An Array of Admirable Activists

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Zohran Mamdani walking New York City’s streets during his mayoral campaign.

I’ve written about activist authors (in 2014) and courageous characters (last year), but as far as I can recall I’ve never written specifically about activist characters in novels. So, today I will. 🙂

My inspiration for this topic was 33-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani winning last month’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor — and, thrillingly, the results weren’t even close. If Mamdani also wins the general election this fall he’ll become the youngest NYC mayor in more than a century, the city’s first Muslim mayor, and clearly the most progressive mayor the biggest U.S. city has ever had. Among Mamdani’s November opponents will be current NYC mayor Eric Adams, a cartoonishly corrupt politician who escaped multiple criminal charges by making a sell-out deal with Trump’s ghoulish Republican regime.

At a time of ever-growing economic inequality in NYC and the rest of the country, the charismatic Mamdani ran an energetic grassroots campaign that focused on freezing rents, making buses free, offering universal childcare, raising the inadequate minimum wage, and other pocketbook proposals — all to be paid for by raising the too-low taxes on the very rich.

Much of the very rich, of course, went bananas, and many of them during the primary backed Mamdani’s mayoral opponent Andrew Cuomo — the conservative-leaning former New York governor who resigned in disgrace four years ago after causing thousands of deaths by sending COVID patients into nursing homes and after being credibly accused of sexual harassment by 13 women who worked for the state. Plus, plenty of corruption in his administration. Many of those wealthy Cuomo supporters are now backing the aforementioned Adams, a right-wing Democrat who sat out the June primary and is now running as an “independent.”

Mamdani, who has an activist history, is also the rare American politician who supports equal rights for Palestinians and has publicly decried Israel’s genocide of innocent civilians in Gaza — drawing bogus accusations of anti-Semitism from people who wrongly equate being against Netanyahu’s far-right Israeli government with being anti-Semitic. In fact, Mamdani received many Jewish votes amid many votes from young people, Asian-American residents, etc. Also, Mamdani and Jewish mayoral candidate Brad Lander cross-endorsed each other — something they were able to do under the election’s ranked-choice system.

I should mention that I feel a connection to New York City because I lived in its Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens boroughs for a total of 16 years and worked in Manhattan for 30 years. My current town of Montclair is 12 miles west of NYC in New Jersey.

Anyway, on to some inspiring activist characters in literature!

There’s lapsed preacher Jim Casy, one of the memorable supporting players in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (1939). Casy tries to organize migrant workers after he tags along with the Joad family to California, where conditions for financially struggling newcomers are appalling.

Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds was clearly inspired by The Grapes of Wrath, though that 2021 novel is original in many ways. It tracks the radicalization of Elsa Wolcott, who’s part of a cast that also includes union organizer Jack Valen.

Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code (also 2021) focuses on a memorable trio of female British code breakers during World War II.

Another compelling historical novel is Leon Uris’ Mila 18 (1961), about the desperate Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis.

And Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies (1994) features the part-fictionalized sisters who opposed the regime of brutal Dominican Republic dictator Trujillo.

Richard Wright’s Native Son (1940) has a supporting cast that includes radical lawyer Boris Max, who represents protagonist Bigger Thomas.

Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments — the 2019 sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) — includes the Daisy character (birth name: Nicole) who infiltrates the repressive, patriarchal society of Gilead.

In Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior (2012), Dellarobbia Turnbow is an initially apolitical young farmer’s wife who joins the fight against climate change.

Then there’s the against-the-odds activism in these two classics: Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).

While activism occasionally succeeds, many other times it doesn’t — given the formidable/well-funded forces on the other side: powerful politicians, heavily armed military and police, giant corporations trying to increase their already-huge profits, bend-the-knee mainstream media outlets, etc. In fact, some of the fictional characters I mentioned in this post ended up being killed, making for riveting reading but very depressing reading.

Examples of activist characters in novels? Thoughts on this topic?

Misty the cat says: “When I groom myself near a window, it’s ‘A Groom with a View.'”

My comedic 2024 book — the part-factual/part-fictional/not-a-children’s-work Misty the Cat…Unleashed — is described and can be purchased on Amazon in paperback or on Kindle. It’s feline-narrated! (And Misty says Amazon reviews are welcome. 🙂 )

This 90-second promo video for my book features a talking cat: 🙂

I’m also the author of a 2017 literary-trivia book…

…and a 2012 memoir that focuses on cartooning and more.

