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Christopher W. Shaw

Investigating the essential role that the postal system plays in American democracy and how the corporate sector has attempted to destroy it.

"With First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat, Christopher Shaw makes a brilliant case for polishing the USPS up and letting it shine in the 21st century."—John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation and author of Coronavirus Criminals and Pandemic Profiteers: Accountability for Those Who Caused the Crisis

"First Class is essential reading for all postal workers and for our allies who seek to defend and strengthen our public Postal Service."—Mark Dimondstein, President, American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO

The fight over the future of the U.S. Postal Service is on. For years, corporate interests and political ideologues have pushed to remake the USPS, turning it from a public institution into a private business—and now, with mail-in voting playing a key role in local, state, and federal elections, the attacks have escalated. Leadership at the USPS has been handed over to special interests whose plan for the future includes higher postage costs, slower delivery times, and fewer post offices, policies that will inevitably weaken this invaluable public service and source of employment.

Despite the general shift to digital communication, the vast majority of the American people—and small businesses—still rely heavily on the U.S. postal system, and many are rallying to defend it. First Class brings readers to the front lines of the struggle, explaining the various forces at work for and against a strong postal system, and presenting reasonable ideas for strengthening and expanding its capacity, services, and workforce. Emphasizing the essential role the USPS has played ever since Benjamin Franklin served as our first Postmaster General, author Christopher Shaw warns of the consequences for the country—and for our democracy—if we don’t win this fight.

Praise for First Class:

Piece by piece, an essential national infrastructure is being dismantled without our consent. Shaw makes an eloquent case for why the post office is worth saving and why, for the sake of American democracy, it must be saved."—Steve Hutkins, founder/editor of Save the Post Office and Professor of English at New York University

"The USPS is essential for a democratic American society; thank goodness we have this new book from Christopher W. Shaw explaining why."—Danny Caine, author of Save the USPS and owner of the Raven Book Store, Lawrence, KS

"Shaw's excellent analysis of the Postal Service and its vital role in American Democracy couldn't be more timely. … First Class should serve as a clarion call for Americans to halt the dismantling and to, instead, preserve and enhance the institution that can bind the nation together."—Ruth Y. Goldway, Retired Chair and Commissioner, U.S. Postal Regulatory Commission, responsible for the Forever Stamps

"In a time of community fracture and corporate predation, Shaw argues, a first-class post office of the future can bring communities together and offer exploitation-free banking and other services."—Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen

City Lights Publishers

Open Media Series

First Class: The U.S. Postal Service, Democracy, and the Corporate Threat

Stan Cox

This book evolved from the crises of 2020: fighting a pandemic, climate catastrophe, and racial injustice.

The author's previous book The Green New Deal and Beyond was published in April 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, so it, obviously, suffered from those limitations.

Whereas The Green New Deal and Beyond exclusively focuses on climate policy, The Path examines the lessons to learned from 2020 to fight for climate justice and racial justice and prevent the next pandemic.

The book, unlike any other, shows the crises' common causes and urgently argues that the best way to eradicate each is together.

Cox's call for political change and cross-border solidarity will resonate deeply with those who support Black Lives Matter, environmental justice movements, and efforts to prevent future pandemics.

Cox's plan’s for reversing climate change is detailed and clear.

Stan Cox’s publishing profile, career, and agricultural work positions him has as a credible, common-sense voice for the necessity of making changes to national policy, social norms, and individual lifestyles.

Written in clear language for all types of readers, the book’s proposed solutions are concrete, common sense, and accessible.

Foreword authored by Zenobia Jeffries Warfield, Executive Editor of YES Magazine and a leading contributor on matters of racial justice.

The author has a strong media track record to build upon. This includes including A-list media interviews for his previous books on NPR Morning Edition, Marketplace, NPR's "1A", MSNBC, On Point, Here and Now, 99 Percent Invisible podcast, The Weather Channel, WNYC/NPR's The Brian Lehrer Show, CBC Radio, Salon, Architect Magazine, VICE Motherboard, ABC News, Chicago Tribune, Economist, Daily Mail, and FOX Business. Feature stories in New York Times, LA Times, Boston Globe, Macleans, and National Post. Op-eds in Washington Post, NY Times, Guardian, Yale e360, & Al Jazeera.

The Path to a Livable Future: A New Politics to Fight Climate Change, Racism, and the Next Pandemic