Rising Up

Praise for Rising Up: 

"Journalist Sonali Kolhatkar knows the importance of storytelling. Even more so, she understands the necessity of controlling the narrative in the media, popular culture and in daily conversations. Now she’s written The Book on how to shift the narrative to bend toward justice."—Karla Strand, Ms. Magazine

“Rising Up adds an important dimension to the ongoing debate about racism in the U.S. and gives readers a new awareness of how racial stereotypes thrive in the media.”—Rosemarie Lundgaard, Bust Magazine

"In Rising Up, journalist Kolhatkar discusses the history of media created by predominantly white Americans, which has led to misrepresentation and racism. But more important, she introduces us to a new generation of POC voices fighting for racial justice, making the argument that to tell stories is to wield power.”—Alta Magazine

"Journalist and activist Kolhatkar . . . argues persuasively for the necessity of 'narrative-shifting' in order 'to change public consciousness to the degree necessary for society to achieve justice' . . . A thoughtful prescription for social change."—Kirkus Reviews

"Rising Up by Sonali Kolhatkar offers a timely exploration of how activists and the general public begin to narrate their personal stories about racism instead of the top-down official history, with the aim of advancing social justice in the United States where white supremacy dictates the thinking of the people in spite of the rise in the population of people of colour."—Shelley Walia, The Hindu

“Prometheus transferred fire away from gods to mortals, but this book shows that we don’t need a Prometheus. We transfer narrative power from the few to the many—by claiming it and using it—in revolutionary acts that both catalyze the national consciousness and transform material conditions.” —Rinku Sen, Executive Director of Narratives Initiative, and author of The Accidental American: Immigration and Citizenship in the Age of Globalization

“For two decades, Sonali Kolhatkar has been a leading voice for truth against the lies of the powerful, unflinchingly exploding prevailing myths that pass as prevailing wisdom. She understands that shifting the narrative is radical anti-racist work, and if you don’t believe it just look at the firing of schoolteachers and journalists for telling the truth about racism, slavery, gender, or Palestine.”—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams: The Black Radical Imagination

"Like her groundbreaking journalism, Sonali Kolhatkar's new book spotlights voices across various news, entertainment, and social-media platforms that exemplify movement building for racial justice through troubling narratives. This book could not come at a better time—let's all read, discuss, and act on it today!"—Kevin Kumashiro, Ph.D., author of Surrendered: Why Progressives are Losing the Biggest Battles in Education

"A brilliantly outlined argument for independent media's historic role in humanizing those who have been othered through the society's architectures of power, Rising Up highlights the crucial role of courageous storytelling in combating white supremacy and building a more just world.”—Rupa Marya, co-author of Inflamed: Deep Medicine and the Anatomy of Injustice

“Foundational and guiding, Sonali's book gifts us a piercing map of the dangers of illegitimate stories, as well as a guide towards the unrelenting power of truthful ones. This book I had been waiting for, and it is here to make its stay. Read it. Share it. And we shall surely rise.”—Dr. Oriel María Siu, PhD, author of Christopher the Ogre Cologre, It's Over!

"Written in the thick of a new phase of reactionary cultural warfare within and beyond the United States, Rising Up provides diagnosis, context, and potential correctives. Contrary to common parlance, Sonali’s work demonstrates that there is no such thing as “the media,” only a disparate ensemble of competing narrative forces that consolidate in corporate news, Hollywood entertainment, independent grassroots journalism, and industrialized social media. Conceptualizing the terrain of storytelling as a dynamic, complex one that is constantly open to new forms of radical, autonomous, collective mobilization, Rising Up is a reinvigorated call for journalism, art, and aesthetics that advance abolitionist, decolonizing, and anti-racist movements."—Dylan Rodríguez, author of White Reconstruction: Domestic Warfare and the Logic of Racial Genocide

“Sonali is a well-known radio host on KPFK where she challenges main street media accounts of new stories. In Rising Up, she breaks down how media traditionally presents the POV of privilege. More importantly, she describes how narrative can be reclaimed by BIPOC, minorities and women to create a new, more inclusive, narrative. Her clear, engaging writing makes this a page-turner.”—Karrie Hyatt, Vroman’s Bookstore, Pasadena, CA

Praise for Sonali Kolhatkar: 

"Kolhatkar’s conversations with guests go deep. Even when she's covering topics everyone else is covering—like impeachment—she infuses the discussion with economic, social, and racial justice perspectives that reframe and expand the debate."—John Nichols on the "Top Progressive People and Ideas Shaping the Future," The Nation