On November 1, I gave a talk at the lovely Book Mark Shoppe, a cute little bookstore in Brooklyn, and I was hoping against hope that my book would just fade into the recesses of history. We came, we fought, we won, we could enjoy a little calm(ala).

That’s not where we are. After spending the last week reeling, avoiding social media, googling “walkable Irish cities to live in,” and renewing my kids’ passports, I woke up today realizing that, while we don’t know exactly what is going to happen in the next four years, we have a playbook that works to fight back. And we need to use it.

In 2017, as I was recovering from the shock of Clinton’s loss, I started to interview members of “the resistance” – people across the country who were rearranging their lives to provide full time opposition to Trump and his agenda. They not only organized the largest protest movements in American history, but the most sophisticated network of local organizing our country has ever seen.

I was so inspired by their stories that I funneled them into my book Democracy: A Love Letter (and a guide for everyone fighting to save it). Now more than ever, we need to learn from these stories. We need to remember that we won, against all odds, over and over again, in 2017. And again in 2018. And again in 2019. And again in 2020.

If you haven’t read my book yet, I think you should (ha!) It’s funny, it’s accessible, it’ll make you feel better about politics, even in a moment like this one. It helps us dream of a more inclusive multiracial democracy. It helps you find your people, mobilize opposition, and sustain that mobilization. It combines practical tips from real organizations with stories from people on the frontlines in after 2016. It shows us how to win. You can buy it from any of these places, or—better—request it from your local bookstore!

And if you have read it, and want to use it as a basis for action, I’d love to come talk to your group – just tell me where and when. If it’s within driving distance of NYC, I’ll be there. If not, we can always Zoom. If you can’t afford a copy of the book, send me your email address and I can email you a copy.

We worked too hard for too long to not be furious we need to do it again—and we need to convert that fury into action. And if we just get the band back together, we can resist the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025, and the myopic Trump-Elon bromance, and start to win again.

With love, in solidarity,

Kelly