In addition to this weekly blog, I write the 2003-started/award-winning “Montclairvoyant” topical-humor column every Thursday for Montclair Local. The latest piece — about my younger daughter’s June 26 high school graduation (again), a Township Council meeting, and more — is here.

122 thoughts on “An Array of Admirable Activists”

  3. What an amazing compilation Dave. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 And oh my goodness, love that last photo Mr. Media Veteran! Thank you for continuing to press the recall voices from the past that continue to resonate with still relevant influences regarding social change! 🤗💖🥰

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  4. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass, and James Baldwin are often cited as powerful literary activists who significantly influenced social change. Their works, including Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, and essays like Notes of a Native Son, sparked important conversations and movements around slavery, racial equality, and social justice.

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    • Thank you, Shaharee! You’re absolutely right that those three writers were very powerful/influential/eloquent activist voices in the 19th and 20th centuries. I think Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” is an excellent novel in addition to being an excellent anti-slavery work, and James Baldwin was a giant in both fiction and nonfiction writing.

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      • But the greatest activist in modern history was, beyond any doubt, Mahatma Gandhi. His ways were simple, non-violent, and went to the core of what sustained the British Imperialist hegemony. He also opposed the split up of India between muslims and hindus (hence you got Pakistan), with all this has entailed. In the end, it were not the British who killed him, but a hindu nazi.

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        • Mahatma Gandhi was indeed an all-time activist, for all the reasons you mentioned. Also in the picture is the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who of course was influenced by Gandhi. And then there was Nelson Mandela, and Rosa Parks, and Harriet Tubman, and…

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          • We tend to make things too complicated. Take the salt monopoly. The British levied a heavy tax on it (the US tea revolution comes to mind). But his solution was not “let’s fight the Brits!”, but “make your own salt!”. His attitude towards the industrial hegemony was similar: don’t buy your textiles from them, make your own. Rosa Parks grasped this on an atavistic level. Don’t use their services if you feel exploited. The bus company gave in. We just have to learn to translate those simple principles into ways that fit a third wave society without unnecessary complicating things. Simplicity and non-violence lays at the core of any meaningful activism.

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  6. I’m interested and concerned about the earth and nature, Dave.

    Former Vice President Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” addresses about global warming.  The biologist, natural historian and writer, Sir David Attenborough’s book, “A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future” directly advocates for climate change.

    Sir. David addressed to the UN that if climate change is unaddressed, it will lead to the collapse of essential systems: food production, access of fresh water, habitable temperature, and ocean chains. Among other disasters, it will have increased extreme weather events.

    In the US alone, the annual average of billion-dollar extreme weather and climate disasters was 9 events per year between 1980 to 2024, but the annual average was 23 events between 2020 to 2024 according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It was scary to watch the frequency of natural disasters happening to many states in the US in the last five years. According to the Climate Change Performance Index, the US is among the very low performing countries.

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    • Thank you, Miriam, for the comment and the sobering statistics. Climate change is indeed SUCH a major issue — as you say, it worsens weather tragedies…and ultimately jeopardizes the Earth’s existence. Plus things are of course getting even worse under the climate change-denying/ignoring Trump administration. 😦

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      • You’re welcome, Dave! Al Gore had been advocating Climate Change for 30 years. Sir. Dave projected the earth will be to late to save by 2030? Turmp has never listened to anyone. Weather in many states became opposite. Dr. Fauci was careful not to get fired because he wanted to save people’s lives. Help us, heaven, in the next 3 1/2 years. 😦

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        • Yes, Miriam, Al Gore was way ahead of his time among mainstream politicians in warning about climate change. Such a shame the presidency was taken from him by that politically biased Supreme Court decision in 2000; he would have been MUCH better than George W. Bush. And I agree that the next three-and-a-half years under Trump are going to be terrifying. 😦

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  8. Hi Dave,

    As I went through your post I was wondering if Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” might fit and then I saw it mentioned at the bottom there. I’m on my third read and it’s somehow even better than I remember. And it feels so very modern. I think even at the time of publishing, it probably felt more 2025 than it would have 1950s. I can often laugh at books set in the future as the author is bound to get some things wrong, but so far, the only thing that feels unbelievable is everybody smoking inside. And I know even that is still very true in some places. Obviously written while the memory of World War II was still very fresh, I remember this dystopian work being all about fear of World War III, but it’s much more than just being scared of the bombs. The control of the people, the lack of rations, the random shortages of a specific item, and of course, the fake news all feel much closer than any war dystopia should. But still early days for me. I haven’t really gotten to any activism yet.

