Republic of Outsiders: The Power of Amateurs, Dreamers, and Rebels

"Vivid portraits" of individuals and subcultures by a writer who "unmasks the assumptions we make about what counts as normal" (The New York Times).

They are outsiders who seek to redefine fields from mental health to diplomacy to music. They push boundaries and transform ideas. They include filmmakers crowdsourcing their work, transgender and autistic activists, and Occupy Wall Street's "alternative bankers." These people create and package themselves in a practice cultural critic Alissa...