By Kyrsten Sinema

The book outlines a new approach and a new mindset that will enable progressives to consistently win. It is livened with irreverent humor, enthralling campaign stories, and solid, practical advice.

Too many progressives are still using old-school divide-and-conquer tactics: demonize the other side, frighten the voters, scheme, and maneuver to try to win on your own terms. This approach hasn’t been particularly successful and has led to widespread alienation and apathy, which plays into the hands of the status quo. And it’s a betrayal of some of the most cherished ideals of the progressive movement: inclusion, reason, justice, and hope.

This is starting to change, but old habits die hard. Nobody is better positioned to help than Kyrsten Sinema. She was a leader in the successful fight against banning gay marriage in 2006 and in the effort to divest state funds in Darfur. These were unexpected victories in a traditionally conservative state.

In Unite and Conquer, Sinema shares how we can put together broad-based coalitions that advance the progressive agenda rather than simply make us feel good about the purity of our ideals.

Sinema argues that we must let go of our preconceived notions about who our opponents are, how they think, what specific outcomes we’re aiming for, even our notions of who we are. Using her experiences and examples from a host of campaigns from all over the country, she offers specific advice on how to forge connections, personal and political, with seemingly unlikely allies and define our values, interests, and objectives in ways that broaden our range of potential partners and expand our tactical options.

Published by Berrett-Koehler. ISBN 9781605090054. $11.87