It took more than two months, but I’ve finally gotten my ISBN account running (I’ll spare you the sarcasm about dealing with the federal government) and now my book is officially released. Electronic formats are still available for free. Print copies can be purchased at various online stores like Barnes & Noble and Amazon (caution: Amazon’s pricing is a real ripoff so I’d pick B&N instead).
Now let’s answer a few predictable questions:
Why write a book in the first place?
It strikes me as a natural thing to do, both as an activist and a politician. I can think of no better way to promote one’s platform than to forge a thought-provoking concept into a respectable work of literature with solid presentation. Think for example of The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg, or Revolution 2.0 by Wael Ghonim. A book that goes viral can propel a nobody to stardom almost overnight, and in the age of self-publishing that doesn’t even require a reputable publisher’s backing anymore.
Why write a book about civil disobedience, of all things?
Of course the implied question is why a politician would scuttle one’s campaign from the onset by tackling such a controversial topic. I suppose the simplest way to put it is that I’m running on drug decriminalization at the municipal level, and while my plan’s implementation would be legal from the municipality’s standpoint, there can be no question that it would encourage civil disobedience against higher levels of government. So let’s break that taboo already.
Why write a book about civil disobedience and the law???
You want a recipe for an explosive concept? Take two topics that mix as well as oil and water, then pour in an obscene amount of detergent to make them stick. How can you go wrong with that.
Seriously, controversy sells, especially if it’s insightful, like Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman or No Logo by Naomi Klein. Nobody wants to read a book on a boring topic everybody can agree on, when instead they could pick a legal treatise that reads like the Necronomicon with a cover featuring an activist literally breaking the law with a hockey stick and a chapter titled Way of the cockroach.
Why give that book away if it’s so awesome?
Because I want as many people as possible to read it, plain and simple. I don’t care about money; as an activist (and a politician), I seek the kind of power that money cannot buy. So go ahead, steal this book already! And if you too find it awesome, how about dropping a review on Goodreads, that’d be appreciated!