cover image Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go with the Flow

Swim Against the Current: Even a Dead Fish Can Go with the Flow

Jim Hightower. John Wiley & Sons, $25.95 (212pp) ISBN 978-0-470-12151-1

Syndicated columnist Hightower (Thieves in High Places) joins writer and activist DeMarco to produce this irreverent and uplifting look at how individuals and companies can be both successful and socially responsible. Disproving the notion that a business must operate solely to improve its bottom line, they share inspirational stories from a variety of industries including international banking, real estate development, medical services, and environmentally safe, sustainable farming. Hightower and DeMarco include portraits of progressive community organizations, activists and individuals-such as ACORN and the Rev. Rich Cizik-who have bucked the system and realized richer, happier lives. To their credit, the authors do not traffic in abstracts. They provide tangible steps to escape ""corporate tentacles"" and become catalysts for change; the book even lists contact information for a majority of the individuals and companies discussed. An entertaining and insightful look at making a living while staying true to one's values, this book will please Hightower's many fans and will earn him more than a few new ones.