This book is about community organizing by one of, if not the most, famous radicals/idealists of all time. Saul Alinksy began his work in the Chicago stockyards, was a radical icon in the 60’s, and worked towards achieving his ideals until he passed away in 1972. In Rules for Radicals, he lays out the strategies to help those have nothing – the “have nots” – get what they want.

Two of his most famous disciples are Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. After reading this book, you will recognize Alinsky’s tactics were used by Obama in his presidential campaign. You may say to yourself : “I don’t consider Hillary and Barack to be radicals.” Don’t let the word “radical” deter you from reading this book. The insights and principles discussed are sensible.

Alinsky emphasized that to be effective, you need to see things how they are, not how they should be:

“Life is a corrupting process from the time a child learns to play his mother off against his father in the politics of when to go to bed; he who fears corruption fears life.”

Some principles that I use in the way I think about volunteer work and the world:

Power is not only what you have, but what an opponent thinks you have. If your organization is small, hide your numbers in the dark, and make bold moves that will evoke the thought you have more people than you actually have.

Never go outside the experience of those you are trying to help. Think  about how they have lived and what they have seen. Stick to what they know, not what you know. If you are trying to build a connection with a group of people that has no more than a high school education or less, stories from your days in college won’t help your cause.

Look at the current fulfillment of your community needs hierarchy, and act accordingly. If a village lacks an adequate food supply, then any project you develop or help you provide better be directly related to increasing their food supply.

At the very least you are reading a book by someone who lived their life the way they wanted to, on their terms.