The first in Barbara Deming Memorial Series, “You Can’t Kill the Spirit” tells the story of how women throughout history have fought peacefully for the causes important to them, from labor rights to Guatemala’s disappeared, violence against women and much more. There is a positive, fresh sense of empowerment in McAllister’s descriptions of the methods these women have used: music, marching, graffiti, comedy. She is a gifted writer whose brief coverage of several events entices readers into further reading, for which she supplies a valuable reading list in each chapter. (One book mentioned is another worth noting: The Power of the People: Active Nonviolence in the United States , a compendium also published by New Society, 1987.) McCallister provides history that is lacking in textbooks and the sense of individual effectiveness that young people seek.

Excerpts, both in English and Chinese, are also available

Pam McAllister