Republic of Outsiders : The Power of Amateurs, Dreamers, and Rebels

"Vivid portraits" of individuals and subcultures by a writer who "unmasks the assumptions we make about what counts as normal" ( The New York Times ). They are outsiders who seek to redefine fields from mental health to diplomacy to music. They push boundaries and transform ideas. They include filmmakers crowdsourcing their work, transgender and autistic activists, and Occupy Wall Street's "alternative bankers." These people create and package themselves in a practice cultural critic Alissa Quart dubs "identity innovation." In this "fascinating" book, Quart introduces us to individuals who have created new structures to keep themselves sane, fulfilled, and, on occasion, paid. This deeply reported book shows how these groups now gather, organize, and create new communities and economies. Without a middleman, freed of established media, and highly mobile, unusual ideas and cultures are able to spread more quickly and find audiences and allies. Republic of Outsiders is a critical examination of those for whom being rebellious, marginal, or amateur is a source of strength (Barbara Ehrenreich). "Even if you don't consider yourself an outsider or a rebel, Quart's book has several lessons for creative work, particularly when it comes to making art outside a heavily commercial system." — Fast Company "One of the smartest cultural interpreters of her generation. In Republic of Outsiders , she mixes sharp-eyed analysis with an empathetic heart. The result is a great read, and a brand-new lens through which to view outsiders, insiders—and ourselves." —Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking **"Vivid portraits" of individuals and subcultures by a writer who "unmasks the assumptions we make about what counts as normal" (__The New York Times__).** They are outsiders who seek to redefine fields from mental health to diplomacy to music. They push boundaries and transform ideas. They include filmmakers crowdsourcing their work, transgender and autistic activists, and Occupy Wall Street's "alternative bankers." These people create and package themselves in a practice cultural critic Alissa Quart dubs "identity innovation." In this "fascinating" book, Quart introduces us to individuals who have created new structures to keep themselves sane, fulfilled, and, on occasion, paid. This deeply reported book shows how these groups now gather, organize, and create new communities and economies. Without a middleman, freed of established media, and highly mobile, unusual ideas and cultures are able to spread more quickly and find audiences and allies. is a critical examination of those for whom being rebellious, marginal, or amateur is a source of strength (Barbara Ehrenreich). "Even if you don't consider yourself an outsider or a rebel, Quart's book has several lessons for creative work, particularly when it comes to making art outside a heavily commercial system." — "One of the smartest cultural interpreters of her generation. In , she mixes sharp-eyed analysis with an empathetic heart. The result is a great read, and a brand-new lens through which to view outsiders, insiders—and ourselves." —Susan Cain, author of Republic of Outsiders is about the growing number of Americans who disrupt the status quo: outsiders who seek to redefine a wide variety of fields, from film and mental health to diplomacy and music, from how we see gender to what we eat. They include professional and amateur filmmakers crowd-sourcing their work, transgender and autistic activists, and Occupy Wall Street's "alternative bankers." These people create and package new identities in a practice cultural critic Alissa Quart dubs "identity innovation": they push the boundaries of who they can be and what they can do, even turning the forces of co-optation to their benefit. In a brilliant and far-reaching account, Quart introduces us to individuals who have created new structures to keep themselves sane, fulfilled, and, on occasion, paid. This deeply reported book shows how and why these groups now gather, organize, and create new communities and economies. Without a middleman, freed of established media, and highly mobile, unusual ideas and cultures are able to spread more quickly and find audiences and allies. Republic of Outsiders is a critical examination of those for whom being rebellious, marginal, or amateur is a source of strength rather than weakness A tribute to grassroots Americans who are expanding the capacities of their respective fields explores how groups of professional and amateur businesspeople, civil rights activists, and alternative thinkers are organizing to spread their ideas and promote change.