Book Review: The People's Project

Saeed Jones and Maggie Smith, eds., The People's Project: poems, essays, and art for looking forward. New York: Washington Square Press/Atria, 2025. ISBN: 9781668207024. 

Genre: politics, current affairs

Subgenre: anthology, essay, poetry

Format: small hardback

Source: Hutchins Library, Berea College 

 

This small book is a collection of essays and poems on what people can do given the 2024 United States elections. This is basically a collection of advice, strategies, and calls for hope and inspiration for the Hard Times. 

The book features 27 items including essays, poems, and one art piece. It features a very diverse group of authors. The pieces call forth various emotions ranging from sadness to anger, yet there are notes of hope, assuming folks do the necessary work. For me, that is the catch: are people willing to do the necessary work?  

The book as a whole is a short and easy read. Most of the pieces are relatively short, yet they are moving and powerful. These pieces may stay with you after reading the book. 

I'd recommend this book for public libraries. Some academic libraries, especially those with strong social justice interest and curricula may want to add it as well. 

4 out of 5 stars. 

 

Additional reading notes: 

Start with not abandoning yourself: 

"What does it mean to abandon yourself? It means to pretend you don't know what you know, don't hear what you hear, don't see what you see. In other words, to gaslight yourself. To stay quiet and compliant. To make nice. To compromise your values to keep the peace, which is not peace at all" (13). 

That is part of why I ended my politics/social issues/activist material moratorium. After the regime part one came to power in 2016, I needed a serious break. I was burned on politics, etc. But in 2024 I could no longer stay silent and pretend to be ignorant, or at least tuned out partially given a good librarian can never really tune out completely. So I am reading again books like this book, and sharing what I read and learn. It is my small contribution for the good of the cause. 

And by the way, once you set the intention and work to not abandon yourself, make sure you do not abandon others. 

 

On taking care of yourself: 

"For those of us who are constantly under attack, contributing requires prioritizing ourselves on purpose. When everything is set up to diminish you and insist that you diminish yourself, defending yourself will only speed your destruction. Our time and energy are better spent on whatever will allow us to embody a proactive stance more often than a defensive posture" (34).   

 

Qualifies for the following 2026 Reading Challenge: