Overview

In Rebuild the Dream, green economy pioneer Van Jones reflects on his journey from grassroots outsider to White House insider. For the first time, he shares intimate details of his time in government - and reveals why he chose to resign his post as a special advisor to the Obama White House. Jones puts his hard-won lessons to good use, proposing a powerful game plan to restore hope, fix our democracy and renew the American Dream. The American Dream means different things to people, but the center of gravity is always the same: an ordinary person-who was not born with great wealth, but who is willing to work hard and play by the rules-should be able to find employment, live in a good community, make progress financially, retire with dignity, and give his or her children a better life. That dream is fading. On Main Street, too many people are working harder than ever - while falling further behind. They play by the rules, but cannot succeed. At the same time, other Americans, including the worst of Wall Street, break every rule, but cannot fail - because someone has already decided that they are ""too big"" to fail. The American Dream has been turned upside down and inside out. It is time to set things right. As the first Obama administration official to write a book about his experiences, Jones offers a unique perspective. In explaining why the 2008 ""hope"" bubble burst, he unveils the seven biggest mistakes made by the White House and its supporters. He explores the origin and fate of the movements that helped to elect President Obama, as well as those that have challenged and shaped his presidency. Along the way, Jones systematically reveals surprising parallels between Obama's people-powered campaign, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. At this pivotal moment, Jones argues that we must make our economy respect the 99% and work for the 100%, not just the 1%. He proposes serious solutions that fit the scale of our problems. Rebuild the Dream sets forth bold ideas inspired by the progressive values that made the twentieth century the ""American Century."" It shows how key public policies and investments can create millions of good, American jobs. America is still the best idea in the world. The American middle class is still her greatest invention. Rebuild the Dream is dedicated to the proposition that - with the right strategy- both can be preserved and strengthened for generations to come.

Full Product Details

9781568587141

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Van Jones has made it his life's work to speak truth to power""--Nancy Pelosi in Time Magazine ""Van Jones is an American treasure ... one of the few Americans in recent years to have generated powerful new ideas that are creating more jobs here.""--Benjamin Todd Jealous, NAACP President, on CNN.com ""Van has successfully brought together urban youth with clean-tech entrepreneurs, labor leaders with business leaders, civil rights activists with environmentalists.""--Arianna Huffington, on the Huffington Post ""Van Jones is an exceptional and inspired leader who has fought to bring economic and environmental justice to communities across our country.""--John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress ""Van Jones has worked tirelessly to bring jobs and environmental progress to some of the poorest communities in our nation. His dedication and leadership are exactly what we need more of in Washington."" --Justin Ruben, Executive Director of Moveon.org ""Jones is an extraordinarily important leader. He cares, passionately, about helping young men and women find their way in the world, even if they had the misfortune to grow up in bad neighborhoods or make bad choices -- and he sees in a new green economy a powerful instrument to heal their lives."" --Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club ""This guy is a Yale-educated lawyer, he is a best-selling authority about his specialty."" --Howard Dean, Former Governor of Vermont, Presidential Candidate and Chair of the Democratic National Committee ""Van is a gifted leader of ideas and of action. He makes connections, thinks beyond the box, and inspires others to join... He inspired people across the country with the insight that the transition to a sustainable economy could be the greatest jobs program since the mobilization for World War II -- and that we could insure that those who were left out of the old economy could be central to the green jobs of the new economy."" --Robert Borosage, President of Institute for America's Future ""Van Jones, one of the most effective organizers and strategists on the left, is out with a new book. Rebuild the Dream, which debuted last week on the New York Times bestseller list... seeks to harness the insurgent energies expressed by the Occupy movement into lasting institutional reform.""--Rick Perlstein, Rolling Stone ""Activists know that building mass movements entails a variety of cognitive and action steps. Sometimes it is useful for a skilled activist like Van Jones to provide us with a framework for discussing how to proceed. Rebuild the Dream does that. It would be a good resource for study group discussion.""--Harry Targ, professor of political science at Purdue University, via The Rag Blog ""In Rebuild the Dream, Jones joins other contemporary political figures in seeking an ideology-free politics powerful enough to unite people of all walks of life in the mission to achieve some moderately liberal objectives.""--People's World.com ""Jones deftly explains the rise and failings of the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movements in objective but engaging language that illuminates American's shared experiences and hopes across the ideological divides fracturing us.""--Joseph Bloodworth, Dominion of New York (online) ""In his new book, Rebuild the Dream, former special advisor to the Obama White House Van Jones drafts a thoughtful plan for the reconstruction of the simple American ideals and principles that secure the dream of a better life for everyone willing to work hard and play fair. With a vision centered on the benefits of a fully integrated green economy and practices of sustainable living, Jones's book offers a detailed analysis of the circumstances that led to rise of the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movement. The author also provides a game plan for political activists looking to transform hope into lasting change and get the U.S. economy working again for everyone.""--James Edward Mills, Sierra Club Green Blog ""Anyone whom Glenn Beck considers an anarchist radical, a black liberation theologian, a black nationalist and an avowed communist is clearly someone with a story worth hearing. And former Barack Obama advisor Van Jones, whom Beck drove from the White House with relentless, racist, red-baiting attacks in 2009, is telling his now.""--Bloomington Alternative (online) ""Van Jones is back with a message for disappointed progressives, Occupy Wall Street and other 'post-'Hope' Democrats still looking to President Barack Obama for the change they voted for in 2008: Get over it... Jones' new book, ""Rebuild the Dream,"" [is] his blueprint for grassroots action to restore the economy as well as attempt to turn Obama into the kind of president they want. The book is a companion piece to Jones' activities since leaving the White House -- and his new rock-star status within the progressive movement.""--Politico ""[M]ore political prescription than memoir... [Jones] is trying to push that agenda from the outside, by seeking to better organize various progressive movements that include the Occupy efforts, labor, women, environmentalists, civil rights supporters, and peace activists.""--USA Today ""Rebuild offers a fairly honest critique of Obama's successes and failures during the president's first year in office.""--San Francisco Bay Guardian ""In the end, Rebuild The Dream, like its author, is optimistic. Jones saw the rallies in 2008, the football stadiums filled to overflow capacity with cheering, hopeful, energized voters who were demanding change.""--Jeff Turrentine, ONEARTH Blog ""In Rebuild the Dream, Jones explains seven crucial missteps by the White House and by social change movements since 2008 and analyzes the rise of the tea party and occupy movements. He lays out a strategic game plan for the next chapter--turning anger into action, protest into power and suffering into solutions. It is a road map to re-energizing the progressive movement.""--Mike Hall for the AFL-CIO ""A confident clarion call sure to arouse controversy in this election year.""--Kirkus Reviews ""[T]his is a must-read book for the renewable energy industry.""--Joanna Schroeder, Domestic Fuel.com ""Van is a gifted leader of ideas and of action. He makes connections, thinks beyond the box, and inspires others to join... He inspired people across the country with the insight that the transition to a sustainable economy could be the greatest jobs program since the mobilization for World War II -- and that we could insure that those who were left out of the old economy could be central to the green jobs of the new economy.""--Robert Borosage, President of Institute for America's Future ""Let me just say that Van Jones is a very, very intelligent man. A Yale graduate, someone who came up from the public schools of Jackson, Tenn. to make something of himself. People have a deep and abiding respect for his expertise for on the environment.""--Donna Brazile, CNN Political Commentator/Political Strategist ""I introduced Van, noting our past differences and my great admiration for his vision, passion and intelligence. I was amazed by his new vision -- green-collar jobs -- and the collaborative way he was building a movement to work with the system to make a difference for the planet and low-income people. Later that night, he shared with me his leadership journey during the 10 years since we met, how he had learned and grown. I saw his impressive charisma, intellect, and passion gain from the addition of humility, wisdom, and collaborative orientation.""--Paul Schmitz, CEO of Public Allies ""[Van is] in fact a Yale-educated attorney, best-selling author, and one of the most strategic minds in contemporary politics...he has been fighting for a lifetime to try and improve the world around him -- most recently by pushing for green jobs and pathways out of poverty for millions of people around this country of ours.""--Gillian Caldwell, Campaign Director, 1Sky ""We didn't agree, a lot of times on things, we still don't agree on things sometimes. I think I've helped him understand a different perspective, he's certainly helped me understand a different perspective. He'll find something in your background, something that you've answered, that he can connect with... He really truly wants to make a difference; he is committed to leaving this world a better place.""--Jerald Ogg, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Martin ""Van Jones is not a leader in our movement in the past tense. He is still a leader and an inspiring figure and we have no doubt that he is just getting started in terms of the leadership he will provide in this movement.""--Jessy Tolkan, Executive Director of the Energy Action Coalition ""At the Ella Baker Center For Human Rights, he and the brilliant organizers there helped develop the model project in Oakland that linked green job training to unemployed inner city youths... Van was building national networks and a bipartisan, multiracial consensus.""--Jeff Chang, Author/Activist

