Sunday Book Club: Netroots Rising

This book should be required reading material for anyone skeptical of the growing influence of a progressive political blogosphere. Written by Lowell Feld, a regular contributor to Raising Kaine and blog guru for the successful Jim Webb senatorial campaign, and Nate Wilcox, online innovator and a vital part of Mark Warner's successful bid for Virginia governor-- Netroots Rising charts the insurgent rise of online political activism as its changed the face of American politics in recent years.

“When Lowell Feld and Nate Wilcox speak, political activists everywhere should listen. And luckily for us, they've come together to share their vast online organizing experience....in the splendid Netroots Rising, a chronicle of war stories and lessons learned from the trenches of the nascent online movement. Make no mistake: This book is simply the best account of the origin and mission of the netroots out there, bar none, in any medium....What pushes the book into "must read" territory for the practical progressive is their interviewing prowess with all manner of people associated with both the netroots and traditional campaigns....The diverse opinions and experience the authors sought out really lend a richness to this book........Netroots Rising is a tour de force--comprehensive and interesting, full of character, personality, passion and commitment....a concrete resistance to "mass media passivity" that cannot be more strongly recommended.”–American Nonsense/Daily Kos 

I sat down to read this and as cliche as it may sound, I couldn't put it down. The first-hand anecdotes demonstrate the very real implications of the internet in politics, but more importantly they help to show just how much untapped potential remains within the growing blogosphere. If you are already a motivated blogger, rest assured-- your work can and will have a lasting impact on future elections. And if like me you questioned the ability of online activism to really change our country's historically top-down approach to politics-- think again. Netroots Rising is that good.