From the desk of Rivera Sun comes a novel about the refusal of the human heart to submit to destructive authority.
“In a time that looms around the corner of today, in a place on the edge of our nation.”
Under a gathering storm of tyranny, Zadie Byrd Gray whirls into the life of Charlie Rider and asks him to become the voice of the Dandelion Insurrection. With the rallying cry of life, liberty, and love, Zadie and Charlie fly across America leaving a wake of revolution in their path. Passion erupts. Danger abounds. The lives of millions hang by a thin thread of courage, but in the midst of the madness, the golden soul of humanity blossoms . . . and miracles start to unfold!
Read more excerpts from The Dandelion Insurrection . . .
“The Dandelion Insurrection is as small as baking bread in your oven, and as large as bringing down dictators.”
The Dandelion Insurrection is the story of nonviolent revolution in the United States. This book offers through its story many tools and strategies developed by countless leaders throughout history, including Gandhi, Dr. King, Cesar Chavez, and Professor Gene Sharp. From marches to cazerolazo pot-and-pan protests to strikes to Victory Gardens for the People; the Dandelion Insurrection shares ideas that have changed the world. (You can see a sneak peak of the book in our gallery!)
“Be like the dandelions, spring up in intolerable soils, dare to stand up against violence, and blossom into love!”
More Praise for The Dandelion Insurrection
“This is THE handbook for the coming revolution!” -Lo Daniels, editor, Dandelion Salad
“Close your eyes and imagine the force of the people and the power of love overcoming the force of greed and the love of power. Then read The Dandelion Insurrection. In a world where despair has deep roots, The Dandelion Insurrection bursts forth with joyful abandon.” – Medea Benjamin, Co-founder of CodePink
“I predict it will be a major contributor to the change in history that WE are all being called to write together.” -Malathy Drew, founder of Whispering Energy
“This novel will not only make you want to change the world, it will remind you that you can. Let The Dandelion Insurrection take root in your heart.” – Gayle Brandeis, author of The Book of Dead Birds, winner of the Bellwether Prize for Socially Engaged Fiction
“I love this book! It beautifully captures the revolution of love that is sweeping the globe, told as an epic novel that will set your heart on fire. A rare gem of a book, a must read, it charts the way forward in this time of turmoil and transformation. If you loved Occupy Love, you will love the Dandelion Insurrection!” – Velcrow Ripper, director Occupy Love, Genie Award Winner
More Quotes from Readers and Reviewers:
“Rivera Sun’s The Dandelion Insurrection takes place in a dystopia just a hop, skip and jump away from today’s society. A fundamentally political book with vivid characters and heart stopping action. It’s a must and a great read.” – Judy Rebick, activist and author of Occupy This!
“The seeds of Rivera Sun’s The Dandelion Insurrection are sure to blow across the hearts of all who read this important novel, a beautifully written book just like the dandelion plant itself, punching holes through the concert of corporate terror, and inviting all to join in the insurrection.” – Keith McHenry, co-founder of the Food Not Bombs Movement
“With all its twists of plot, and myriad of characters, it is not only entertaining, it offers a lot of insights as to how the citizens of the US can reclaim their country from the corporations and political stooges which have taken it over.” -Guadamour, reviewer (read full review)
“You are a great part of today’s MOVEMENT!” -Joe Hock, OWS, March Against Monsanto
“The words penetrate the mind, heart, and soul of the reader in a way that is powerful and captivating.” -Rebecca Blackwell
“A life-changing novel … that describes how we, the people, could take our rights back from the powers that be (politicians, bureaucrats, and the corporate fatcats who own them) by peaceful action.” -Karen Lane
“This book had me at hello.” – Chris Moats, reader
“Written on the winds of hope, this book presents a political prophesy showing how a people united can defeat corporate/statist tyranny through the force of their will.” Steven Jonas, MD, MPH, author of The 15% Solution: How the Republican Religious Right Took Control of the U.S.: 1981-2022: A Futuristic Novel.
“Be kind, be connected, be unafraid. With this slogan of the Dandelion Insurrection, Rivera Sun beckons us to address the crises of our day with kindness, in community and from courage. With these tools, we can change the world one heart, one home, one block at a time.” – Anne Symens-Bucher, Canticle Farm
“Rivera Sun knows how to articulate what is going on in our country and the world and that’s a gift. I wish I could say this is some far away future that could never happen here but alas it’s already arrived.” Jill Dalton, actor, author
“The Dandelion Insurrection is reminiscent of George Orwell’s masterpiece “1984,” the chilling prophecy about the possible future in a totalitarian state. Rivera Sun’s new book is a wakeup call about a possible military-industrial complex take over in the United States. This opus is a well-written allegory of what could happen in the future and how only through the power of love we can make real change in the world. Like Bayard Rustin who brought the concept of non-violent change from Gandhi’s India to the civil rights movement in the 1950s, Ms. Sun has eloquently shown us how ordinary citizens can transform a repressive society through the power of nonviolence and love. This book is a must read for anyone concerned about the future of the planet.” – Ted Zeff, Ph.D. author of “The Highly Sensitive Person’s Survival Guide” and “Raise an Emotionally Healthy Boy: Save Your Son from the Violent Boy Culture.”
