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Handbook for the Revolution

Building a More Perfect Union for the Twenty-First Century

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Pub Date May 05 2026 | Archive Date May 19 2026


Description

"Meet Derrick Palmer. Why? Because you need to. In this, his first book, he goes after some of the most important and hardest-to-get right issues of the day—race and class, capitalism and dignity, the value of human work. You know. The small stuff . . . Derrick not only tells his story, but tells others how to tell their stories. I am excited to be publishing this book and hope that you’re just as excited to read it." —Questlove

From the cofounder of the Amazon Labor Union, a definitive how-to guide to workplace organizing told through a David vs. Goliath chronicle for the ages.


On April 1, 2022, the Amazon warehouse known as JFK8, in Staten Island, notched an improbable victory when its workers voted to become the company’s first unionized facility. Miraculously, a completely self-taught and worker-led union had defeated one of the most powerful corporations on the planet. In the aftermath, two of the founders of the Amazon Labor Union, Derrick Palmer and Chris Smalls, began traveling across the country to help workers at Amazon and other corporations form their own unions. Unsurprisingly, nearly everyone they met had the same question: How did they do it?

In Handbook for the Revolution, Derrick Palmer, who continues to work at JFK8, provides the answer in the form of a how-to guide to organizing in today’s workplace while providing gripping, never before-told anecdotes from the ALU's fight and its plans for the future. Practical, philosophical, and full of personality, Palmer’s manual-cum-manifesto is an accessible step-by-step playbook for the often contentious and complex process of unionization, and a powerful call for equality—and greater understanding—through worker solidarity.

Full of hard-won lessons and personal experience, and written in the context of mass consolidation, fluctuating labor laws, and an ever widening wealth gap, Handbook for the Revolution is an invaluable resource for the modern labor movement, a thrilling chronicle of persistence, and an inspiring push for change in the workplace—and beyond.

"Meet Derrick Palmer. Why? Because you need to. In this, his first book, he goes after some of the most important and hardest-to-get right issues of the day—race and class, capitalism and dignity...


A Note From the Publisher

Derrick Palmer is the vice president and cofounder of the Amazon Labor Union, which, in 2021, successfully unionized an Amazon warehouse for the first time in the company’s history. In 2022, he was honored as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and, along with his cofounder Christian Smalls, as one of the Dynamic Duos on the 2022 EBONY Power 100 list. He lives in Staten Island, New York, and continues to work as an employee at the Amazon JFK8 warehouse there.

Derrick Palmer is the vice president and cofounder of the Amazon Labor Union, which, in 2021, successfully unionized an Amazon warehouse for the first time in the company’s history. In 2022, he was...


Advance Praise

"When Derrick Palmer and his coworker friends defeated Amazon, they inadvertently created a blueprint for 21st-century organizing. Handbook for the Revolution reveals what those battles taught: vision, tenacity, strategy, and community are the cornerstones of sustaining a movement when everyone wants to see you fail. It offers an honest reckoning with racism, power struggles, and the cost of revolutionary work. In this moment when so many of us are saddled with inordinate amounts of fear and anger, this book offers much needed inspiration and guidance for how to redirect those feelings into action that can save lives." —Tarana Burke, New York Times-bestselling author of Unbound, activist, and founder of the "Me Too" movement

"Derrick Palmer's nuts and bolts approach to unionizing the Amazon warehouse on Staten Island is rooted in a powerful insight: People with power refuse to communicate—and that's how they retain their unjust dominance. People looking for positive change are dependent on communication—for it is only through the transformative nature of relationship, that the stale status quo can be reimagined and overturned." —Sarah Schulman, author of Let the Record Show

"When Derrick Palmer and his coworker friends defeated Amazon, they inadvertently created a blueprint for 21st-century organizing. Handbook for the Revolution reveals what those battles taught:...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780374613716
PRICE $27.00 (USD)
PAGES 224

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Average rating from 4 members


Featured Reviews

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Handbook for the Revolution was an engaging and motivating read about organizing and collective action. I appreciated that it’s written from the author’s own experience, which makes the advice feel practical rather than theoretical. The mix of personal stories and guidance on building solidarity helped me understand how change can start in everyday workplaces, not just through big political movements.. Thanks to the publisher for this ARC.

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I can't even begin to tell you how electrifying this book is. It feels like ages since I've had hope for the future, but Derrick Palmer's fantastic writing and unwavering commitment make change feel within reach. Honestly a must read for any worker, regardless of industry. I wish I could thank Derrick personally for sharing his knowledge and experience. This will be a constant reference for me, and I'm definitely going to need a hard copy when this releases. I hope the author knows how important his voice is, and I'm just grateful that I read this. I would give it 10 stars if I could.

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Well done on the publisher's part for releasing this on May Day. Palmer tells us his story of unionizing Amazon, one of the most hostile anti-union workplaces out there right now, and gives practical tips for how to coalition build and build a union in your workplace. He's willing to admit where they made mistakes, and is honest about all the hurdles that Amazon put up to try and thwart them. Highly recommended read.

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