Steve Fiffer

They are as diverse as America. Young and old. Of color and white. Urban and rural. Immigrants and native born. They are students and teachers. Athletes and artists. Lawyers, doctors, politicians, farmers, architects, novelists, and more. Names familiar and unfamiliar. Superheroes, figuratively—and in one case, real! They have founded major corporations and grassroots organizations or struck out on their own. But as diverse a lot as they may be, the people who tell their stories on these pages share one thing in common. Each is committed to fighting inequality and injustice. Each, too, can pinpoint a moment when they were moved to action, when it became impossible to sit on the sidelines and just watch: when the teacher uttered racial slurs, when no one in the college club looked like they did, when the city was on the brink of disaster, when the authorities came for their undocumented mother, when they discovered their ancestors enslaved people, when the cop stopped them in their own driveway, when there was no fresh food in their community, when their right to vote was threatened. In The Moment, New York Times bestselling author Steve Fiffer presents an oral history from today's social justice activists—many of them still under thirty years old—that is pitch perfect for these dissonant times. First-person accounts, that will inspire us to act, offer a blueprint for making change and, perhaps, most importantly, give us hope for the future.

The wisdom acquired during C. T. Vivian’s nine decades is generously shared in It’s in the Action, the civil rights legend’s memoir of his life and times in the movement. Born in Missouri in 1924, Vivian lived twenty-four years in Illinois before moving to Nashville, where he earned a degree in theology and joined John Lewis, Diane Nash, and others to integrate the city in 1960. After being imprisoned and beaten during the Freedom Rides, he joined Dr. King at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta and played leading roles in integration and voting rights campaigns in Birmingham, St. Augustine, and Selma. Over the next half century, he became internationally known for his work for education and civil and human rights and against racism, hatred, and economic inequality. In 2013, Barack Obama awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Vivian passed away peacefully in Atlanta on July 17, 2020.Vivian was never defined by discrimination and hardship, although he faced many instances of both. The late civil rights leader’s heart-wrenching and inspiring stories from a lifetime of nonviolent activism come just in time for a new generation of activists, similarly responding to systems of injustice, violence, and oppression. It’s in the Action is a record of a life dedicated to selflessness and morality, qualities achieved by Vivian that we can all aspire to. Bearing a foreword from Andrew Young, the memoir is an important addition to civil rights history and to the understanding of movement principles and strategies.

In the spring of 2001, George W. Bush selected Dallas attorney Robert W. Jordan as the ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Jordan's nomination sped through Congress in the wake of the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and he was at his post by early October, though with no prior diplomatic experience, as Saudi Arabia mandates that the U.S. Ambassador be a political appointee with the ear of the president. Hence Jordan had to learn on the job how to run an embassy, deal with a foreign culture, and protect U.S. interests, all following the most significant terrorist attacks on the United States in history.From 2001 through 2003, Jordan worked closely with Crown Prince Abdullah and other Saudi leaders on sensitive issues of terrorism and human rights, all the while trying to maintain a positive relationship to ensure their cooperation with the war in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq. At the same time he worked with top officials in Washington, including President Bush, Dick Cheney, Colin Powell, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice, George Tenet, and Tommy Franks. Desert Diplomat discusses these relationships as well as the historic decisions of Jordan's tenure and provides a candid and thoughtful assessment of the sometimes distressing dysfunction in the conduct of American foreign policy, warfare, and intelligence gathering. Still involved in the Middle East, Jordan also offers important insights into the political, economic, and social changes occurring in this critical region, particularly Saudi Arabia.

Have you ever had a million-dollar idea that someone else made a million on? So You've Got a Great Idea can help you be that one person who cashes in on an innovative product, service, business, or novelty item. Like Marvin Rosenblum, who made the most of Spiro Agnew's reputation(he also produced the movie "1984"), and ann Moore, who created the Snugli, you too, can take your idea from the drawing board to the bank.Steve Fiffer shows you how to tell whether your idea is a winner or a clunker and, through entertaining profiles of successful innovators, helps you decide how to follow through on it: Should you sell the idea to an established business or go into business for yourself? Do you want to work on the idea full-time or part-time? At home or in an office? You'll also discover the advantages and disadvantages of professional services, whether to apply for a patent, how to use government agencies and find financing.Here are stories of ordinary people who have had extraordinary ideas that have changed their lives. You will read about:Gordon and Carole Segal, who were struck with the idea for Crate and Barrel over their kitchen sinkKip Fuller, who created the Servitron Robot because he couldn't afford a caterer at his Christmas partyJeffrey Ullman, who combined his talent for making documentaries with a knack for sales and opened one of the first video dating services in America.Lynn Tatar, whose talent for chocolate novelties transformed her kitchen into The Amazing Chocolate Factoryand moreHaving a great idea is one thing; making a great idea make money is what this book is all about.