The Hard Work of Hope

A Memoir

De: Michael Ansara

Narrado por: Tom Lennon

The Hard Work of Hope takes you into the heady days of 1960s and 1970s activism, chronicling the hopes and strategies of the young people who created the movements that rocked the country.

Michael Ansara was on the front lines. In this fascinating memoir, he traces an arc of discovery: from the hope and moral clarity of the Civil Rights Movement to the ten-year struggle to end the war in Vietnam, with its sit-ins, marches, confrontations, and antiwar riots.

Ansara takes the listener into the minds of the activists detailing their successes as well as their mistakes. The Hard Work of Hope shows how he learned to become a more effective organizer and build the Massachusetts Fair Share organization. The book explores issues that remain urgent. How does a movement build support when large parts of the country are opposed to its goals? How do you connect with people who disagree with you? How do you build organizations that unite across racial lines? How can we make progress on the unfinished business of the hard work of hope?

The book is published by ILR Press, an imprint of Cornell University Press. The audiobook is published by University Press Audiobooks.

©2025 Michael Ansara (P)2026 Redwood Audiobooks

Reseñas de la Crítica

"An extraordinary memoir, presenting the political and personal reflections of a dedicated organizer over many decades."(Foreign Policy in Focus)

"Required reading for people who want to devote themselves to positive political change...it sparkles. (Congressman Jamie Raskin)

"Michael Ansara's new book couldn't come at a better time." (The Carlisle Mosquito)