Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World

A handbook for anyone who wants to effectively (and peacefully) improve your neighborhood, make a difference in your community, or change the world Blueprint for a Revolution will teach you how to • make oppression backfire by playing your opponents’ strongest card against them • identify the “almighty pillars of power” in order to shift the balance of power • dream big, but start small: learn how to pick battles you can win • listen to what people actually care about in order to incorporate their needs into your revolutionary vision • master the art of compromise to bring together even the most disparate groups • recognize your allies and view your enemies as potential partners • use humor to make yourself heard, diffuse potentially violent situations, and “laugh your way to victory”  Advance praise for Blueprint for Revolution   “With this wonderful book, Srdja Popovic is inspiring ordinary people facing injustice and oppression to use this toolkit to challenge their oppressors and create something much better. When I was growing up, we dreamed that young people could bring down those who misused their power and create a more just and democratic society. For Srdja Popovic, living in Belgrade in 1998, this same dream was potentially a much more dangerous idea. But with an extraordinarily courageous group of students that formed Otpor!, Srdja used  imagination, invention, cunning, and lots of humor to create a movement that not only succeeded in toppling the brutal dictator Slobodan Milosevic, but has become a blueprint for nonviolent revolution around the world. Srdja rules!”—Peter Gabriel   “Blueprint for a Revolution is not only a spirited guide to changing the world, but a breakthrough in the annals of advice for those who seek justice and democracy: It asks (and not heavy-handedly): as long as you want to change the world, why not do it joyfully? It’s not only funny, but seriously funny. No joke.”—Todd Gitlin, author of The Sixties and Occupy Nation