the ralph nader reader

New York: Seven Stories Press, 2000. Second printing [stated]. Trade paperback. Good. x, 441, [5] pages. The cover has some wear and soiling. Signed with sentiment by Nader. Reads For Justice Ralph Nader. Foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich. Notes. Ralph Nader (born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes, and a perennial presidential candidate. He became famous in the 1960s and 1970s for his book Unsafe at Any Speed, which criticized the automotive industry for its safety record and helped lead to the passage of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966. Nader attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Published in 1965, Unsafe at Any Speed became a highly influential critique of the safety record of American automobile manufacturers focusing on General Motors' Corvair automobile in particular. Following the publication of Unsafe at Any Speed, Nader led a group of volunteer law students in an investigation of the Federal Trade Commission, leading to that agency's overhaul and reform. Nader leveraged his popularity to establish a number of advocacy and watchdog groups including the Public Interest Research Group, the Center for Auto Safety, and Public Citizen. Two of Nader's most notable targets were the Chevy Corvair and the Ford Pinto. Nader made four bids to become President of the United States, running with the Green Party in 1996 and 2000, the Reform Party in 2004, and as an independent in 2008. Nader said he sought to highlight under-reported issues and a perceived need for electoral reform. Four generations of Americans have come to associate Ralph Nader with the political issues that have defined our age, be it car safety in the 1960s or the anti-WTO demonstrations that recently shut down Seattle. His work has successfully shaped the Left, increased government accountability, made possible new laws, and served as a powerful check against abuses of corporate power. In this landmark collection, the essays that reveal the intellectual, social, and political underpinnings of this legendary citizen advocate are brought together for the first time. In The Ralph Nader Reader, we follow the trajectory of Nader's concerns from 1956 to the present and his personal evolution from consumer advocate to presidential candidate. The result is a monumental book, an invaluable resource for anyone interested in a unique vision of democracy that places citizenship over consumerism, communities over corporations, and public interest over private power.