    Sue

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    • Thank you, Sue! I totally agree that the great “Nineteen Eighty-Four” was prescient, ahead of its time, and sadly feels very present-day. Orwell was wise to expect dystopian governments/societies/conditions to continue and even worsen.

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      • That rat scene — terrifying indeed, Robbie. Authoritarian regimes will do anything to stay in power. 😦 Reading “1984” three times, as Sue has/is, IS impressive. I read it twice — once as a teen student and again maybe 15 (?) years ago.

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      • Hi Robbie,

        There’s been at least ten years in between each of those reads so they don’t really feel like re-reads. And Orwell is so engaging that I always look forward to picking his books up. I think the first time I read “Nineteen Eighty Four” I was already aware of the rats; and then when the scene happened, it was almost disappointing. I was thinking really? All that fear, and all that build up and it’s actually not that bad. The second time was probably a tad more unsettling. However I’m much more horrified of the idea of Big Brother than I am the rats.

        I hope you’re enjoying your time in Europe ❤

        Sue

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        • Hi Susan, Big Brother is very unsettling, even more so as if you have a cellular phone, as you know you can be watched/traced/spied on. The idea of a rat near my face is very horrible for me even though I am an animal lover. I didn’t know about it when I read the book a few years ago. Thank you for your reply 💓. PS this book was banned in South Africa when I was growing up (by the apartheid government).

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  9. Hello Dave!

    I’m seeing many character attacks on Mamdani.

    I’d love to know how it all plays out, but unfortunately my crystal ball is in the repair shop.

    I asked it if Newsom would be arrested for the crime of being a blue governor, and it split into 2 equal parts.

    Okay matters at hand:

    How about Montag in Fahrenheit 451? His belief that the power of books hold answers pits him against family and the world. He’s forced to become a rebel, and activist.

    OR

    In Anthem: Prometheus (Equality 7-2521) rejecting a collectivist society, discovers his individual’s intellect via books. Although, his activism seems to only free one other person, Liberty 5-3000 

    Another valid, yet hypocritical write from Ayn Rand who led a group called “The Collective”. Interesting that Alan Greenspan was a devoted member of that group.

    That’s what I came up with.

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    • Thank you, Resa! Yes, both “mainstream” and left Democrats are getting viciously pilloried by Trump, other Republican politicians, conservative media, etc.

      Ha! 😂 (Your crystal ball mention.) I suppose you now have two crystal balls of a sort… 🙂

      A great, appropriate mention of “Fahrenheit 451”!

      I haven’t brought myself to read Ayn Rand yet, but I’ve heard some of her characters were activists of a sort.

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      • Hmm yes, 2 of a sort. I thought what is a word for 1/2 of a ball? 🤔
        Guess what? I stumped AI. I didn’t use AI, but groggle always has some smart alec AI answer at the very top. I ignore it, but this time had to notice – it had no answer.
        NO ANSWER!
        Ha! ✊ Take that, you stupid idiot.

        So, I have 2 crystal semi-spheres! 🤭

        Yay about “Fahrenheit 451”!

        You have enough books to read. I ended up reading some of Rand’s books because of the movie I did. It’s not just the clothes that need to be researched, there’s a feel to the
        characters, especially ones that are not fiction that I try to capture.

        Still, if ever, she is not w/o validity.

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        • An AI fail! 😂 Love it! And “semi-spheres” is the perfect term. And I can see why you read Ayn Rand. I have read some novels by conservative authors (and it only took a couple decades to recover from the post-traumatic stress 🙂 ).

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  10. “Long Island Purgatory” by Bradley Lewis doesn’t have a character engaged in activism but it’s a powerful, account the blockbusting and white flight in Laurelton, Long Island in the 1960s. It’s a well researched personal but fictional account, but it covers the subject.

    I had an activist character in “Secrets Held Against Evil” but she was largely dismissed in the narrative. That book would probably be banned in some places today.

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    • Thank you, Dan, for those two examples of books by Bradley Lewis and yourself! Blockbusting and white flight have happened far too often in the U.S. — as has book banning. None of those things are positive.

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    • Not that I’ve ready any (I keep on meaning to get round to it). Its a really good topic because it’s hard to find examples that have broken through into the canon of English and American Literature (or even popular fiction) – Its easy to find non fiction examples of activist writers (Noam Chomsky, Michael Parenti, Barbara Ehrenreich, Naomi Klein, Bell Hooks etc) but harder to come up with fictional characters.