“It’s rare phenomenon when a writer can move a reader to tears in the beginning chapters of a fictional novel. Wherein an inconceivable swelling heart calls the Soul forward to imagine its grand mythic journey as part of a great consciousness movement that delivers a bright future. Rivera Sun paints poetry on the canvas of ‘possibility and potential’, while pressure washing the grim dirty distortions of corporate/government/military collusion to reveal humanity’s fertile common ground smothered by capitalism’s greed for profit at all costs. ‘The Dandelion Insurrection’ is a personal invitation to engage life, love, and liberty as an evolutionary revolutionary dedicated to thriving cooperatively with the natural world, and each other, for shared existence to continue blossoming … like dandelions.” – Kevin ‘StarFire’ Spitzer, ‘Conciliation Sunday’ radio host, KZSC, Santa Cruz, writer, mentor, visionary thinker.
“This is a very inspiring read…I got even more fired up about what I want to create for our world at this time. My doubts and hesitations were dissolved. I am now full of courage and fire. Thank you Rivera; your words are contagious!” – Sheila Ramsey, Personal Leadership Consultant
“If you are seeking to understand our evolved world and how to unite and prosper, I urge you to read “The Dandelion Insurrection”. It reflects intelligent thinking that can revolutionize who we are as a civilization. You will read about ideas that connect with your knowing on a deep level because make perfect sense. It is great entertainment and an educational tool that can make a difference in living and understanding our world. We are all looking for ways to harmonize, unify, love and collaboration in order to create the harmony we all need and desire. “The Dandelion Insurrection” is a must read.” – Lauren Taite Vines CHO (Chief Happiness Officer) Ruts to Rainbows and author of The New Dawn on Planet Earth
“To weave reality into imperative fiction is the work of creative genius. Rivera Sun has me weeping with gratitude as she brings to character the real people who now place their bodies on the line because there is simply nothing left to do but this, to rise with courage, hearts opened wide in belief of the common thread. Rivera writes the revelation of revolution in timeless fashion. Dandelion Insurrection is a prayer seven billion hearts strong and counting.” – Megan Hollingsworth, Founder at Extinction Witness
“Honoring her name, sister Rivera Sun, nourishes us with her warm rays of kinship, waters our hearts with the story telling of courage, and composts our fears and oppressions into the soil of insurgent fearless love. Moreover, her kind-connected-unafraid means keep igniting the supernova’s aliveness of the Total (R)evolution of the human spirit one dandelion, one star, at a time to form an entire galaxy of love warriors and love magicians, coming from the North and the rest of the seven directions, now, today.” – Pancho Ramos Stierle, Occupy Oakland, Peace Activist
[…] “We are the ivy crawling up the buildings, the moss breaking down the bricks, and the dandelions shooting up in the sidewalks. We’re as vast as the planet and as microscopic as infectious disease. The Dandelion Insurrection isn’t a handful of radicals. It’s all of Life itself!” – from The Dandelion Insurrection […]
[…] “We are the ivy crawling up the buildings, the moss breaking down the bricks, and the dandelions shooting up in the sidewalks. We’re as vast as the planet and as microscopic as infectious disease. The Dandelion Insurrection isn’t a handful of radicals. It’s all of Life itself!” – from The Dandelion Insurrection […]
[…] “We are the ivy crawling up the buildings, the moss breaking down the bricks, and the dandelions shooting up in the sidewalks. We’re as vast as the planet and as microscopic as infectious disease. The Dandelion Insurrection isn’t a handful of radicals. It’s all of Life itself!” – from The Dandelion Insurrection […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] The Man From the North is a fictional writer in Rivera Sun’s novel, The Dandelion Insurrection. The novel takes place in the near future, in “a time that looms around the corner of today”, when a rising police state controlled by the corporate-political elite have plunged the nation into the grip of a hidden dictatorship. In spite of severe surveillance and repression, the Man From the North’s banned articles circulate through the American populace, reporting on resistance and fomenting nonviolent revolution. The novel can be found at http://www.riverasun.com/online-store/the-dandelion-insurrection/. […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] borrow a potent and descriptive phrase from my novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, the Love-In-Action Network is “what happens when the heart breaks open with love and springs […]
[…] of our times and rallies us to meet adversity with gusto. In addition to her most recent novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel,Steam Drills, Treadmills, […]
[…] The Man From the North is a fictional writer in Rivera Sun’s novel, The Dandelion Insurrection. The novel takes place in the near future, in “a time that looms around the corner of today”, when a rising police state controlled by the corporate-political elite have plunged the nation into the grip of a hidden dictatorship. In spite of severe surveillance and repression, the Man From the North’s banned articles circulate through the American populace, reporting on resistance and fomenting nonviolent revolution. The novel can be found at http://www.riverasun.com/online-store/the-dandelion-insurrection/. […]
your page possibly being blocked by fb could not post your page?/
i hve been blocked several times today
we will prevail and abide
I haven’t had any problems with it. I will check again.
