Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care (Abolitionist Papers)

By Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba

What fuels and sustains activism and organizing when it feels like our worlds are collapsing? Let This Radicalize You is a practical and imaginative resource for activists and organizers building power in an era of destabilization and catastrophe.

Longtime organizers and movement educators Mariame Kaba and Kelly Hayes examine some of the political lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the convergence of mass protest and mass formations of mutual aid, and consider what this confluence of power can teach us about a future that will require mass acts of care, rescue and defense, in the face of both state violence and environmental disaster.
The book is an assemblage of co-authored reflections, interviews and questions that are intended to aid and empower activists and organizers as they attempt to map their own journeys through the work of justice-making. It includes insights from a spectrum of experienced organizers, including Sharon Lungo, Carlos Saavedra, Ejeris Dixon, Barbara Ransby, and Ruth Wilson Gilmore about some of the difficult and joyous lessons they have learned in their work.

BUY THE BOOK

Published May 16, 2023

296 pages

Average rating: 8.86

14 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

spoko
Mar 29, 2026
8/10 stars
I was surprised how well this landed for me. I don’t usually connect with books like this—movement literature, activism guides, the kinds of books that have companion workbooks. But the authors’ approach here did resonate with me. It comes across less as a manifesto and more as a steady attempt to reframe how collective work actually functions, and why it matters. I especially appreciated the recurring theme of community building, in opposition to the neo-liberal project that wants to atomize our society & isolate us as individuals. They outline an approach focused on interpersonal connection, and emphasize the resiliency that naturally arises from it. Their consistent promotion of the strategy of mutual aid felt both deeply practical and ideologically compelling. There’s also a deep patience to the book, a recognition that collective work isn’t quick or efficient. The authors seem committed to viewing that as a virtue, rather than a failure, and their commitment is catching. That kind of steadiness feels like it might just be the most powerful tool available to us.
Anne Phillips
Jan 03, 2026
10/10 stars
This book is amazing! I wish this framework was available when I got into activism and organizing 25 years ago. A must read for old and new folks to the social justice movement.
JoScoble
Jun 05, 2024
10/10 stars
So helpful and has really shaped my view of activism as being messy and organic and imperfect rather than straightforward and ‘step-by-step’. This book is also great for general life advice and working with people in community towards a common goal. Simply brilliant.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.