About Us

There are a million book blogs out there. There’s probably a million resistance pages by now too. So why Resistance Reading?

Together We Will envisions a society respectful of the dignity of all people regardless of race, gender, creed, ability, sexual orientation, nation of origin, or political affiliation.  We believe we are strongest as a country when the voices of all people are heard and respected. And we believe that part of how we can achieve those goals is by reading. Reading is the doorway to a different, better world, one we hope to encourage others to walk with us. The Resistance Reading suggestions we post in this blog have helped us on our journey, and we hope that they will help you too.

Education is what empowers ordinary people. Any time you look through history or around the globe, you will find groups of people who have been or are being oppressed. One of the first things oppressors do to try to cement power is eliminate access to education, books, and literacy. From elite Hutu politicians in Rwanda, to Nazi propagandists during WWII, to southern slaveholders forbidding their slaves to read, to separate and unequal schools in the US today  lack of education and illiteracy equals lack of agency. It is designed to maintain structural inequalities so meaningful change becomes more difficult and discouraging.

Reading is especially empowering because it opens up windows to other worlds. We learn not to fear what is different from us simply for being different. To understand the commonality in all humans, despite different cultures and religions and appearances. We learn that those who are different from us feel many of the same emotions we do and face many of the same challenges and struggles. We learn some of them are us. Without fear we read and open ourselves up to new experiences and new ideas. We learn to appreciate those differences and use them to cooperate, making everyone stronger in the process.

Once we are free to read and learn to listen to other voices and we realize that those who are different from us are not the enemy.  We can start to learn who IS our enemy; who is oppressing us or attempting to oppress us. We can see the patterns and learn how to fight oppression. We organize to protect our fundamental human and civil rights. To fight for equality. To be free. No one gives us freedom. It happens when people refuse to give up their rights. The right to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience. The right to live in peace, free from fear of violence, persecution, unwarranted surveillance, etc. The right to be free from want—to have access to basic levels of food and water and shelter and medical care and education. The right to love who we want without fear of judgement or retaliation. And the right to freedom of speech—to speak freely according to one’s conscience and intellect, without fear of reprisal in any way from our government.