When the Revolution Comes

A Fight for the Future of the Working Class

De: Chris Smalls

Narrado por: Tyrrell Harrell

From one of the most electric and consequential figures to emerge from the contemporary American labor movement, the remarkable story of his battle to create the first Amazon union in the U.S. and a powerful call to arms on behalf of the working class

“With candor and fierce moral clarity, Chris Smalls takes readers behind the scenes of the most consequential labor uprising in modern history—and it’s one hell of a ride.” —Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland

In the early days of the COVID pandemic, warehouse worker Chris Smalls and his colleagues continued showing up as the rest of the world was shutting down. A dedicated and experienced Amazon employee, increasingly frustrated by the inner workings of the retail giant, Smalls had already felt himself reaching a breaking point. So when coworkers around him began falling ill, and with no transparency or assurances of safety coming from those in charge, he made the only choice left available to him. He staged a walkout with friend Derrick Palmer, eventually finding himself on the picket line without a job. But what began as a demand to keep essential employees safe in a crisis would grow into a movement devoted to achieving dignity and security for the American wageworker, sparking a groundswell of organizers at the most notable companies across the nation—including Starbucks, Trader Joe's, and Apple—and leading to lasting change for labor.

When the Revolution Comes is the riveting inside story of how a young Black man from Hackensack, New Jersey with few to no resources, led a scrappy band of Staten Island warehouse workers in an improbable fight against Amazon, the second largest private employer in the United States, and won. This epic David and Goliath tale follows Smalls from a childhood spent navigating his dad’s stints in and out of prison, to his years of sacrifice and economic uncertainty as a father of three, to his ascension as the leader of a new generation’s labor movement.

A deeply personal and eye-opening account of the creation of the Amazon Labor Union, When the Revolution Comes offers both a searing exposé of what it’s like to be working class in America and inspiring evidence of what is possible when the overworked, underpaid, and disempowered join together, a movement born in community.

A powerful read that never felt preachy!

This book was incredible. Chris Smalls tells his story in a way that’s honest, engaging, and organic to connect with. I learned so much about organizing, labor, and what it actually takes to challenge powerful systems, but it never felt like I was being lectured. It reads like a conversation with someone who’s lived it, not a textbook. The lessons felt real because they came from experience, and I found myself reflecting on my own work and the importance of standing up for people. Definitely one of those books that stayed with me long after I finished it. Highly recommend.

Eat the rich means you Bezos

incredible insight into labor organization in the modern age against one of the largest companies in the world. The hope for any future that wealth is distributed more equally so working families have enough to feed their kids is in the hands of renegades like Christian Smalls. I hope Jeff Bezos sees how many listens and sales his book gets so he never forgets that all the money in the world can't stop us from organizing against him.