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

Alissa Quart is the author of Branded and Hothouse Kids. She has written features and opinion pieces for the New York Times, The Atlantic, O Magazine, The Nation, and many other publications. Her poetry has appeared in the London Review of Books and elsewhere. She lives in New York City.

Once past a rather long-winded introduction, Quart settles into a delightful rhythm, profiling fascinating people and sharing their distinct ways of forming connections and cultivating lives outside the mainstream. Quart’s subjects are often living thoroughly twenty-first-century lives, relying on the Internet and social media to form groups, reach out to like-minded individuals, and share their stories. But the author strays far from the expected, including the producers of the indie-film triumph Beasts of the Southern Wild and Kickstarter phenom musician Amanda Palmer. Readers will be surprised to see thoughtful inclusions of the “neurodiverse” (individuals diagnosed within the autism spectrum) and those defying standard classifications of serious mental illness and challenging our understanding of schizophrenia and bipolarity. More conventionally, Quart dives into the crafting world of Etsy and urban farming in New York City and Detroit, showing time and again that thinking and acting outside the box are often the only way many people can succeed professionally and in their communities. Lots of good food for thought and solid inspiration for those who feel stifled by traditional choices. --Colleen Mondor