Before reading this book, I agreed with nonviolent resistance in theory, but I honestly couldn't say that I was convinced of its effectiveness. I didn't understand what it could accomplish beyond generating sympathy in the dominant group.

After reading this book, I understood. I could see it with such clarity and now I am committed to it.

I am also proud of my faith. At the outset of the book, Thurman explains that he is not going to address the theological aspects of Jesus' teachings, but rather focus only on the political lens to see how those teachings can help our earthly struggles in the here and now. I often think it is unhelpful and defeatest, unchristian even (in the sense that karma, reincarnation, and caste are not Christian concepts), to be like "Continue to suffer patiently in this life, and in the next life you will be rewarded for your quiet submission to the status quo." So I felt invigorated when Thurman throws that drivel out the window and repeatedly asks "How can Jesus help someone whose back is against the wall, now?"

I am excited when I think about how these principles can be applied to our struggles for equality and justice in regards to not just race, but also gender, climate change and environmental destruction, and capitalism.