Swim against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go With the Flow - Hardcover

Hightower, Jim

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0470121513 ISBN 13: 9780470121511

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 2008

Synopsis

America’s most irascible and hilarious curmudgeon turns a kind and benevolent eye toward brave, hardy, and hardworking souls around the country who have found ways to break free from corporate tentacles; redefine success in business, politics, and life in general; and blaze new pathways toward a richer and happier way of life, from the farmers’ cooperative that said “NO!” to Wal-Mart and thrived to the economists who got into the coffee business by accident and turned the entire industry on its ear.

About this title

About the Author

Jim Hightower is a syndicated columnist, national radio commentator, the publisher of the Hightower Lowdown newsletter, and the New York Times bestselling author of Thieves in High Places.

Susan Demarco is a writer, former radio talk-show host, public-interest activist, and longtime Hightower partner-in-crime.

From the Back Cover

Pssssst! Bookstore browsers!

Don't look around, but the corporate and political powers that be want you to put this book down, right now. It definitely is NOT on their approved list.

Swim against the Current is one of those books that the power elites don't like seeing in stores, much less in your hands—not merely because it challenges their established order, but especially because our book reveals paths that folks like you can use to escape their rigid, hierarchical structures and discover a bit more satisfaction in life.

They prefer that you pick up one of those escapist novels over there across the store, rather than finding out that the greatest escape of all can be from stultifying conventional wisdom. We Americans are constantly harassed into thinking that we can't break the mold that those in charge have made for us. But as a friend of ours puts it: "Those who say it can't be done should not interrupt those who are doing it."

It's the uplifting stories of mavericks that we tell here. They've broken free of the corporate tentacles, free of business-as-usual politics, free of top-down elites. They're figuring out new ways to do commerce, ways to create political channels that empower grassroots Americans, and ways to live their lives.

As these folks show, resistance is not futile . . . it's fertile. Join the fun! Happy reading!

From the Inside Flap

Will Jim Hightower ever stop complaining about corporate greed and political corruption long enough to say something positive for a change? Yes!

In Swim against the Current, America's most irascible and hilarious curmudgeon turns a kind and benevolent eye toward the brave, hardy, and hardworking souls who have found ways to break free from corporate tentacles; redefine success in business, politics, and life in general; and blaze new pathways toward a richer and (dare he say it?) happier way of life.

The people whose stories you will read in this eye-opening tour of "Other Ways to Live Your Life" didn't set out to be mavericks or revolutionaries. They are solid, productive American citizens who found it necessary to define their own kind of success, take charge of their own destinies, live according to their own values, and find ways to do well while doing good.

Is it possible to operate a large and successful business without low-balling your suppliers, underpaying your employees, and kowtowing to your clients' demands for rock-bottom prices? You'll find the answer when you meet the farmers' cooperative that said "NO!" to Wal-Mart and thrived, the economists who got into the coffee business by accident and turned the entire industry on its ear, and the cab drivers who turned a dead-end job into a satisfying, lifelong career.

What about breaking loose from politics-as-usual and building a new politics based on our democratic ideals and our desire to be self-governing? Hightower introduces you to a group of young Oregonians who set out to wrest control of their state legislature from the hands of corporate interests—and succeeded! You'll also meet people across the country who are fighting campaign-finance corruption through the Clean Elections movement, as well as the Minnesotans whose missionis to mentor people everywhere on how to get personally involved in politics on the local, state, and even national levels.

And what about the rest of life? Are we condemned to a future of complacent consumerism as corporations and kleptocrats exploit our differences over abortion and gay marriage to distract us from what's really going on? Here, too, Hightower has good news. He reports on an astounding alliance between scientists and evangelical Christians to combat global warming, environmental destruction by mining companies, indiscriminate logging, and more.

Complete with an extensive contact list to help you find your own path to a more involved and satisfying life, Swim against the Current is the one book that the CEOs, lobbyists, and bought politicians don't want you to read.

Reviews

Syndicated columnist Hightower (Thieves in High Places) joins writer and activist DeMarco to produce this irreverent and uplifting look at how individuals and companies can be both successful and socially responsible. Disproving the notion that a business must operate solely to improve its bottom line, they share inspirational stories from a variety of industries including international banking, real estate development, medical services, and environmentally safe, sustainable farming. Hightower and DeMarco include portraits of progressive community organizations, activists and individuals-such as ACORN and the Rev. Rich Cizik-who have bucked the system and realized richer, happier lives. To their credit, the authors do not traffic in abstracts. They provide tangible steps to escape "corporate tentacles" and become catalysts for change; the book even lists contact information for a majority of the individuals and companies discussed. An entertaining and insightful look at making a living while staying true to one's values, this book will please Hightower's many fans and will earn him more than a few new ones.
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Edition details

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0470121513
• ISBN 13: 9780470121511
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 224