It takes chutzpah How to fight fearlessly for progressive change

Ron Wyden, 1949-

Book - 2025

It Takes Chutzpah is an inspirational call to action by a senior U.S. politician, describing how Americans of all age groups, persuasions, and occupations can defy convention, chart new pathways for their communities, schools, at work and in life. US Senator Ron Wyden is widely praised for coming up with sensible-sounding ideas no one else had thought of and making the counter-intuitive political alliances that prove helpful in passing bills. In It Takes Chutzpah, he offers a progressive leader's manifesto for being a courageous warrior during turbulent times. --

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  • Introduction
  • 1. Making Productive Noise
  • 2. The Long Game, Part I
  • 3. Crying with Purpose
  • 4. Leading Is Coaching
  • 5. Taking Hits, Bouncing Back
  • 6. The Courage to Encourage and Discourage
  • 7. Embracing Unscripted Moments
  • 8. Ideas Matter
  • 9. Facing Formidable Foes (and Friends)
  • 10. Pushing Boulders
  • 11. Principled Bipartisanship
  • 12. The Cuisine of Compromise
  • 13. The Long Game, Part II
  • 14. Spending Political Capital
  • 15. The Coach's Journey
  • Afterword: The Future is Always Just 20 Minutes Away
  • Acknowledgments
  • References
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Chutzpah is the most "indispensable instrument for improving America," according to this galvanizing debut from Oregon senator Wyden. Instilled in him by his parents, who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, chutzpah--broadly defined here as the ability to "self-confidently embrace the possible" in the face of steep odds--has fueled the author's fight for progressive change across 52 years of public service. Here, he breaks down 12 rules for wielding it, including bringing people together around a shared goal, bouncing back after acknowledging failures, and making "purposeful" noise rather than the kind of destructive uproar favored by Donald Trump and today's "Republican revolutionaries." Also essential is playing "the long game," even when it takes years or even decades. As Wyden notes, his push to overturn the ban on the abortion medicine mifepristone began in the 1980s and culminated in its 2000 legalization by the FDA, only for that status to be challenged in court by anti-abortion groups more than 20 years later. Such detailed insider's stories are fascinating and inspiring, with Wyden's long lens allowing him to illustrate that progress is rarely linear, that tactical coordination and compromise is central to lasting change, and that remembering one's agency is vital in even the most dire circumstances. The result is an upbeat call to action sure to resonate with progressive activists. (Jan.)

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