Be the Change: The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Story

This intelligent 84-page book is a fresh and unique portrayal of "co-Senators" Paul and Sheila Wellstone, as told to a group of middle-school reporters from Minneapolis. It is especially useful for students of civic engagement, grassroots politics and American political history. It includes chapters on domestic violence and mental health legislation that Paul and Sheila championed, as well as a synopsis of the historic 1990 election that brought an unusual college professor into the hallowed hallways of the U.S. Congress. Interviews with Wellstone family, friends, and colleagues -- including U.S. Senator Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar -- were conducted to understand why Senator Wellstone and his wife are still so important to many people, long after a plane crash took their lives on October 25, 2002.  Sons Dave and Mark Wellstone (who sat down with the youth for his first interview about his parents) contributed to this book in order to help illustrate what it means to Be the Change. Excerpt: What finally convinced Paul to run for public office was when he visited high schools to talk to students about politics. He would ask them to write down the first word that came to mind when they thought about politics. "Their comments were devastating," Paul wrote. "They used words like 'fake,' 'phony,' 'corrupt,' 'promises never kept,' 'big money.' Rarely was there a positive comment." Find other excerpts at: http://www.be-mondopublishing.com/#!excerpts/ctk0