WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

The longest-serving independent politician chronicles his ongoing fight for progressive legislation.

Following up his previous books urging a progressive agenda, Vermont Sen. Sanders (Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution, 2017, etc.) recounts his activities from June 14, 2016, when Hillary Clinton won the party’s nomination, ending his own presidential campaign, to Aug. 25, 2018, when the Democratic National Committee approved a major reform that eliminated superdelegates from impacting the first ballot at a presidential convention. Besides dealing with the intractable Trump administration, the author regrets that he faces lack of knowledge and, often, interest among the populace. “Political consciousness in the United States is low,” he writes. “Many people don’t vote, while many others don’t have a clue as to which political party controls the Senate or the House.” He faults “corporate media”—profit-making entities controlled by the wealthy—for disseminating biased information. Even on mainstream TV, though, he is never asked about “the dynamics of wealth and power that shape our nation” or about health care or income inequality, but instead about Trump’s latest tweet or a recent disaster. To counter these narrow perspectives, on Jan. 23, 2018, Sanders convened a 90-minute town hall meeting, which presented several panels discussing health care before an audience of around 450 people; the event was streamed online, reaching about 1 million viewers. The author includes speeches he has delivered around the country and excerpts from interviews in diarylike entries that focus on issues such as taxation, the environment, education, criminal justice, gun control, immigration, military spending, and foreign policy. He underscores his belief that change “never comes from the top on down, but always from the grassroots on up.” He is heartened by recent primary victories: mayoral candidate Ben Jealous in Maryland, for example, and congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York. With hundreds of progressive candidates emerging in the 2018 races, he believes voters will reinvigorate a nation “that resonates with love, hope, and prosperity.”

A hopeful view of America’s uncertain future.