Critics Are Unanimous!
“The stories will ring bells for comrades who worked in factories, warehouses, plants, mines and shops in that period, union and non-union; those who work there now or are planning to; or those who want to know what it is like. The book pictures a radical time in detail, which has faded from view but will return with a vengeance. It ended in the crushing of organized labor’s great bargaining agreement at AMC. But labor is rising again.”
May Day Books Blog | Red Frog
“This book is an amazing example of the kind of strategies detailed in manuals like Secrets of A Successful Organizer and a living embodiment of the politics of The Rank and File Strategy, demonstrating the way in which a small group of determined workers can defeat the bosses and overcome the reluctance of labour leaders. It is a short, powerful and lesson-rich work that should be read by anyone interested in building power in their workplace.”
Springmag.ca | Peter Hogarth
“An engaging and informative account.”
Liberty| Frank Connelly
“At the end of the day, Fighting Times is a great book to chronicle the union movement at its most vibrant and explosive core: Melrod clearly shows how day-to-day work pays off, in spite of constant pressure of capitalist owners - AMC was one of the capitalist Fortune 500 companies, and they bowed to workers’ rights - who try to smash their efforts. It’s all grassroots, all the time; hard labour brings fruits. What other options are there?
This is a book that shows how near-incredibly rewarding union work can be.”
Niklas Reviews | Niklas Pivic
“…Melrod is not a theoretician. But his book is now an indispensable chapter in the literature on the history of the American working class movement.”
Bulatlat | Prof. Roland Simbulan
“At the end of the introduction, Jon Melrod expresses hope that ‘The chapters that follow, I hope, will answer many questions, point today’s new generation of organizers in the right direction, and maybe inspire a few young people to join the struggle.’ At the end of the day, Jon Melrod’s book is truly a new movement classic. Activists and organizers from all over the people’s movements would take something away from reading it.”
Fight Back News | Siobhan Moore
“The transition from the activist bubble to the workplace is not always easy, and Melrod doesn’t pretend it to be. Fantasies about “mobilizing the masses” quickly dissolve, a Nazi coworker points a gun at you, and your new date spouts racial slurs when suspecting you of flirting with a black co-worker. At the core of Melrod’s both enlightening and entertaining account is the coming-together of very different people in the class’s interests, the basis of revolutionary politics.”
LeftTwoThree, Sweden | Gabriel Kuhn
“…candid, illuminating…will be very useful to younger radicals who share the belief that only working class organizing can change the balance of power between capital and labor.”
New Politics | Steve Early
“At the end of the day, Fighting Times is a great book to chronicle the union movement at its most vibrant and explosive core: Melrod clearly shows how day-to-day work pays off, in spite of constant pressure of capitalist owners…”
Pivic Reviews | Niklas Pivic
“Much has changed in the world since the 1970s, but Melrod’s memoir, jam-packed with stories from the front lines, makes for an entertaining, educational and timely read.”
North Bay Bohemian | Will Carruthers
“Indeed, if one were to explain to a working person interested in organizing a union why they should read this book, the key word would be instructive. The tactics so vividly written down in this text remain useful and appropriate.”
Counterpunch | Ron Jacobs
“Fighting Times is both entertaining and potentially instructive.”
The Progressive | Erik Gunn
“The book will inspire and arm a new generations of labor militants and organizers with the skills and attitude to challenge the odds and fight the egregious abuses of the exploitative capitalist system.”
“Fighting Times, the book, offers a rich account of shop-floor struggle and the interplay of that work with attempting to build a more politically conscious working-class movement.”
In These Times | Peter Olney
“Jon Melrod has written a page-turning memoir of his years as a revolutionary activist from his student days in Madison through his years working in the American Motors Corporation’s (AMC) auto plants in Milwaukee and Kenosha. Melrod’s exceptional story-telling abilities…”
Tempest Magazine | Joe Allen
“If you are looking for a fun read based on real-life events and filled with historical lessons in union organizing, “Fighting Times: Organizing on the Front Lines of the Class War,” published by PM Press, is worth checking out. The author, Jon Melrod, takes the reader on a journey back in time.”
Workers World | Otis Grotewohl
“Melrod’s book offers a detailed account of his life as a factory worker, but it is not solely a historical memoir: it is filled with many examples of tactics and strategies that can still be relevant today.”
Jacobin | Guillaume Tremblay-Boily
“Jon Melrod has almost always known which side he’s on, going back all the way to his youth when he recognized the American version of apartheid and joined the battle to upend it and banish it from the land.”
Portside | Jonah Raskin
“Under the capitalist system, we’re always at the disadvantage because we don’t control the means of production and we don’t control the market. That’s the ultimate contradiction of capitalism. It’s not in business to guarantee employment.”
Against The Current | Dianne Feeley
“Whether you were in RYM I, RYM II, part of Occupy and Black Lives Matter, or engaged in ongoing activism, Fighting Times might be the book for you. Melrod fought for the working class. He fought against capitalism, racism and sexism. His story is inspirational no matter what the color of your skin, your roots or your personal identity.”
The Rag Blog | Jonah Raskin
“Reading Melrod’s book, Fighting Times, I came to appreciate his drive and dedication to the working class which nearly cost him his life. Jobs in toxic environments led to pancreatic cancer. He beat it, but it was a big struggle that took all his grit and gumption …”
Counter Punch | Jonah Raskin
“Melrod’s book offers a detailed account of his life as a factory worker, but it is not solely a historical memoir: it is filled with many examples of tactics and strategies that can still be relevant today.”
Jacobin | Guillaume Tremblay-Boily
“Jon Melrod has almost always known which side he’s on, going back all the way to his youth when he recognized the American version of apartheid and joined the battle to upend it and banish it from the land.”
Portside | Jonah Raskin
“Under the capitalist system, we’re always at the disadvantage because we don’t control the means of production and we don’t control the market. That’s the ultimate contradiction of capitalism. It’s not in business to guarantee employment.”
Against The Current | Dianne Feeley
“Whether you were in RYM I, RYM II, part of Occupy and Black Lives Matter, or engaged in ongoing activism, Fighting Times might be the book for you. Melrod fought for the working class. He fought against capitalism, racism and sexism. His story is inspirational no matter what the color of your skin, your roots or your personal identity.”
The Rag Blog | Jonah Raskin
“Reading Melrod’s book, Fighting Times, I came to appreciate his drive and dedication to the working class which nearly cost him his life. Jobs in toxic environments led to pancreatic cancer. He beat it, but it was a big struggle that took all his grit and gumption …”
Counter Punch | Jonah Raskin