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
Hi Rivera
I have just discovered your site and book and although haven’t ordered yet I would like to quote from it for an essay due shortly at uni – I am currently studying Sustainability Management @ Murdoch University, Perth Western Australia. Is it possible for you to give me the correct bibliography Chicago Style Reference.
Thanks
[…] The Man From the North is a fictional writer in Rivera Sun’s novel, The Dandelion Insurrection. The novel takes place in the near future, in “a time that looms around the corner of today”, when a rising police state controlled by the corporate-political elite have plunged the nation into the grip of a hidden dictatorship. In spite of severe surveillance and repression, the Man From the North’s banned articles circulate through the American populace, reporting on resistance and fomenting nonviolent revolution. The novel can be found at http://www.riverasun.com/online-store/the-dandelion-insurrection/. […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] co-founder of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and the author of two novels, The Dandelion Insurrection and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars. […]
[…] crazily, I meditate and write. After months of scrawling my pencil across the reused drafts of The Dandelion Insurrection, a six inch stack of words pulses beside me . . . the next novel is growing as surely as the round […]
[…] Action- The Man From The North, Liberty & Strategy For All: In her novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, author Rivera Sun gives us our near future history as the people of the United States rise up in […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and the author of two novels, The Dandelion Insurrection and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting […]
[…] her last novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, came out just last […]
[…] Justice, Analysis – The Man From The North: Dandelions In Disguise: In her book, The Dandelion Insurrection, and in her Man From The North essays, author/activist Rivera Sun offers us visions shimmering with […]
[…] The Dandelion Insurrection […]
Just testing the system here.
Miigwech (Thank You), sister Rivera, for testing the system on my birthday. your new book blew into my life today like a cloud of dandy lyons from my dear friend Tom Hastings in Portland. You and I, dear new sister, have many years left to play in the flowers our seeds produce (I sow milkweed seeds for the butterflies….and I stop mining companies in Wisconsin)… and together as the older one and the newer one we shall awaken this land with smile power. Glad to find out you live in an earthship, long have I admired Michael Reynolds and his beautiful mind. Up here we build cordwood houses because we have lots of trees.
This, dearhearted woman is our first conversation…… and long will it continue,
Sandy Lyon
dibisku geshigukwe
Mnay blessings on you, sister! Can’t wait for our adventures together!
This is another test.
[…] Sun is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars, the cohost of Occupy Radio, and the cofounder of […]
Every now and then I test the email forwarding and posting functions. Thanks for understanding. Rivera
[…] The Dandelion Insurrection […]
Looking forward to enjoying your book – and hopefully meeting you one day.
Love/peace, Elizabeth (SUCH a fan you have in Ken!)
This book of poetry and art is a prayer for the wisdom to care for this planet with courage and compassion, and to share its life giving resources equitably. Love is not the easy way out, it is simply the only way to go. The living, conscious planet is warning us that human belief systems which do not consciously honor, observe, understand, and mimic natural life systems … are destined to fail. Forever.
