Advance Praise for Independents Rising

“For over 30 years  Salit has been one of America’s most important thinkers and leaders on independent politics. Filled with history and personal stories of life inside the political process, this book is a must read for all citizens who are frustrated by the exclusionary and self-reinforcing power of our two major parties.”
—Josh Rosner, co-author of the New York Times bestseller
Reckless Endangerment

“Earnest and informative…Covering both national and regional concerns, the book is strongest when it demystifies the movement itself…[Independents Rising] gives necessary voice to voters who are fed up with partisan politics and desire change.” —Publishers Weekly

“As our elected officials have become increasingly partisan, many Americans have chosen to abandon their party affiliations and join the ranks of political independents.  It’s a major shift in the way we govern ourselves and Jackie Salit does an impressive job of describing how this change has taken place and its implications for the politics of the future.”—Mickey Edwards, author of The Parties Versus The People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats Into Americans

“Fighting against the strong political machines of a two-party system may seem Sisyphean now, but Salit’s story of how well they’ve done so far inspires hope that one day they will succeed.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Independents Rising is an intimate insider’s account of a growing grassroots movement by voters who are no longer willing to play traditional partisan roles.  Read it and consider what it might take to have our government and elected leaders have an 80% approval rating!” —Joan Blades, co-founder of MoveOn.org and LivingRoomConversations.org

“Jackie Salit has written the definitive book about Independents, Third Parties and a Post-Partisan America. I have learned much from Jackie and I believe you will too.”—Doug Schoen, author of Hopelessly Divided, and coauthor of Mad As Hell

“In Independents Rising Jackie Salit shares with lively stories her decades of experience in the trenches of outsider politics.  Her first-hand narrative documents the extraordinary difficulty of organizing Independents and minor parties in the United States—and spells out her vision for how electoral politics must compete for Independent voters.” —Theresa Amato, author of Grand Illusion, The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny, national presidential campaign manager
for Ralph Nader in 2000 and 2004  

“A terrific and compelling history of independent voters in America……(Salit is) uniquely qualified to chronicle this story….The book will be a timely addition to the national discussion as the 2012 campaign kicks into high gear.” —Thomas F. McClarty, former White House Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton

“Salit offers the most compelling and nuanced history of African Americans in independent politics over the last quarter century. Independents Rising is a must-read for anyone interested in better understanding the growing political diversification among black voters in the United States. Her account—from Lenora Fulani’s historic run for president as the first woman and first African American on the ballot in all fifty states in 1988 to the ‘black and independent alliance’ that elected President Barack Obama in 2008—is riveting.” —Omar H. Ali, Ph.D., Associate Professor of African American History, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro 

“The number of Independent voters is rising along with their discontent with both major political parties and what they have done to our political system. Independents are tired of the partisan polarization and dysfunction and want something different. From an inside perspective Jacqueline Salit describes the decades-long struggle for Independent voters to be recognized and make their voices heard.” —Linda Killian, author of “The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents”,  senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars