Blue in a Red State: The Survival Guide to Life in the Real America

Imagine if you felt out of step with every other member of the parent association at your kid's school, your quilting circle, or even your workout group. What if casual conversations revolved around Fox News and the decline of American values? How would you feel if you were afraid to put a political bumper sticker on your car or had to think twice about what liberal posts you liked on Facebook? These are just some of the experiences shared by liberals across twenty states and five time zones who tell their stories with honesty, warmth, and humor. Most of us have to "talk across the aisle" once or twice a year--when we're seated next to our conservative out-of-town uncle at Thanksgiving, say. But millions of self- identified liberals live in cities and towns--particularly away from the East and West Coasts--where they are regularly outnumbered and outvoted by conservatives. In this uplifting and completely original book, Justin Krebs, the founder of the national Living Liberally network, speaks with and tells the stories of atheists, vegetarians, environmentalists, pacifists, and old-fashioned liberals--a term he is intent on rehabilitating--from Texas to Idaho, South Carolina to Alaska. Krebs weaves these stories together to create a provocative and rollicking taxonomy of strategies for living in a diverse society, with lessons for every participant in our great democratic experiment.

About the Author :
The founding director of Living Liberally, with more than two hundred chapters across the country, Justin Krebs is the author of 538 Ways to Live, Work, and Play like a Liberal and lives in Brooklyn. He is the campaign director for the MoveOn.org Political Action Committee.

Review :
Praise for Blue in a Red State: "It will make you laugh. It will make you angry. And it will leave you feeling optimistic about America. Blue in a Red State is a real gem." --Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and former op-ed columnist for the New York Times "An illuminating view of how real people deal with political differences. Participating in our democracy is not always a smooth journey, but Krebs shows liberals how to maintain their values, their dignity, even their sense of humor in the process." --Liz Shuler, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO "Fascinating stories of real Americans navigating fraught political territories. We can all learn something about how to reach across the aisle from Blue in a Red State." --Thom Hartmann, Radio/TV Host "Krebs gives hope that there is a way for progressives to live happily in red states. A fun read and great advice." --Andy Stern, Former Head of SEIU "Krebs approaches his subjects with candor and respect." --Kirkus Praise for Justin Krebs's 538 Ways to Live, Work, and Play as a Liberal: "Krebs says Americans can live a more socially conscious, environmentally friendly and liberally minded life. He even advises readers on how to raise their kids liberally and how to effectively engage in dinner table debate with their conservative counterparts. Being liberal isn't just a political choice, Krebs argues. It's a lifestyle." --In These Times "A sanity-saving, moral guide to living in a contemporary society hell-bent on crushing you with its consumer choices, paralyzing you with moral relativism, and making you want to go numb with all the pain and injustice." --Feministing Praise for Justin Krebs: "Politicians want to pick his brain, women want to play with his ponytail; as social movement movers and shakers go, Drinking Liberally co-founder Justin Krebs is a virtual whirling dervish of democratic dynamism." --Alternet Praise for Blue in a Red State: "It will make you laugh. It will make you angry. And it will leave you feeling optimistic about America. Blue in a Red State is a real gem." --Bob Herbert, Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos and former op-ed columnist for the New York Times "An illuminating view of how real people deal with political differences. Participating in our democracy is not always a smooth journey, but Krebs shows liberals how to maintain their values, their dignity, even their sense of humor in the process." --Liz Shuler, Secretary-Treasurer of the AFL-CIO "Fascinating stories of real Americans navigating fraught political territories. We can all learn something about how to reach across the aisle from Blue in a Red State." --Thom Hartmann, Radio/TV Host "Krebs gives hope that there is a way for progressives to live happily in red states. A fun read and great advice." --Andy Stern, Former Head of SEIU "Krebs approaches his subjects with candor and respect." --Kirkus Praise for Justin Krebs's 538 Ways to Live, Work, and Play as a Liberal: "Krebs says Americans can live a more socially conscious, environmentally friendly and liberally minded life. He even advises readers on how to raise their kids liberally and how to effectively engage in dinner table debate with their conservative counterparts. Being liberal isn't just a political choice, Krebs argues. It's a lifestyle." --In These Times "A sanity-saving, moral guide to living in a contemporary society hell-bent on crushing you with its consumer choices, paralyzing you with moral relativism, and making you want to go numb with all the pain and injustice." --Feministing Praise for Justin Krebs: "Politicians want to pick his brain, women want to play with his ponytail; as social movement movers and shakers go, Drinking Liberally co-founder Justin Krebs is a virtual whirling dervish of democratic dynamism." --Alternet