Surmountable is the first book explicitly written for the millions of people who have taken part in protests or demonstrations but were left wondering what they achieved, and the millions more who sat out events because they questioned the potential for results. The book addresses these lingering doubts and offers a powerful response in the voices of front line social activists, political thought leaders, and every day citizens.
Surmountable chronicles the victories and setbacks of ten American and three international civic movements from the past century. Authors Brian Gruber and Adam Monier Edwards uncover the details behind some of history's most iconic events such as the Selma to Montgomery marches for civil rights, lesser known successes including one man's mission to resurrect an unratified Constitutional amendment, and insights from how citizens overcame seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve their goals.
We visited 15 cities across four continents near where history was made to seek answers to burning questions such as:
Is there an effective playbook for the modern activist?
How are successes and failures measured?
How universal are the value in the U.S. Constitution?
What can we learn from activists from outside the U.S.?
Selected interviewees include:
Lucy Beard, Alice Paul Institute executive director
Sam Walker, National Voting Rights Museum and Institute historian
Colleen Sheehan, Villanova University professor, Heritage Foundation scholar, and 5-time author
Dr. Todd Gitlin, Columbia University professor, sociologist, and 16-time author
Gregory Watson, legislative analyst and driving force behind the 27th Amendment
Brewster Kahle, Internet Archive founder and Alexa Internet co-founder
Lamine Alibi, Tunisia Patriotic Democratic Unity Party central committee member
Kalle Lasn, Adbusters co-founder and Occupy Wall Street co-creator
Sergii Kharchuk, Euromaidan activist and Kyiv city councilman
Dr. Hong-koo Han, Sungkonghoe University professor of Korean history and author
Jay O'Neal, West Virginia teacher strike leader
LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, Lakota historian, Standing Rock activist, and NoDAPL movement co-founder