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  16. This post of yours makes me think I don’t read enough books about activists, Dave! But I have two book characters to add to your list. A favorite novel of mine that isn’t well known is NOT IN THE CALENDAR (1964) by Margaret Kennedy, and the activist in it is Caroline Knevett, who becomes a passionate advocate for the deaf in the late 1800s. Another activist is Gerald Durrell, the British naturalist, who wrote MY FAMILY AND OTHER ANIMALS about his childhood in Corfu and went on to write I-don’t-know-how-many books about his life protecting animals and setting up a zoo.

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    • Thank you, Kim! I read “My Family and Other Animals” a few years ago, and found it really compelling.

      Animal-rights activists are among the most admirable people on Earth!

      “Not in the Calendar” also sounds excellent.

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  17. Here’s another, Dave. Mandras, from ‘ Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’. Returning from WWII to find that his fiancee no longer loves him, he goes to the mainland and joins ELAS, a communist activist organisation. He’s not well-educated, so doesn’t question the information he’s indoctrinated with, and he’s turned into a very unpleasant person. Ultimately he kills himself – a Greek tragic figure. 😪

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  18. How about Etienne and the miners’ strike in ‘Germinal’, Dave – with more than a little help from Souvarine, the Russian emigre activist? I’ll need a think about some more, but this I think is one of the best. 🙂 Thanks for your usual engaging post. 😊

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  19. Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffmann, Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey, The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, Cats Cradle by Vonnegut, and lastly Parable Of The Sower by Octavia Butler to name a few. Nice theme Dave. Thanks, Susi

    “Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears.” Octavia E. Butler

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    • Thank you, Susi! Great mentions! I’ve read all the novels you listed other than the Vonnegut one. Excellent Octavia E. Butler quote; she was quite a wordsmith, with a deep social conscience. Her “Kindred” novel tackling the issue of slavery is also extraordinary.

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  20. Dave, thank you for this compelling post and for the inspiring list of literary activists. This is a brilliant post and follow-up discussion. I’ve always believed that books are powerful catalysts for change. Each time we open a book — whether it’s The Grapes of Wrath, Mila 18, or countless others — we’re invited to walk beside those who speak truth, endure injustice, and imagine a better world. In reading their stories, we take a quiet step toward activism ourselves — one page, one heart-opening moment at a time. You brought to mind a few books that have inspired me.

    Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe — awakening abolitionist sentiment. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo — dignity and resistance amidst injustice. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee — courage in the face of systemic racism. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf — a rallying cry for women’s creative freedom.

    Books may not march in the streets, but they do something just as vital: they teach us to care. Thank you for continuing to champion thoughtful reading, Dave. Your reflections always open the door to deeper contemplation.

    As Uris wrote in Mila 18: “The answer is not in whether or not we fight. The answer is in the meaning of our fight.”

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    • Thank you, Rebecca! Excellent/eloquent thoughts, and very relevant mentions of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” “Les Misérables,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “A Room of One’s Own.” All classics with activism elements amid everything else in their pages.

      Books can indeed be “powerful catalysts for change,” though I wonder if they unfortunately now have somewhat less societal impact than in the 19th- and 20th-century days of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” “The Jungle,” “The Grapes of Wrath,” etc. But novels can still have a big impact on an individual reader’s psyche.

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      • Dave, I think you’ve articulated something very true—there may indeed be fewer novels today that catalyze widespread societal change in the way that Uncle Tom’s Cabin or The Jungle once did. But I also believe, as you say so well, that their ability to profoundly shape an individual reader’s psyche remains as strong as ever. I also believe (and in my experience) that is where change often begins. Quietly, internally, one person at a time. The fact that these books still stir reflection, empathy, and even resolve in readers today means their legacy is not just historical—it’s ongoing. I very much enjoy our conversations.

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      • Hi Dave, I have to add my two Pennie’s worth to your comment. There are far fewer books about societal ills published by traditional publishers. The ones that do get published are often singing from a well known song sheet and are ground breaking. I believe this is because traditional publishers won’t take any chances about commercial success and stick with same old. You can find more controversial books in the Indie publishing world but you have to look for good writers and writing as the quality is uneven.

