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As floods, fires and unprecedented heatwaves rage across the planet, more and more people are turning to nonviolent action to achieve political change. Can it work?
Doctor and aid worker Lynne Jones offers a compelling, ground-level account of the last five years of protests in the UK, exploring how and why ordinary citizens have resorted to extraordinary methods to confront the global climate and nature crises. Drawing on her experiences opposing nuclear weapons at Greenham Common airbase in the 1980s, and sharing her journey in movements like Extinction Rebellion today, she reflects on both public history and her personal story to answer key questions about nonviolent action in a world on the brink. Can we learn from the protest movements of the past? How do you communicate with those who disagree? What are the most effective forms of disruption in a Western democracy? Is property damage nonviolent? Is the law just? How important are direct interventions, boycotts and non-cooperation? What can we learn from indigenous activists in the Global South?
A lifetime of activism has taught Jones that we all have more power than we realise. It's time to use that power for meaningful, transformative change – before it's too late.
Lynne Jones OBE is a child psychiatrist, WHO and UNICEF consultant, and author of acclaimed books including Outside the Asylum and Then They Started Shooting. BBC Radio, The New Statesman, the London Review of Books and O, The Oprah Magazine have featured her field diaries from conflict and disaster areas.
"The end of our world is arriving so gently that it has become a tragic sideshow in our lives. What most don't yet realise is that we are already fighting for our lives, and we must win. This isn't a manual, it isn't a guide. It's a brutally honest testimonial that inspires real hope when we need it most."
– Chris Packham, author, broadcaster and conservationist
"Vivid and livid, a compelling and compassionate book about how to make the world a better place. Not only has Lynne Jones participated in many of the landmarks of civil disobedience, she writes about them with crystal clarity. As you read, it's hard not to feel history torque, it's hard not to get excited about change."
– Mark Cousins, filmmaker and writer
"A phenomenal book! I recommend reading urgently and frequently. Lynne Jones, a doctor, has somehow maintained a 40+ year career in protest. Her compelling personal history, alongside her expert observations on political movements for change, underpin and sustain the resistance needed for a Just Transition."
– Lucy Siegle, author and journalist
"Lynne Jones' story takes her from aspiring medical student to climate activist, from Greenham Common to international campaigning for public health and social justice. Writing with humour and courage, she reminds us of our common humanity. Anyone wanting to make a difference in the world will find inspiration in this book."
– Fiona Godlee, Ambassador for the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change and former Editor-in-Chief of The BMJ
"Using her remarkable experience as a tireless nonviolent activist, Lynne Jones asks probing questions about how to promote social and climate justice. Her inspiring stories and diary entries from the frontline show movingly that we all can help create a better world."
– Anne Karpf, sociologist, journalist and author of How Women Can Save the Planet
