Amazon intro description first -
A selection of protest texts of the 20th century, from Ellen Wilkinson on the Jarrow hunger marches and Jack London on the East End, through the key documents of the Black power and anti-Apartheid movements, right up to Earl Spencer's speech at Diana's funeral.
opening quote in "Protest"
" some men see things as they are and say why? i dream of things that never were and say why not ? George Bernard Shaw
published in 1999 - this fairly compact book but at over 500 pages, offers many laudable + inspirational case studies of socio-political dissenters who dared to stand up + say "why ?" to social injustices during the 20th Century. over 200 authors + edited media articles feature including all of the biggest , bravest + for some most notorious "trouble makers" both in the UK and overseas, commenting on all of the big issues afflicting society -from the political to the economic, to (un)equal rights to the vote , to British overseas policy and the Empire to Lenin, the holocaust, Palestine and beyond - right up the issues affecting us all in the 1990's. each quoted author has up to pages each of speeches + thoughts saved for prosperity : although the extracts from Hitler,Thatcher + Somerset Maugham ("see "scum" for instance) are certainly controversial inclusions.
Perhaps the most persisitent and influential political dissident of US policy : Noam Chomsky is omitted - a major minus point and worthy of a star rating being deducted for this alone. However Pilger, Monbiot + Hutton, compensate with finely honed humanitarian + pro-society contributions. thank goodness. no index of the full range of subjects covered is a flaw also, but the depth + breadth of outstanding thinkers + "trouble makers" from 1900- 1999 is impressive . a revised + updated version to include the first ten years 2000-2010 would be welcome now perhaps.
However,"Protest" is strongly recommended for anyone even remotely intersted in what we called "society" and the rights we think we have or wish we had..