Steve Early

In 2012, journalist Steve Early left New England and settled in Richmond, Calif. A small town of mostly working-class residents, Richmond was the site of poverty, substandard housing and a high homicide rate. Here, Early witnessed something inspiring: the reclamation of a community through local politics. In his 2017 book Refinery Town: Big Oil, Big Money and the Remaking of an American City, the author describes the community organizing that paved the way for Richmond citizens to raise the minimum wage, fight foreclosures and take on a big oil giant. “This timely book offers ideas for making change where it counts the most — among friends, neighbors and fellow community members,” writes Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in the volume’s forward.