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THE MILLION DOLLAR ORGANIZER

365 TIPS FOR PROFESSIONAL UNION ORGANIZERS

A solid book of union-organizing advice that will be useful to a wide range of readers.

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A veteran union organizer offers pointers for those who are new to organizing and activism.

In this book of career advice, Oedy, the author of Bigger Labor (2008), shares stories from his decades of work as an organizer. The 365 pieces of advice here range from brief reminders to return phone calls promptly and learn the names of contacts to longer discussions of how to identify allies to one’s cause, how to oversee certification processes, and how to be a strong public speaker—all illustrated with specific examples from Oedy’s career. Much of the book covers topics that are particularly relevant to trade-union organizing, although portions will be applicable to readers in other kinds of activist and organizing roles (“Do you know your Collective Bargaining Agreement inside-and-out?”), but other portions contain information that will be of use to anyone in the workforce, such as “Set Big Goals for Yourself.” Oedy takes deep dives into some topics, as in a list of 101 reasons why people join labor unions, which covers obvious and less obvious motivations. At other points, the book’s approach is offbeat but clearly drawn from experience, as when the author advises readers to avoid keeping golf clubs in their cars (“eventually someone is going to assume this is how you spend your days when you should be working”). Oedy’s conversational tone makes the book an enjoyable read, and readers will feel as if they’re listening in on a veteran teaching a newbie the tricks of the trade. Indeed, readers who have no knowledge of organizing will have no trouble following the text, as the author follows his own advice and avoids using acronyms and jargon.

A solid book of union-organizing advice that will be useful to a wide range of readers.

Pub Date: July 5, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4566-3330-1

Page Count: 224

Publisher: eBookIt.com

Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020

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GREENLIGHTS

A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.

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All right, all right, all right: The affable, laconic actor delivers a combination of memoir and self-help book.

“This is an approach book,” writes McConaughey, adding that it contains “philosophies that can be objectively understood, and if you choose, subjectively adopted, by either changing your reality, or changing how you see it. This is a playbook, based on adventures in my life.” Some of those philosophies come in the form of apothegms: “When you can design your own weather, blow in the breeze”; “Simplify, focus, conserve to liberate.” Others come in the form of sometimes rambling stories that never take the shortest route from point A to point B, as when he recounts a dream-spurred, challenging visit to the Malian musician Ali Farka Touré, who offered a significant lesson in how disagreement can be expressed politely and without rancor. Fans of McConaughey will enjoy his memories—which line up squarely with other accounts in Melissa Maerz’s recent oral history, Alright, Alright, Alright—of his debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, to which he contributed not just that signature phrase, but also a kind of too-cool-for-school hipness that dissolves a bit upon realizing that he’s an older guy on the prowl for teenage girls. McConaughey’s prep to settle into the role of Wooderson involved inhabiting the mind of a dude who digs cars, rock ’n’ roll, and “chicks,” and he ran with it, reminding readers that the film originally had only three scripted scenes for his character. The lesson: “Do one thing well, then another. Once, then once more.” It’s clear that the author is a thoughtful man, even an intellectual of sorts, though without the earnestness of Ethan Hawke or James Franco. Though some of the sentiments are greeting card–ish, this book is entertaining and full of good lessons.

A conversational, pleasurable look into McConaughey’s life and thought.

Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-13913-4

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Crown

Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020

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CALL ME ANNE

A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.

The late actor offers a gentle guide for living with more purpose, love, and joy.

Mixing poetry, prescriptive challenges, and elements of memoir, Heche (1969-2022) delivers a narrative that is more encouraging workbook than life story. The author wants to share what she has discovered over the course of a life filled with abuse, advocacy, and uncanny turning points. Her greatest discovery? Love. “Open yourself up to love and transform kindness from a feeling you extend to those around you to actions that you perform for them,” she writes. “Only by caring can we open ourselves up to the universe, and only by opening up to the universe can we fully experience all the wonders that it holds, the greatest of which is love.” Throughout the occasionally overwrought text, Heche is heavy on the concept of care. She wants us to experience joy as she does, and she provides a road map for how to get there. Instead of slinking away from Hollywood and the ridicule that she endured there, Heche found the good and hung on, with Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford starring as particularly shining knights in her story. Some readers may dismiss this material as vapid Hollywood stuff, but Heche’s perspective is an empathetic blend of Buddhism (minimize suffering), dialectical behavioral therapy (tolerating distress), Christianity (do unto others), and pre-Socratic philosophy (sufficient reason). “You’re not out to change the whole world, but to increase the levels of love and kindness in the world, drop by drop,” she writes. “Over time, these actions wear away the coldness, hate, and indifference around us as surely as water slowly wearing away stone.” Readers grieving her loss will take solace knowing that she lived her love-filled life on her own terms. Heche’s business and podcast partner, Heather Duffy, writes the epilogue, closing the book on a life well lived.

A sweet final word from an actor who leaves a legacy of compassion and kindness.

Pub Date: Jan. 24, 2023

ISBN: 9781627783316

Page Count: 176

Publisher: Viva Editions

Review Posted Online: Feb. 6, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023

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