BY GREG McCARTAN
Socialists who are members of industrial unions have set selling the new book from Pathfinder, Ernesto Che Guevara's Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War, as a central political task over the coming months. Branches of the Socialist Workers Party have also discussed sales goals, adopting ambitious quotas over the next six weeks (see chart below). Final goals will be printed in next week's Militant.
"This book presents the central question in world politics today," said Thabo Nwteng to a national meeting of socialists who are members of the International Association of Machinists held in Newark, New Jersey, January 27-28. "That of building a party capable of leading working people to power, and of opening the fight for socialism."
Written by Guevara in the early 1960s, the book is his firsthand account of the military battles and political events that culminated in the January 1959 popular insurrection that overthrew the U.S.-backed Batista dictatorship in Cuba. Guevara, Argentine by birth, became a central leader of the Cuban revolution, the first socialist revolution in the Americas.
Socialist workers who are members of industrial unions in New York and New Jersey started showing the book around on the job as soon as it was released by Pathfinder Press. They have received a good response.
At the General Motors plant in Tarrytown, New York, co- workers of socialists purchased three copies of the new book the first week it was out. The plant is organized by the United Auto Workers. George Chalmers showed Guevara's Episodes to a fellow union member who is Puerto Rican. "He immediately said, `I have to have that book,' " Chalmers reported.
Abby Tilsner sold two books, one to a long-time reader of the Militant, and another to a woman who joined the Pathfinder Readers Club and started purchasing books from Pathfinder the previous week. "She bought and read Malcolm X on Afro-American History and was interested in discussing Cuba, since Malcolm kept talking about Cuba in his speeches," Tilsner said. "I showed her the new book and encouraged her to buy it, which she did."
Lee Oleson said he has found particular interest among co-workers at the GM plant who are Dominican. One, who is considering buying the book, told Oleson that growing up in the Dominican Republic he found that "Che was widely admired. Cuba has solved many of the problems that the Dominican Republic has today."
Meeting new workers
Oleson said he and other socialists are using the new
book "to get out and meet workers we've never talked to
before. Some have never heard of Che Guevara, others know a
lot about the revolutionary leader.
"I am presenting the book as one that raises the question of political power," he said.
"One co-worker who has worked at the plant for 20 years got right to that point," Chalmers explained. "He pointed to the recent articles about the CIA working to overthrow the government in Iran and said, `We have to have the people take power' so Washington can't do this anymore."
Jane Harris, a member of the United Transportation Union who works at New Jersey Transit, and Olga Rodríguez, a member of the Machinists union who works at Northwest Airlines at the Newark airport, each said a co-worker of theirs bought a book just by seeing it. Harris said a railroad engineer "bought a Pathfinder Readers Club membership and a book at the same time. He was interested in it right away."
Over the coming weeks supporters are encouraged to send information to the Militant on how sales of the book are going, and how getting out the Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War helps the longer-term effort by socialists to increase the sales of Pathfinder books and pamphlets to workers and young people.
The Militant will print a weekly chart to track the success of the Episodes sales campaign. The deadline for reporting the week's results is Tuesday at noon Eastern Standard Time. Those who would like to join the sales effort can send their goal to the Militant and can order books from Pathfinder Press (see ad on page 8).
Sales of this book will be at the center of the effort by socialist workers and others to campaign against the imperialist war drive against Yugoslavia. Reaching out to other unionists on the job, at plant gates, picket lines, and a range of political activities with Episodes will pose sharply the question that the only way to stop NATO in its drive to overthrow the Yugoslav workers state is the revolutionary seizure of power by workers and farmers.
Promotional material available
Pathfinder has made available several promotional pieces
that will aid the campaign to sell the book.
A color poster is available for $.50 per copy. It is a enlargement of the book cover, and will stand out on college campuses, on the job, in retail stores, and elsewhere. New brochures advertising Pathfinder's Spanish-language titles can also be ordered for $.20 each.
The brochure advertises Episodes of the Cuban Revolutionary War, along with a range of titles in Spanish. Pathfinder sent out a press release on the book to 360 newspapers and journals in January. Supporters of the publishing house in many cities are sending copies of the release to local media, organization newsletters, and campus press.
Attractive displays in Pathfinder bookstores are a big aid in featuring the book.
Volunteers in the New York Pathfinder bookstore have set up an exhibit of photos printed in the book. The display was first used at a recent meeting to celebrate the life of Socialist Workers Party leader Ed Shaw. Other pictures, articles, and material published in the Militant can be used to prepare displays to be used at political events, on literature tables, and in Pathfinder bookstores.