Make trouble : standing up, speaking out, and finding the courage to lead-- my life story / Cecile Richards with Lauren Peterson.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"Richards offers practical advice and inspiration for aspiring leaders everywhere."--Hillary Rodham Clinton

"An enthralling memoir." -- Booklist (starred review)

To Make Change, You Have to Make Trouble

From Cecile Richards--president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund for more than a decade, daughter of the late Governor Ann Richards, featured speaker at the Women's March on Washington, and a "heroine of the resistance" ( Vogue )--comes a story about learning to lead and make change, based on a lifetime of fighting for women's rights and social justice.

Cecile Richards has been an activist since she was taken to the principal's office in seventh grade for wearing an armband in protest of the Vietnam War. She had an extraordinary childhood in ultra-conservative Texas, where her civil rights attorney father and activist mother taught their kids to be troublemakers. In the Richards household, the "dinner table was never for eating--it was for sorting precinct lists."

From the time Richards was a girl, she had a front-row seat to observe the rise of women in American politics. She watched her mother, Ann, transform from a housewife to an electrifying force in the Democratic party who made a name for herself as the straight-talking, truth-telling governor of Texas. But Richards also witnessed the pitfalls of public life that are unique to women. Her experiences paint a powerful portrait of the misogyny, sexism, fake news, and even the threat of violence confronting those who challenge authority.

As a young woman, Richards worked as a labor organizer alongside women earning minimum wage and learned that those in power don't give it up without a fight. Now, after years of advocacy, resistance, and progressive leadership, she shares her story for the first time--from the joy and heartbreak of activism to the challenges of raising kids, having a life, and making change, all at the same time.

She shines a light on the people and lessons that have gotten her through good times and bad, and encourages readers to take risks, make mistakes, and make trouble along the way. Richards has dedicated her life to taking on injustice, and her memoir will inspire readers to hope and action.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Introduction (p. ix)
• 1 Don't Let the Bastards Get You Down (p. 1)
• 2 Raised to Make Trouble (p. 21)
• 3 Question Authority (p. 41)
• 4 It's Not the Work, It's Who You Work With (p. 59)
• 5 Going for Broke in Texas (p. 77)
• 6 Don't Wait for Instructions (p. 105)
• 7 Everything You Need to Know in Life, You Can Learn on a Campaign (and Other Lessons on Raising Activist Kids) (p. 125)
• 8 Say Yes (p. 147)
• 9 What Would Ann Richards Do? (p. 167)
• 10 Resilience (p. 175)
• 11 If It Was Easy, Someone Else Would Be Doing It (p. 189)
• 12 All In (p. 213)
• 13 The Resistance Is Female (p. 239)
• Epilogue: "Feminist" Is Not a Passive Label (p. 261)
• Acknowledgments (p. 265)
• Index (p. 267)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