Van Jones has made it his life's work to speak truth to power --Nancy Pelosi in Time Magazine Van Jones is an American treasure ... one of the few Americans in recent years to have generated powerful new ideas that are creating more jobs here. --Benjamin Todd Jealous, NAACP President, on CNN.com Van has successfully brought together urban youth with clean-tech entrepreneurs, labor leaders with business leaders, civil rights activists with environmentalists. --Arianna Huffington, on the Huffington Post Van Jones is an exceptional and inspired leader who has fought to bring economic and environmental justice to communities across our country. --John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress<br> Van Jones has worked tirelessly to bring jobs and environmental progress to some of the poorest communities in our nation. His dedication and leadership are exactly what we need more of in Washington. <br> --Justin Ruben, Executive Director of Moveon.org <br> Jones is an extraordinarily important leader. He cares, passionately, about helping young men and women find their way in the world, even if they had the misfortune to grow up in bad neighborhoods or make bad choices - and he sees in a new green economy a powerful instrument to heal their lives. <br> --Carl Pope, Executive Director of the Sierra Club <br> This guy is a Yale-educated lawyer, he is a best-selling authority about his specialty. <br> --Howard Dean, Former Governor of Vermont, Presidential Candidate and Chair of the Democratic National Committee <br> Van is a gifted leader of ideas and of action. He makes connections, thinks beyond the box, and inspires others to join... He inspired people across the country with the insight that the transition to a sustainable economy could be the greatest jobs program since the mobilization for World War II - and that we could insure that those who were left out of the old economy could be central to the green jobs of the new economy. <br>i

Author Information

Van Jones is founding president of Rebuild the Dream, a pioneering initiative to restore good jobs and economic opportunity. He is the co-founder of three, thriving organizations: the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and Green For All. Jones is the author of the ""New York Times"" best seller, ""The Green Collar Economy.""A Yale-educated attorney, Van worked as the green jobs advisor to the Obama White House in 2009. There, he helped run the inter-agency process that oversaw $80 billion in green recovery spending. ""Time Magazine"" has named Jones one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two children. Rebuild the Dream is a strategy and action center that is rapidly emerging as a major force in the fight to rescue America's middle class. Launched in June 2011, the organization is already more 600,000 members strong, with a presence in every Congressional District. To join the movement, go to RebuildTheDream.com.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available