In cities across the United States, grassroots organizations are working to revitalize popular participation in disenfranchised communities by bringing ordinary people into public life. By engaging local residents in collective action to achieve common goals, community organizing expands the democratic process and enables people to create strong communities that serve their needs.

This book examines the techniques these organizations use to achieve their goals. Through the stories of ten organizations working in economically and racially diverse urban neighborhoods (in Chicago and...