Bending the Bow

How Ordinary People Spark
Visionary Social Movements

by Christine Marie Mason

If you want to be inspired, informed and encouraged on how we as a human species advance toward freedom and sovereignty for all beings, this book is for you.

Humanity is on a centuries-long trajectory towards sovereignty and self-determination for all beings. This evolution is based on the conviction that all life is sacred, that all beings are interconnected, and that a better world for each person is possible. But it is not an easy road. Big shifts disrupt the status quo, and can awaken fear and resistance. All great social change requires visionaries: brave and outspoken leaders who can stay committed, stable, supple and joyful while working towards great social change. Bending the Bow tells the stories of early activists in eight of the great social movements- people far ahead of the general population in their ability to sense a needed change. Christine highlights the common attributes, beliefs and skills these people possessed. It looks at the underlying structures that helped their visions to achieve lift-off.

Individual sovereignty is a spiritual matter. While we are born into nation states, we belong to the earth, inherently valuable, intelligent, beautiful and free.

-Bending the Bow

At some point you have to choose between safety and sovereignty. You can't be a man or woman in full while cowering from those in power.

-Bending the Bow

Great change agents come to terms with the possibility of their own premature death. This changes the way they lead.

-Bending the Bow

Every charismatic activist is surrounded by 4 to 6 key insiders, all filling predictable roles. It's this pod that makes a movement; noone does it alone.

-Bending the Bow

Previous slide

Next slide

Reviews

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great Leaders Surround Themselves With Great Teams.

October 25, 2019

"This is a really good book. Christine is a gifted writer who is able to capture the subtle details that make a moment in history stick to your brain like taffy. In addition to being an engaging storyteller, Christine is also a disciplined systems thinker who has been able to examine the inner workings of a broad swath of social movements and distill them down to a simple set of roles and models of interaction, creating a pattern language or playbook for social change."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A blueprint for social change.

"Reminiscent of Howard Zinn’s A People's History of the United States, Bending the Bow will help you look at social change in a new frame, one in which hero-worship and the great man/woman theory of history are replaced with a more nuanced and accurate view of justice work as a team effort. In her new model, the lone pioneer is replaced by a “pod” made up of members with complementary skills all working toward a common interest. If you are looking for a blueprint for social change or simply want to take a look at history through a new lens, I recommend that you buy this book."

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Anyone Can Make A Difference.

"I really loved this book. We've all been told stories of great people who have made huge differences in securing and upholding freedom in history. This book takes a closer look and uncovers that these people were not only ordinary people themselves, but that they were surrounded by other ordinary people that helped them. It becomes clear in reading it that ANYONE with enough conviction and willingness to put in the effort can make a difference in social movements. Highly Recommended!"

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Valuable Takeaways.

“This is the first book I’ve found that goes beyond just describing a movement leader. The insights into how each leader rallied, selected, and maintained their support teams to significantly contribute to their impact were also valuable takeaways for me. Highly recommended.”