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Shop nowHealing Politics
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Learn moreA child of immigrants, Abdul El-Sayed grew up feeling a responsibility to help others. He threw himself into the study of medicine and excelled—winning a Rhodes Scholarship, earning two advanced degrees, and landing a tenure-track position at Columbia University. At age thirty, he became the youngest city health official in America, tasked with rebuilding Detroit’s health department after years of austerity policies.
But El-Sayed found himself disillusioned. He could heal the sick—even build healthier and safer communities—but that wouldn’t address the social and economic conditions causing illness in the first place. So he left health for politics, running for governor of Michigan and earning the support of progressive champions like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders.
In Healing Politics, El-Sayed traces the life of a young idealist, weaving together powerful personal stories and fascinating forays into history and science. Marrying his unique perspective with the science of epidemiology, El-Sayed diagnoses an underlying epidemic afflicting our country, an epidemic of insecurity. And to heal the rifts this epidemic has created, he lays out a new direction for the progressive movement. This is a bold, personal, and compellingly original book from a prominent young leader.
Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, and progressive activist. He was appointed health director of Detroit at thirty years old. He is a former professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He holds a doctorate in public health from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and a medical degree from Columbia University.
Abdul El-Sayed is a physician, epidemiologist, public health expert, and progressive activist. He was appointed health director of Detroit at thirty years old. He is a former professor at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. He holds a doctorate in public health from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and a medical degree from Columbia University.
Ady Barkan is a social justice activist who has built three programs at The Center for Popular Democracy: the Be A Hero and Fed Up campaigns and the Local Progress network. He was a law clerk to the Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin in the Southern District of New York and prior to that he was a Liman Fellow with Make the Road New York, where he represented low-wage workers seeking to recover unpaid wages and obtain safe and dignified working conditions. He graduated from Yale Law School and Columbia College. He lives with his wife Rachael and their young son Carl in Santa Barbara, California. Eyes to the Wind is his first book.
Reviews
“Abdul El-Sayed understands something very profound. That at the end of the day, no matter how much wealth and power the big moneyed interests have…that at the end of the day, what is more important than their money is ordinary people coming together in the struggle for economic, social, racial, and environmental justice.”
“This book is a majestic act of hope grounded in a life of great empathy and courage…in a breathtaking journey that uplifts our spirits in these grim days.”
“El-Sayed diagnoses the true epidemic of our moment: the scourge of insecurity…It’s a manual for real, deep, and utterly necessary change.”
“Achingly felt and carefully reasoned, this book explains the forces that are shattering our communities—and the politics of empathy that can repair our relationships and transform society.”
“Relevant personal experience as a doctor and politician lend credibility to El-Sayed’s discourse and explanation of how politics fail people and blame victims…Well-informed, this book successfully captures a troubling political reality and offers potential solutions to improve living conditions for all Americans.”
“Abdul is one of our most gifted communicators Healing Politics…[brings] a sorely needed sense of empathy and humanity to the debate over how to mend our fractured society.”
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