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      • Thank you Robbie. It has been a wonderful couple of days. It was a great time to reflect on how much the blogging landscape has changed over the years. Every couple of years, I like to take a wide-angle look at where we are—what’s shifting, what remains constant—and consider how best to move forward in a way that stays true to both meaningful connection and my own creative rhythm. It’s an ongoing journey, and I’m so grateful to be walking it alongside thoughtful voices like yours. 💛

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  21. Love this post – I live in Brooklyn and was door-knocking and canvassing for Zohran – the response was great btw – apparently there were 30,000+ people volunteering. Jewish Voice for Peace got me involved.

    It showed that you can win elections being pro-Palestinian even in the most Jewish City in America.

    Joy unconfined when Cuomo conceded so early.

    So I would offer a few Nonfiction reads for this topic – is that allowed?

    Dude, Where’s My Country? by Michael Moore crossed my path around 2004. William Dalrymple’s work exposing the dark realities of the British and other Empires are truly ground-breaking work, and his podcast is fantastic. White Mughals was a good read.

    But my top book about activism is Nelson Mandela’s Long Walk To Freedom. Totally inspiring, totally essential read.

    Between The World & Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates is a good read too, and so is 33 Revolutions a Minute about activism in music, by Dorian Lynskey.

    And then the great activist and inspiration himself Harry Belafonte who died recently aged 100 wrote a wonderful book entitled My Song. Read this and then carry on with your life.

    Ralph Brown

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    • Thank you, Ralph! Congratulations on being one of the wonderful, hard-working volunteers who helped Zohran Mamdani win the primary! Jewish Voice for Peace is a fantastic group.

      Few politicians deserved to lose more than the repugnant Andrew Cuomo.

      Yes, views are thankfully changing enough where an American office-seeker can be pro-Palestinian rights and still win an election despite the far-right AIPAC pouring money into races and most mainstream politicians and mainstream media still being pro-Zionist despite the Gaza genocide.

      Mentions of nonfiction books definitely allowed, and you named some by very, VERY admirable people, past and present. I saw Harry Belafonte speak in person in NYC a number of years ago at an event remembering American volunteers in the Spanish Civil War (my wife’s father was one of them).

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  22. Am I ever late today! There’s a writer named Pam Lazos who has published a work of fiction called Oil and Water that is based around environmental concerns. She has a website called Green Life, Blue Water. I haven’t read her book yet but I intend to. And, my husband is working on an action/adventure/activist book based on the fracking industry in our area of the country.

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    • Thank you, Leah! In a certain way, environmental activists (whether real or fictional) are the most important activists of all given that if the Earth is ruined, there is nothing else. I appreciate the mention of “Oil and Water,” and the best of luck to your husband with his book!

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  23. Democratic party needs young leaders like Mamdami,he will not be bullied by DJ Rump ,Mamdami is not a communist, is a US citizen ,may very well be next Mayor of NYC,could help with Cuomo who maybe on ticket as I think Independent,Eric Adams is corrupt under vile DJT who will try to buy Adam’s 2nd term. He bought judges to exonerate Adams. We are living in horrible times,erosion of checks and balances Supreme Court contributing to erosion of our justice system. On 4th of July holiday,every day this disgusting man is president, we all need to be wide awake, our democracy is eroding our founding father’s turning over in their graves.

    Michele

    E & P way back

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    • Thank you, Michele! It IS a very dark time with Trump in power and conservative/corrupt politicians like Eric Adams cutting deals with the Oval Office ogre and/or spinelessly supporting him. A young progressive leader like Zorhan Mamdani is a small silver lining, at least. I hope he — and others like him — get elected this year and in years after that.

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  25. Hi again Dave! A fascinating angle for a discussion on political activism in fiction. None of the books you mention I am familiar with, although they do sound interesting. It sounds like there is a lot of political change/economic proposals going on in your country. It is a similar story over here in the UK!! All such rich material for fiction writers! Kindest regards, Sharon

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  26. Dave, your theme this week is spot on. Change is in the wind! Not surprisingly, I haven’t read most of the books you’ve mentioned. I found the environmental activists very compelling in Richard Powers’ award-winning novel The Overstory (2018).

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  27. Another interesting post, Dave! Inspiring to hear about Zohran Mamdani winning last month’s Democratic primary for New York City mayor. Although I can’t think of any activist-related books off the top of my head, Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code is now on my tbr list! 🌸

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    • Thank you, Ada! Yes, Zohran Mamdani’s win was very inspiring. 🙂

      “The Rose Code” is excellent, and the three women protagonists in it are all well drawn and very different from each other.

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