Albert Norman

Albert Norman is an author and grassroots activist. For more than 30 years he has been a lobbyist in the Massachusetts General Court focused on the rights of Older Americans.

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A former journalist for Newsweek magazine, Norman has a Master’s Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University, and a Masters in Teaching from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Norman is the founder of Sprawl-Busters, an international clearinghouse on big box sprawl. He has guided hundreds of communities around the world fighting retail corporations like Wal-Mart.

RAVINGS is Albert Norman's 4th book. His three other works, published under the name "Al Norman," relate to his nationally known work with citizen’s groups to stop unwanted Big Box developments. Norman’s first book, "Slam Dunking Wal-Mart: How You Can Stop Superstore Sprawl" (Raphel, 1999), has become an underground classic for neighborhood groups. His second book, "The Case Against Wal-Mart" was released in 2004. These books have been translated into Japanese and Hindi. His last book, "Occupy Walmart" (Brigantine Media) was published in 2012, is a collection of essays published while he was a contributor to The Huffington Post.

In September of 2004, Forbes magazine called Norman 'Wal-Mart’s #1 Enemy.' He first stopped a Wal-Mart in his hometown of Greenfield, MA in 1993. Norman was featured in the PBS documentary "Store Wars", and in the 2003 ITVS film "Talking to the Wal". He served as a consultant for the movie "The High Cost of Low Prices” in 2005, and appeared in the Canadian movie "Wal-Mart Nation" in 2007. In 2007 Norman appeared on Penn & Teller’s show "Bullshit".

Albert Norman’s work has been covered extensively by the media. In February, 2001, the London Sunday Times Magazine called Norman a 'fire-breathing evangelist'. His appearance on 60 Minutes in 1995 earned him the title “guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement.” The Wall Street Journal has called Norman 'a one-man anti-Wal-Mart cottage industry.'

Norman’s work was featured in Bob Ortega’s book "In Sam We Trust"; in Jim Hightower’s book "Thieves in High Places"; in the book "How Superstore Sprawl is Harming Communities" by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and in former Sierra Club President Adam Werbach’s book, "Act Now, Apologize Later."

Albert Norman has appeared on the Lehrer News Hour, NBC Nightly News, ABC’s Nightline, The Wall Street Journal Report, CNBC Steals & Deals, Marketplace, The Al Franken Show, Talk of the Nation, NPR’s Here & Now, NPR’s Morning Edition, The Osgood File, The Atlantic Magazine, and has been written up in The Boston Globe, Time Magazine, and hundreds of small town daily newspapers.

In 1994 he wrote Eight Ways to Stop the Store in The Nation magazine, which was reprinted in The Utne Reader.

RAVINGS is Norman's first work of "historical fiction." It is based on real events. "The political lessons from this book are unfortunately still found in today's headlines," Norman notes.

Norman lives with his wife, Anna, in Western Massachusetts, where they raised 3 daughters.

Contacts: www.sprawl-busters.com

413-834-4284