Book excerpt: BE THE REVOLUTION: HOW OCCUPY WALL STREET AND THE BERNIE SANDERS MOVEMENT RESHAPED AMERICAN POLITICS Most people think that Occupy Wall Street failed, and Bernie Sanders's meteoric rise to the national stage was simply a 'viral' phenomenon that captured the hearts of unrealistic Millenials. Be The Revolution reveals how Occupy organizers strategically activated their national network of activists to fuel the grassroots movement that propelled the Senator’s campaign to change the course of American history. This is an inside journey through the key events of the 2016 and 2020 primary races. It follows a secret group of Sanders influencers called Bernie’s Avengers as they challenge the Democratic establishment and then join the historic pipeline fight at Standing Rock. This book also offers important insights into the rise of QAnon and neofascism. Be The Revolution is a gonzo adventure into the heart of the grassroots movements that defined a decade, a memoir that also contains a theory of change to guide the development of the movements urgently needed to take on national and global crises. PRAISE FOR BE THE REVOLUTION: Be The Revolution offers Important insights into some of the most significant developments in modern America, based on intimate knowledge and direct participation. -Noam Chomsky “We should thank Jay for his life’s work. As an organizer, he is a wonder to watch in action. This accounting of events of the last ten years is a profound and seismic piece of American political, and cultural history that has gone all but unnoticed in the mainstream. Be The Revolution is not about a battle of right or left, but the battle for humanity and the natural world. The timing of this book couldn’t be more right, nor the message more on point.” Ken Burns should do a doc on this!” -Mark Ruffalo “Jay Ponti is a legendary long distance revolutionary thinker and activist whose vision, analysis and courage is a beacon of hope in our bleak times! Don’t miss this jewel of a book!” -Dr Cornel West “This book is a great history of progressive action from the Occupy moment to the present—clear, invigorating, and encouraging of future efforts. We owe Jay Ponti a big thank you for his tireless efforts to change the American political landscape, and thus to help save Earth’s biosphere from a catastrophic mass extinction event. It’s crucial work he describes here, and joining the effort can give anyone a project that includes meaning and hope.” -Kim Stanley Robinson Be The Revolution is an important first-hand account of the efforts led by Occupy Wall Street and Bernie Sanders’ inspired activists to resist the forces of neoliberalism and mobilize for an equitable future. This history is crucial to understand if the human race is going to save itself from the climate emergency and rise of neofascism. -Thom Hartmann “Be The Revolution is a love letter to our movements, an honest and searching testimonial from the heart of the grassroots. Jay Ponti is a ride or die revolutionary who has given us a glimpse into some of the most important moments of political struggle in the last decade. This is the book the establishment doesn't want you to read.” -Nina Turner “The prevailing narrative of American politics is not the real story. It obliterates the deeper reality of who we are as people and the overarching meaning of struggles for justice. Beneath the corporate-created hype and the games of our political establishment lie the activism and sacrifices of real people doing the gut-wrenching work of trying to further and save our democracy. Be The Revolution tells the story of those people.” -Marianne Williamson Wopila (Thank you) for writing the blow by blow actions of the War we faced at the Oceti Sakowin Camp (Standing Rock). Jay Ponti had great influence on the two Declarations written at Oceti Sakowin , particularly the Divestment Treaty among Nations. The First Declaration defies the Doctrine of Discovery and illegal actions used by it. The second called for Divestment by countries from fossil fuels, especially by DAPL, and all other oil corporations.. Thank you for your written words. -Phyllis Young American Indian Rights Activist “Stories are vitally important when it comes to the thing called politics. Jay Ponti has done everyone on the left a remarkable service by telling stories that could so easily be lost.” -Tim Morton