Marshall Ganz, chief organizer for the United Farmworkers, and significant contributor to Howard Dean’s and Barack Obama’s runs for the Presidency, has just released his long awaited book, “Why David Sometimes Wins: Leadership, Organization, and Strategy in the California Farm Worker Movement.” You’ll want to get your hands on it as soon as possible. Meanwhile you can follow the conversation at TPM Cafe BookClub.

In this book I show that it was neither the “ripeness of the times” nor the “charisma” of the leaders that can explain this result. The explanation, rather, lies in how they devised strategy or their “strategic capacity.” I show that their depth of motivation, appreciation of the value of their unique resources and commitment to learning from their experience – and the arrogance of their opponents – enabled the farm workers to devise better strategy and, as a result, prevail. In this they emulated David who committed to the fight motivated by outrage at injustice and hopefulness of calling; who recognized his unique skill, as a shepherd among soldiers, of slinging stones; who creatively re-imagined Goliath as a wolf threatening the flock; and who took advantage of the arrogance of his opponent.

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