Make Trouble Introduction "Little lady, you are just trying to make trouble." That was my sixth grade teacher, Mrs. Powers, at University Park Elementary School in Dallas. She had spent the past fifteen minutes conducting an interrogation: Why was I refusing to recite the Lord's Prayer with the rest of the class? Mrs. Powers was a lifer at UPS, with permed helmet hair that was the fashion back then. She was a good old gal who probably smoked with the other teachers in the teachers' lounge. Looking back, I'm not even sure I knew that it was unconstitutional to have us start each day with the Lord's Prayer--but by God, we did, right after the Pledge of Allegiance. That morning, though, I just wasn't having it. When Mrs. Powers asked me why I wasn't participating, I said calmly, "We don't read the Bible in my house." Mrs. Powers's eyes flew open. I could see from her stricken look that she had taken my candor for cheekiness. I suppose in a way it was. We weren't a religious family, not in a traditional sense, but we did go to the Unitarian church, which was sort of a home away from home for progressive families like ours in Dallas--our own little bunker in the middle of the crazy culture war of the '60s, and the heart of the local anti-Vietnam War movement. Folks in our congregation were involved in everything from the United Farmworkers organizing to Notes from the Underground, Dallas's radical newspaper, which my dad happened to be defending in court. Religion was cool with me; it just didn't include the Lord's Prayer. It was pretty obvious from Mrs. Powers's reaction what she thought about that. There was no hope for me; clearly, I was headed for a life of crime. Up until then I was the classic all-A's first child. I lived to make my parents proud of me, which, given their relative youth and inexperience in child-rearing, meant adhering to certain rules. I was the kid who never got in trouble--a trait that annoyed my younger brother, Dan, to no end. I never forgot the shame and humiliation of being called out in front of my class at age eleven. But in that moment I realized something about myself: my parents weren't the only ones who didn't fit into the right-wing Dallas establishment. I too was an outlier. It was the first time I remember having to decide: Do I accept things the way they are, or question authority? I chose the latter, and from that point forward I was branded a troublemaker. Once the initial shock wore off, it became a badge of honor. I've been making trouble ever since--which, to me, means taking on the powers that be, being a thorn in someone's side, standing up to injustice, or just plain raising hell. Sometimes being a troublemaker can be pretty damn awesome. After all, it was one of the great troublemakers of all time, Emma Goldman, who said, "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution." Other times, it's scary and carries big risks--the risk of losing your job, your friends, your reputation, or all of the above. Over the years I've had the good fortune to meet troublemakers from all walks of life: nursing home workers in East Texas, janitors in Los Angeles, members of Congress, organizers and activists of every age on the front lines of the struggle for justice. I've watched in awe as my mother, Ann Richards, went from frustrated housewife to governor of Texas, defying convention and the political establishment. That was one of the things that drew me to Planned Parenthood: its history is the history of brave, troublemaking women (and a few good men) who risked their reputations and even their lives to change things. We fellow travelers have a way of finding each other, whether we set out to or not. This book is the story of the people who have taught me about courage and defiance and making change. It's also my story, which has been somewhat daunting to write. Like a lot of rabble-rousers (particularly rabble-rousing women), I'm a lot more comfortable talking about my work than myself. But now almost every day people come up to me, usually with a look of distress, to ask, "How are you doing?" They seem to think working for progressive causes is unpleasant or burdensome. The truth is, anything worth doing has its challenges. And, yes, fighting for what you believe in can be discouraging, defeating, and sometimes downright depressing. But it can also be powerful, inspiring, fun, and funny--and it can introduce you to people who will change your life. That's the message I want to spread far and wide. That's why I wrote this book. I started my career organizing women who were working for the minimum wage. There were women in New Orleans who cleaned hotel rooms or did the laundry because only white women got to work the front desk. Women in small-town Texas who used to joke that they'd stick around their job at the local nursing home until a Walmart opened nearby and they could move on to a better--or at least easier--job. Women who were earning a living and didn't have much choice about the kind of work they did. As for me, I know full well what a privilege it is to work for social justice. I've had the chance to work on historic political campaigns, go toe-to-toe with the Far Right in Texas, and come back years later to occupy the capitol in Austin as part of the fight for abortion rights. I've served the first woman to lead her party in the US House of Representatives and the 2.4 million people who count on Planned Parenthood for health care each year. I've seen generational progress through the eyes of my three incredible kids. Sure, there have been some brutal moments along the way--appearing before a certain belligerent congressional committee comes to mind, not to mention a couple of awful election nights--but I wouldn't trade it for anything. Maybe activism is your avocation, not your vocation. You might even be wondering if it's worth it--especially now, when nothing seems certain. For the first time in my life, I'm wondering whether my own daughters will have fewer rights than I've had. That alone is enough motivation for me to keep making trouble. Maybe you're thinking that any job that might involve sitting in front of a hostile congressional committee for the better part of a day just isn't your thing. Well, this book is for you too. You don't have to be a professional troublemaker to take a stand (though it's a terrific career path I highly recommend). This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment to decide who we are--as individuals and as a country. Unless we want to be defined by a stream of divisive late-night tweets (not to name any names), we're all going to have to be brave. Everywhere I look I see people who are stepping up to do things they never could have imagined. Showing up in a town hall meeting with a US senator, wearing a pink pussy hat. Publicly sharing a personal, intimate story about how Planned Parenthood made a difference in their life. Marching with their kids, grandkids, mothers, sisters, and brothers. Risking arrest to stand up for the rights of immigrants and refugees. Or turning their life upside down to run for office or become a grassroots organizer. If you're not scaring yourself, you're probably not doing enough. Maybe there's some injustice that's bothering you; maybe you see something in your community or at work that you want to change; maybe you're trying to get up the courage to share your beliefs with friends or family who see things differently; maybe you're worried about the world your kids will inherit. I hope this book will inspire you to get out there and do something about it. Just don't forget: to make a difference, you have to make a little trouble. Excerpted from Make Trouble: Standing up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead-- My Life Story by Cecile Richards, Lauren Peterson All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

From protesting the Vietnam War in seventh grade to her years as the president of Planned Parenthood, Richards recounts how she became an activist fighting for women's rights and social justice. She credits her progressive parents, who raised her to question authority and fight to make a difference in people's lives. To some extent, the memoir serves as an ode to her mother-Texas governor the late Ann Richards, whose influence is woven throughout the chapters of her daughter's story. Richards writes unapologetically about her beliefs and politics, catering to her progressive audience. She entertains and inspires with stories about her testimony before a congressional committee reviewing taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood to various moving accounts of the champions of the women's rights movement, including a murdered doctor in Wichita, KS, who supported the pro-choice movement. VERDICT Richards's reading pulls listeners deeper into the narrative. The tempo and emotion in her delivery give them front-row seats to key events in recent history and will inspire them to stand up, speak out, and lead. ["Documenting an inspiring life and offering a call to action, this timely volume is for all readers": LJ 4/15/18 review of the Touchstone hc.]-Gladys Alcedo, Wallingford, CT © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

