how they tried to do it, and how they felt about the movement later on. This is a documentary account about a community, therefore, and as such it refreshes North American non-fiction writing, creating a beautiful collage of stories about idealism, disenchantment, and influence ex post facto. The idealist in you will unfold anew over the course of these pages, again, with gratitude for the discussions started by Occupy and for the lives it changed." —Rick Moody
“In this book, Michael Levitin makes a compelling case that the Occupy movement had a much greater impact than is typically acknowledged. Combining political analysis with profiles of key activists, Generation Occupy offers a dedicated defense of the power of mass protest.” —Mark Engler, co-author of This Is An Uprising
"In an exhilarating combination of memoir, history, and political analysis, Levitin makes an airtight case: that the Occupy movement has had a profound influence on all aspects of American life. Generation Occupy is a masterpiece that illuminates our past, present, and future." —Brian Platzer, author of The Body Politic and education columnist at The Atlantic
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781640094499 |
| PRICE | $27.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 368 |
Links
Featured Reviews
Ruth A, Educator
In a few short weeks, Occupy Wall Street became the genesis for the social change movement that is in full force today. Levitin, who spent much time at Zuccotti Park during the autumn of 2011, speaks with the movers and shakers who began their activism there and have become some of the major agents of change today. We see how Occupy Wall Street begat Bernie Sanders' incredible national rise to prominence and his presidential campaigns, which begat the election of progressive representatives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Squad.
Although OWS lacked in organization and focus, those who learned from what worked there and what did not work have taken lessons from that volatile and educational time to spurn the hashtag movements we know well today: The Movement for Black Lives, Fight for $15 minimum wage, #MeToo, Medicare For All.. We understand that economic inequality, the focus of OWS and the attempt to shine the light on the 1% controlling the 99%, continues today, and would not have been possible without the pioneers in Zuccotti Park.
