With another election and the professional pundits out in full force, Flanders argues that it is time for Democrats to grow a spine. Learn from the base, she says. "To change people's minds, you have to stir things up. You have to really pick a fight, not pick at it, squirm and flinch." As the right-wing has known for decades: in tight elections, motivated grassroots groups with grit make the difference. Don't sell them out, Democrats, for the centrist voter on the fence, says Flanders. There's a tide of progressive activism rising that's changing what's possible in American politics. She's traveled the country and gathered more than enough entertaining evidence to make her case.

Laura Flanders, the New York Times best-selling author of "Bushwomen," believes there are no such things as "red" and "blue" states. Even in the most surprising places, she's finding progressive change. From Vermont to Salt Lake City to Las Vegas's famous Strip, Flanders journeys through the heartland USA and discovers a simple truth: people don't vote for the GOP because Republicans represent their interests; they vote Republican because Democrats barely field a team. Adamant, opinionated, funny, and always engaging, Flanders chronicles what she's learned from scores of voters and activists—about how change is happening in Main St. USA, even if it rarely catches the attention of the so-called mainstream media. Mormons defending women's rights, casino owners teaming up with waitresses to raise the minimum wage; blue collar construction workers and lesbian mothers working together to make their workplaces safer and more secure for all. Flanders finds young, supposedly "alienated" Americans, who are driving scores of new voters to the polls. Fiery polemic, assured narrative, and acute political commentary, BLUE GRIT will be crucial reading for everyone interested in the future of the Democrats, and this country.