Brecher is a veteran of various social justice movements, from peace in Vietnam to climate protection. In this book for general readers and students, he interweaves personal stories from his life in activism, in the US and other countries, with historical details of various movements, reactions, and legislations, to create a history of collective action over the past 40 years. The author stresses that popular uprisings are actually predictable, explains how they happen, and explores whether they solve social problems. The book consists of numerous brief chapters grouped into four sections on social problems of the '50s, social movements of the '60s, the labor movement, and responses to the negative effects of globalization. In the final section, Brecher outlines his vision of a local, national, and global human survival movement to counter today's threats of mutual destruction. The author has written many other books on labor and social movements. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)