People Power: Peaceful Protests that Changed the World

By telling the stories of thirteen peaceful protests from around the world, Rebecca June and illustrator Ximo Abadia demonstrate the power people have when they come together and take joint action.

The stories are told in chronological order, beginning with the so-called Mud March in 1907, when thousands of women, from all backgrounds and social class, marched from Hyde Park to the Strand demanding ‘Votes for Women.’ Impossible to ignore, it demonstrated the strength of support for their cause. Next up is Mahatma Gandhi’s Salt March of 1930, the start of a national campaign of civil disobedience that ‘opened the door to India’s independence in 1947’. Also featured are the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the People Power Revolution against the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines, Estonia’s Singing Revolution, and the fall of the Berlin Wall. The book concludes with three movements that are shaping the world today: the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia, Fridays for Future, and Black Lives Matter.

June’s text is short but provides the necessary information to explain the background to these mass movements, and her tone is positive and encouraging, acknowledging the bravery of all those who took part, and the strength of union and joint action. The drama and noise of the events however are captured in Abadia’s striking illustrations, bold blocks of colour, people’s faces in sudden focus, and lots of raised arms.

A book to counter the sense of frustration and helplessness that many young people no doubt feel, and an important reminder that change can come if we work together.