As a 12-yr-old in apartheid South Africa, Marisa Handler wasn't planning on becoming an activist. But her course was set on a day in a South African school yard when she defended her parents vote for the Progressive Federal Party—the only legal party in the apartheid state that advocated equality for all. Despite the condemnation of her schoolmates, young Marisa stood her ground, declaring that, "a black person could be president," of South Africa.

This schoolyard debate was the first step in a journey that would take Handler all over the world.

In Handler's new book, Loyal to the Sky, a vivid mix of personal memoir and political reportage, she combines the story of her own coming-of age with a fascinating inside look at the global justice movement.

Handler soon emigrated with her family to Southern California to escape the apartheid system. At first, the teen-aged Marisa thought that the egalitarian myth of America was also its reality. But over time she came to the gradual realization that racial and social injustice existed even in this more open, democratic society. In high school she experienced racism and sexism firsthand. But these formative years also led to a spiritual awakening in which Marisa embraced a progressive form of Judaism, and later, Buddhism.

In Loyal to the Sky, Handler vividly describes her work as an organizer and journalist in Israel, India, Nepal, Ecuador, Peru and all across the United States, both covering and leading protests. She sketches memorable portraits of the people she encountered and the sometimes harrowing events that changed and shaped her. Along the way she offers an insider's perspective on what drives the global justice movement and describes how large-scale protests are planned and executed. She demystifies direct action—the confrontational tactic the movement is known for—and describes how she came to advocate a spiritually based, nonviolent activism.

"For readers interested in liberal political activism in this new century, including war protests in 2003, the FTAA protests in Miami, and protests during the Republican National Convention in New York, [Loyal to the Sky] is a must-read... A deeply intelligent, absorbing call to action." --Emily Cook, Booklist