THE HARD WORK OF HOPE | A Busboys and Poets Books Presentation

The Hard Work of Hope takes you into the heady days of 1960s and 1970s activism, chronicling the hopes and strategies of the young people who created the movements that rocked the country.

Michael Ansara was on the front lines. In this fascinating memoir, he traces an arc of discovery: from the hope and moral clarity of the Civil Rights Movement to the ten-year struggle to end the war in Vietnam, with its sit-ins, marches, confrontations, and antiwar riots.

Ansara takes the reader into the minds of the activists detailing their successes as well as their mistakes. The Hard Work of Hope shows how he learned to become a more effective organizer and build the Massachusetts Fair Share organization. The book explores issues that remain urgent. How does a movement build support when large parts of the country are opposed to its goals? How do you connect with people who disagree with you? How do you build organizations that unite across racial lines? How can we make progress on the unfinished business of the hard work of hope?

Michael Ansara is joining us on the Busboys stage alongside Congressman Jamie Raskin to dive deeper into this “important historical record of the movement against the Vietnam War in New England” that is also a “beautiful panegyric to community organizing as a way of life and a political practice” (Congressman Jamie Raskin). Copies of the book will be available for purchase during and after the event, and Ansara will be signing following the program.

This event is free and open to all. Our program begins at 7:00 pm, and will be followed by an audience Q&A. Copies of THE HARD WORK OF HOPE will be available for purchase before and after the event. Please note that this event is in person and will not be livestreamed. 

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Michael Ansara has been a dedicated activist and organizer since the 1960s, starting with the civil rights, student, and antiwar movements. His poetry and essays have been featured in numerous journals.

Congressman Jamie Raskin proudly represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He has authored several books, including the Washington Post best-seller Overruling Democracy: The Supreme Court versus the American People, the highly-acclaimed We the Students: Supreme Court Cases For and About America’s Students, and the New York Times #1 best-seller Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth and the Trials of American Democracy.

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