Zeitgeist

Strikes, Boycotts, and the Power of Not Showing Up

Books that trace the long history and sharp tactics behind coordinated economic disruptions, from union-led boycotts to modern May Day blackouts targeting billionaire influence and inequality.

8 booksMay 1, 2026

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Chicago May Day protest: Union Park rally, downtown march and boycottaxios.com US activists plan May Day economic blackout: ‘No school, no work, no shopping’ | US...theguardian.com Nationwide May Day protests expected to pick up mantle of 'No Kings'npr.org

Part of 510+ tracked lists

1. There Is Power in a Union
Philip Dray
A sweeping history of American labor that situates contemporary May Day mobilizations within the long struggle between...
Shelf signal: Labor & Workforce
2. From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend
Priscilla Murolo, A.B. Chitty
An accessible overview of US working-class history that helps explain how labor institutions and culture shape modern...
Shelf signal: Labor & Workforce
3. Fight Like Hell
Kim Kelly
A recent, inclusive account of contemporary labor revival and organizing tactics that connects directly to union-led...
Shelf signal: Unions & Labor
4. Shut It Down
Lisa Fithian
A practical activist guide to direct action and strategic civil disobedience that illuminates how coordinated economic...
Shelf signal: Revolutionary History
5. When We Fight, We Win
Greg Jobin-Leeds, AgitArte
A youth-facing movement history that traces successful modern campaigns and the organizing lessons relevant to...
Shelf signal: Civil & Human Rights for Teens
6. Stuck
Ari Fliakos, Yoni Appelbaum
A account of how local governance and inequality shape organizing terrain, useful for understanding why unions press...
Shelf signal: Urban Life
7. Dark Money
Jane Mayer
An investigative look at the role of concentrated wealth and dark money in politics that explains the targets and...
Shelf signal: Conservatism & Liberalism
8. Plunder
Brendan Ballou
An exposé of private equity and corporate extraction that clarifies economic grievances motivating mass protest and...
Shelf signal: Private Equity

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