When the Revolution Comes: A Fight for the Future of the Working Class

When the Revolution Comes: A Fight for the Future of the Working Class

$36.00

Review Quotes: "Taking on an enormous corporation isn't for the faint of heart; thank goodness Smalls . . . has a heart strong enough to keep struggling for his colleagues. . . . As he...

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Review Quotes:
"Taking on an enormous corporation isn't for the faint of heart; thank goodness Smalls . . . has a heart strong enough to keep struggling for his colleagues. . . . As he lays out his tumultuous personal journey . . . [Smalls] also lays out a manifesto for embracing change, even when it's imperfect." --Los Angeles Times

"An electrifying story of how one of the least visible--and most important--people in global commerce turned the pandemic into an opportunity for change." --Our Culture

"With candor and fierce moral clarity, Chris Smalls takes readers behind the scenes of the most consequential labor uprising in modern history--and it's one hell of a ride. What begins as a gripping personal narrative grows into a blueprint for worker-led resistance, full of stubborn hope and a timely reminder of what ordinary people can achieve, if only we come together."­ --Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century

"Reading this wonderful book, I can hear Chris Smalls's powerful voice as he exposes the abominable exploitation of young workers in the online retail sector. This book provides inspiration and hope for so many who have been ground down by corruption and poverty." --Jeremy Corbyn

" When The Revolution Comes is an honest, courageous, painful, and wildly inspiring story of one man's journey to make what seemed impossible, possible. Smalls leaves us with one of the most important lessons of social change--when we refuse to accept injustice, every day, and everywhere, for ourselves and for others, remarkable and transformative change is not only possible, it is inevitable." --Alicia Garza, author of The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart

"Chris Smalls is the everyman: a hard-working American who discovers that his ambition, his Blackness--and even his hope--threaten the multi-billion dollar corporations calling the shots in the U.S. An intimate and heartbreaking account." --Rachel Slade, author of Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way)

"Smalls is a tireless advocate for everyday workers, unafraid to speak truth to power: whether it's standing up to corporate giants or calling out political leaders who fail to make good on their word. His clarity of vision and tenacity of approach are apparent on every page of this galvanizing story, which is nothing short of a clarion call for what we can achieve when we band together." -- Ericka Hart, author of Nasty Work: Resist Systems, Explore Desire, Liberate Yourself

"Chris Smalls has given us one of the best autobiographies in American labor history, revealing with truth and humility the emerging consciousness of a young progressive, then elucidating with care the myriad challenges of a grassroots battle for workers' rights, one that has made him an inspiration to that struggle around the world." --Philip Dray, author of There is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America

" When the Revolution Comes is, like its author, vibrant and captivating. This highly readable account braids the story of Smalls' rough but lively youth with fresh insights about being working class and Black in America. The party promoter-turned warehouse worker-turned activist's twisty memoir culminates with his recent labor organizing, which gave him a new sense of meaning. That feeling--of solidarity and power--is then transmitted to the reader. Smalls' book is a rare combination--a unionist how-to and a rollicking yarn about finding your true self in unexpected places." --Alissa Quart, author of Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America

"In an age of cloud serfdom, Chris Smalls is Prometheus unbound. His book is our instruction manual for cutting Amazon's knot and reclaiming hope and dignity." --Yanis Varoufakis, author of Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism

"Riveting. . . . Smalls tells his David-and-Goliath tale with earnest conviction . . . provid[ing] prospective union leaders with a step-by-step, easy-to-follow handbook on forming a union."
--Library Journal, starred review

"Delivers a powerful message, highlighting the injustices faced by many workers in large corporations. Smalls' evolution--from organizing social gatherings to leading a coalition of workers--is both inspiring and significant, making this an important read for anyone interested in labor politics and history and the harsh realities of the workplace."-- Booklist

"Smalls's plainspoken narrative . . . offers a fascinating glimpse behind the curtain of American labor organizing. It's an inspiring self-portrait." --Publishers Weekly

"An absorbing account of work--and unlikely organizing victories--at one of the world's most powerful companies." --Kirkus

"Smalls is a true inspiration." --Lit Hub

Biographical Note:
Chris Smalls is the co-founder and former president of the Amazon Labor Union. Under his leadership, the ALU successfully unionized an Amazon warehouse: a historic victory for workers' rights in America. A Fortune "40 Under 40" honoree, he was named to the Time 100 list of the most influential people of 2022, alongside his fellow union organizer Derrick Palmer. When the Revolution Comes is his first book.

Table of Contents:
Prologue: Jobs 3

1. Early Days 20
2. Enemies of the State 33
3. A Personal Introduction to Labor 39
4. The Art of Competition 47
5. The Sound of Bullets 55
6. The Art of Promotion 65
7. Weaponized Incompetence 87
8. Dark Times in Connecticut 102
9. Back Home to What? 125
10. COVID 140
11. Walkout 146
12. A Movement Begins 158
13. The Congress of Essential Workers 180
14. Trouble in Bessemer 196
15. Union Busting 209
16. Victory 233
17. No One to Trust 241
18. When the Revolution Comes 270

Acknowledgments 285

Publisher Marketing:
From one of the most electric and consequential figures to emerge from the contemporary American labor movement, the remarkable story of his battle to create the first Amazon union in the U.S. and a powerful call to arms on behalf of the working class

"With candor and fierce moral clarity, Chris Smalls takes readers behind the scenes of the most consequential labor uprising in modern history--and it's one hell of a ride." --Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland

In the early days of the COVID pandemic, warehouse worker Chris Smalls and his colleagues continued showing up as the rest of the world was shutting down. A dedicated and experienced Amazon employee, increasingly frustrated by the inner workings of the retail giant, Smalls had already felt himself reaching a breaking point. So when coworkers around him began falling ill, and with no transparency or assurances of safety coming from those in charge, he made the only choice left available to him. He staged a walkout with friend Derrick Palmer, eventually finding himself on the picket line without a job. But what began as a demand to keep essential employees safe in a crisis would grow into a movement devoted to achieving dignity and security for the American wageworker, sparking a groundswell of organizers at the most notable companies across the nation--including Starbucks, Trader Joe's, and Apple--and leading to lasting change for labor.

When the Revolution Comes is the riveting inside story of how a young Black man from Hackensack, New Jersey with few to no resources, led a scrappy band of Staten Island warehouse workers in an improbable fight against Amazon, the second largest private employer in the United States, and won. This epic David and Goliath tale follows Smalls from a childhood spent navigating his dad's stints in and out of prison, to his years of sacrifice and economic uncertainty as a father of three, to his ascension as the leader of a new generation's labor movement.

A deeply personal and eye-opening account of the creation of the Amazon Labor Union, When the Revolution Comes offers both a searing exposé of what it's like to be working class in America and inspiring evidence of what is possible when the overworked, underpaid, and disempowered join together, a movement born in community.

Review Citations:

  • Kirkus Reviews 03/15/2026 (EAN 9780593700631, Hardcover)
  • Publishers Weekly 04/06/2026 (EAN 9780593700631, Hardcover)
  • Library Journal 05/01/2026 pg. 123 (EAN 9780593700631, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
  • Booklist 05/01/2026 (EAN 9780593700631, Hardcover)