In this passionate self-portrait, activist Richards maps her road to success from union organizer to her tenure as president of Planned Parenthood, recalling the experiences that shaped her career. She opens with the 2015 congressional hearings in which Planned Parenthood faced fierce scrutiny from the heavily Republican committee, sparked by a smear video released by an anti-abortion group. The committee found no wrongdoing, and the outpouring of popular support led Richards to reflect on her career. From there, she goes back to her upbringing as the eldest child of politician Ann Richards, who later became the first female governor of Texas, and civil rights attorney David Richards. Their Dallas home was "the local gathering place for misfits and rabble-rousers." As Richards relays her college years and onwards, her focus remains squarely on human rights-she met her husband while working for the United Labor Union in New Orleans, and she moved back to Texas to start a family and launch the Texas Freedom Alliance to support public education and religious liberty. Richards's commitment to progressive values, particularly reproductive rights, is evident throughout this book. It serves as a call to action for women who are mobilizing to make a difference in government and healthcare policies. Photos. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Questioning authority and challenging the status quo are expected behaviors for most teens, and often considered part of a necessary rite of passage into adulthood. Activism, on the other hand, is not always viewed with the same level of acceptance. In her autobiographical book on leadership, Richards, the quintessential cheerleader for activists of all ages, champions those who publicly take a stand for what they believe. She started making "trouble" at 13 and has never stopped. Her excitement about "fighting the good fight" is palpable. She was raised by liberal parents who worked for social justice on many fronts. In highly conservative Waco, TX, they were avid campaigners for local Democratic candidates, and Richards and her siblings spent many afternoons stuffing envelopes at campaign headquarters. After years of organizing for workers' rights, she followed in the footsteps of her mother, Governor Ann Richards, by taking up the fight for a woman's right to dominion over her own body and access to health care. The author recounts with equal enthusiasm the many campaigns for causes she's lost right alongside the ones she's won. Now, stepping down after 12 years at the helm of Planned Parenthood, Richards appears poised to enter the political arena, joining a growing number of women hoping to change the paternalistic course of U.S. history. VERDICT An inspiring volume for teens looking to involve themselves in politics and/or social justice activism.-Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* Some people are hardwired to pursue their lives' passion. The daughter of Ann Richards, the firebrand feminist Texan politician, and David Richards, a landmark civil rights attorney, Richards learned about having the courage of one's convictions at an early age. She championed workers' rights for janitors and nursing-home staff and protested punitive voter restrictions wherever they occurred, experiences that would eventually put her on Capitol Hill working for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But it is her work as president of Planned Parenthood that catapulted her to national attention, especially in the wake of nearly constant GOP assaults to defund the organization during the passage of the Affordable Care Act and subsequent budget battles. As she speaks admiringly of her mother's trailblazing career and lovingly about the nascent political and organizing work of her three children, Richards makes clear that the life of a grassroots activist can be an all-consuming mission, but one that reaps untold personal benefits and results in unimaginable rewards for individuals and the nation. An intimate yet wide-ranging chronicle of a life in the trenches and at the pinnacle of her profession, Richards' enthralling memoir will provide rousing motivation for anyone passionate about social and political causes.--Haggas, Carol Copyright 2018 Booklist

Kirkus Book Review

The president of Planned Parenthood recounts her life as an activist.For decades, Richards has been at the forefront of anti-war, civil rights, labor, and women's issues; as she demonstrates, activism and the desire to work for the common good run in her family. Her father was a labor attorney and environmentalist, and her mother, Ann Richards, was a fierce fighter for women's rights who became governor of Texas. As a high school girl new to Austin (she was born in Waco), she made and wore a black arm band supporting the moratorium to end the Vietnam War. After graduation, she headed east to Brown University. She supported striking janitors and librarians, took a semester off to intern for the Project on the Status and Education of Women in Washington, D.C., and became a union organizer in New Orleans. There, she met and married labor organizer Kirk Adams and formed a family that has supported labor across the country ever since. After some time in Southern California, she went back to Texas to work for her mother's campaign for governor, and she formed the Texas Freedom Network to fight against right-wing textbook censorship. Then it was off to Washington again to serve on Nancy Pelosi's staff. The author sprinkles short asides throughout the book that alternate between genuinely instructional and boring--e.g., well-worn tips on work-life balance. However, the guidelines for starting any organization are spot-on: direct, down-to-earth, and highly practical. In 2006, Richards and her family moved to New York City so she could assume the lead role at Planned Parenthood in 2006, and she has made the organization instrumental in a wide variety of women's -rights causes. In the past year, she has spent considerable time battling for her organization amid the Trump administration's efforts to cut funding.A memoir that makes palpable the immense influence of an organization that has improved so many women's lives.