http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000934829/My-book-of-dreams.aspx
[…] are steeped in a culture of violence, but as I was researching in preparation for writing my novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, which depicts a nonviolent movement in a slightly fictional United States, I was surprised to […]
[…] Sun is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and other books. Find her online […]
[…] Sun is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and other books. Visit her website at www.riverasun.com. She is syndicated by […]
[…] days, I visited central, coastal California, teaching nonviolence workshops, reading from my novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, and talking with friends and organizers about Campaign Nonviolence and the growing culture of […]
[…] for Campaign Nonviolence and Pace e Bene. She is the author of three social protest novels, The Dandelion Insurrection, Billionaire Buddha, and Steam Drills, Treadmills, and Shooting Stars. She is the cohost of Occupy […]
[…] local Love-In-Action Network group, speaking with a homeschooling family and friends who have read The Dandelion Insurrection. One youth, Grace Silvermoon, not only contributed drawings that appear in the study guide to […]
[…] is of course her novel The Dandelion Insurrection and its companion, The Dandelion Insurrection Study Guide. The novel was written as a realistic […]
[…] of the Love-In-Action Network, a co-host on Occupy Radio, and, in addition to her new novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, she is also the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, […]
[…] of course, along with her partner, Dariel Garner. To understand Rivera Sun, read her novel, The Dandelion Insurrection. Zadie Byrd Gray, the passionate activist and organizer criss-crossing the country connecting, […]
[…] The Dandelion Insurrection […]
[…] you know, I am the author of a delightful little piece of fiction, The Dandelion Insurrection, which is winning friends across the nation. It is an eerily prophetic story, one which posited a […]
[…] you know, I am the author of a delightful little piece of fiction,The Dandelion Insurrection, which is winning friends across the nation. It is an eerily prophetic story, one which posited a […]
[…] Sun is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection, and other books, and the cofounder of the Love-In-Action […]
That book speaks beautifully to my heart.
Victor Posnikov
Dandelion Times
editor
[…] The Dandelion Insurrection […]
[…] you have not read The Dandelion Insurrection, by Rivera Sun, you must. Why? Because it is an antidote. It is sunshine on mildew. Saliva on […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and other books, and the Programs Coordinator for Campaign Nonviolence. […]
[…] The Dandelion Insurrection […]
[…] a good read I said to myself when I had finished The Dandelion Insurrection by Rivera Sun. And unusual. A delicious story with nourishing political content spiced with […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance, and other books, including a study guide to making change […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance and other books, including a study guide to making change […]
[…] Sun sings the anthem of our times and rallies us to meet adversity with gusto. In addition to The Dandelion Insurrection, she is the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, Treadmills, […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance and other books, including a study guide to making change […]
[…] movements. She is the author of nine books and novels focusing on nonviolence, including The Dandelion Insurrection, The Roots of Resistance, and The Way Between. For four years, she cohosted […]
[…] movements. She is the author of nine books and novels focusing on nonviolence, including The Dandelion Insurrection, The Roots of Resistance, and The Way Between. For four years, she cohosted […]
[…] novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, begins in the St. John Valley in Northern Maine. I chose this location for many reasons, one of […]
[…] Sun sings the anthem of our times and rallies us to meet adversity with gusto. In addition to The Dandelion Insurrection, she is the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, Treadmills, […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance, Rise and Resist – Essays on Love, Courage, Politics and […]
[…] share tactics and strategies, and they also share artistic themes. When I wrote my novel, The Dandelion Insurrection, using the dandelion as a symbol of resistance, numerous readers wrote to me about its use by […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance, Rise and Resist – Essays on Love, Courage, Politics and […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance, Rise and Resist – Essays on Love, Courage, Politics and […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Sun sings the anthem of our times and rallies us to meet adversity with gusto. In addition to The Dandelion Insurrection, she is the author of nine plays, a book of poetry, and her debut novel, Steam Drills, Treadmills, […]
[…] Man From the North is a fictional writer in Rivera Sun’s novel, The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance. The novel takes place in the near future, in “a time […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance, Rise and Resist – Essays on Love, Courage, Politics and […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrectionand The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrectionand The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
[…] Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrectionand The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her […]
As reviewed elsewhere:
Dandelion Insurrection – Resurrection
If you decide to get your hands on this “novel” and read it you may be shocked at how timely it is now in April 2020, though written and then published in 2013?!
The young woman from Maine who now lives in Navajo territory is gifted in many ways, and prophesy may be one of them?
I felt like I was reading Orwell or Huxley, Abbey and Dillard even?! But Rivera Sun has her own way of telling, and it is worthy in its own right.
Are you ready to be kind, be connected, be unafraid? Welcome to the Insurrection, to the Resurrection.
}:- a.m. aka Patrick Perching Eagle
Hi Patrick,
Nice to hear from you. I’m glad you’re enjoying the writing so much. To clarify, I live closer to Taos Pueblo, which is not Navajo territory, but rather the home of the Red Willow People.
I am honored by your kind words about the novel.
Be well, Rivera
Hi, I have been reading the excerpts from The Dandelion Insurrection that you have posted online and am struck by the “Midwife to Change” excerpt particularly the quote “I have to find the mothers of this world…” Could I know the page numbers that I could find this quote on? Thank you!
Hi Tayz. That quote is on page 219. Enjoy. – Rivera
[…] Rivera Sun syndicated by PeaceVoice, is the author of The Dandelion Insurrection and the sequel, The Roots of Resistance, Rise and Resist – Essays on Love, Courage, Politics and […]