Republic of Outsiders: The Power of Amateurs, Dreamers and Rebels - Hardcover

Alissa Quart is the author of Branded and Hothouse Kids. She is the senior editor of The Atavist, a nonfiction publisher for the e-reader, and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Journalism School. She has written for the New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and many other places and writes a cultural column for Columbia Journalism Review. She lives in New York.

A Publishers Weekly Best New Book for the Week of August 5, 2013

"With brief but telling glimpses of the many people she interviews, the author makes connections that wouldn’t otherwise be obvious and places her subjects in historical context. Hers is a liberating vision of interlocking subcultures making themselves up as they go along."
—The Columbus Dispatch

"Quart astutely identifies a cultural phenomenon that includes everyone from songwriter Jill Sobule to anti-establishment schizophrenics, and her careful reporting and vividly rendered characters make the book a vital, engaging read."
—Psychology Today
"Republic of Outsiders [is] an in-depth, informative and entertaining investigation of the counterculture movements flourishing in the United States...Quart's strong reporting applauds and supports all these walks of life."
—Shelf Awareness

"Even if you don’t consider yourself an outsider or a rebel, Quart's book has several lessons for creative work, particularly when it comes to making art outside a heavily commercial system."
—Fast Company

"We have met the revolution, and it is us. . . . a groundbreaking study of the increasing influence of cultural outsiders."
—The Philadelphia Inquirer

"And that, in the end, is our highest calling–to become ‘more wholly ourselves.’ Reading this book is a strengthening exercise toward that goal."
—Feministing

"Alissa Quart has given us a rare and fascinating glimpse into America's diverse and burgeoning creative subcultures. If there’s a Republic of Outsiders, I want to apply for citizenship!”
—Barbara Ehrenreich

"Alissa Quart is one of the smartest cultural interpreters of her generation. In Republic of Outsiders, she mixes sharp-eyed analysis with an empathetic heart. The result is a great read, and a brand-new lens through which to view outsiders, insiders—and ourselves."
—Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking

"As a determined 'outsider' myself, I feel both exposed and vindicated by Alissa Quart. This is an essential account of how and why fringe activism has become central to our culture and politics in a digital age."
—Douglas Rushkoff, author of Present Shock and Life Inc.

"A perceptive, analytical reporter. . . . Quart's profiles are thoroughly researched and admirably evenhanded. . . . . She effectively examines how outsider thinking can supplement, and in some cases supplant, mainstream methods."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A thought-provoking examination of counterculture through the eyes of those living life just outside the conventional box."
—Kirkus