Now What? - by Gene R Nichol (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Commentator Gene Nichol offers inspiration and ideas for blazing a progressive path forward in North Carolina, a decidedly purple state.

In the 2024 election cycle, there was good news and bad news for North Carolina progressive politics. The people elected a Democratic Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, and managed to obtain a tiny toehold with the General Assembly. However, Trump prevailed in the state and nationally-leaving a large number of progressives with a lot of political energy and no place to go. So, what now? What next? Gene Nichol writes to those who are well aware of the issues that North Carolina and the country at large now face. This book tackles the all-important question of how progressives can continue to move the state forward, tackling the opposition and their own flagging spirits.

Review Quotes

"The changes in North Carolina are shocking and depressing. Gene Nichol was either in the ring or agitating from a front row seat. He knows this sad story because he was there. The war is still raging. And he's still fighting."-John Grisham, author of The Guardians and The Firm

"Gene Nichol has become the Tar Heel State's progressive conscience."--Rob Cristensen, longtime North Carolina political reporter, columnist, and author of Southern News, Southern Politics: How a Newspaper Defined a State for a Century

"The 'core, absolutist principle' of North Carolina's Republican lawmakers is to 'cut taxes for the richest Tar Heels, ' concludes Gene Nichol in Now What: How North Carolina Can Blaze a Progressive Path Forward. In his probing analysis, Nichol deftly exposes the Republican Party's assault on democratic governance, their success in funneling billions into private schools, their refusal to address the needs of our most vulnerable citizens, and their opposition to measures that respond to the existential threat of climate change. But the very fact that they rely upon 'pretext, sham, and outright lies' to conceal policies they know are unpopular gives progressive North Carolinians an opportunity to respond with 'aggressive truth telling.' As Gene Nichol shows us: relentless truth telling can galvanize progressives and citizens across the state. Read it, and take heart."--Dan T. Carter, author of Unmasking the Klansman and From George Wallace to Newt Gingrich

"Bracing and necessary, Now What? How North Carolina Can Blaze a Progressive Path Forward should be required reading for any Tar Heel outraged about the "fully rigged field" state Republicans built to steal our wealth, poison our environment, and destroy our once-great system of public education. The brilliant Gene Nichol once again shows us the path out of this mess, with a clear, rousing call to every one of us to pull together as the multiracial, multigenerational democracy we're meant to be. Read it, give copies to friends, and spread the word."--Belle Boggs, president of the NC conference of the American Association of University Professors and author of The Art of Waiting

"A sharp, necessary read for anyone who believes that North Carolina still belongs to the people, not just the powerful. Gene Nichol reminds us that with courage and clarity, we can reclaim our democracy."--Sen. Sydney Batch, Senate Democratic Leader, District 17--Wake County, North Carolina General Assembly

"Now What? brilliantly and precisely details how the Republican North Carolina General Assembly assumed authoritarian status by rigging legislative maps to win elections and then amassed dominance over the executive and judicial branches of government to capture democracy. Gene Nichol lays out how this happened while outlining a new crusade for economic justice for working people and a state government that serves us all."--Representative Marcia Morey, North Carolina State House of Representatives, District 30

"Gene Nichol has been a consistent voice in defense of democracy in North Carolina. In his columns, and in this book, he has both diagnosed the maladies our state faces and the genuine prescriptions that will get us back on track. Anyone who supports a better Tar Heel State could learn from this work."--Rep. Robert Reives, House Democratic Leader, District 54, Chatham, Randolph counties

About the Author

Gene R. Nichol is a law professor, commentator, and author of Indecent Assembly: The North Carolina Legislature's Blueprint for the War on Democracy and Equality (Blair) and The Faces of Poverty in North Carolina: Stories from Our Invisible Citizens. He was director of the UNC Poverty Center until it was closed by the UNC Board of Governors for publishing articles critical of the then governor and General Assembly.