From one of the most electric and consequential figures to emerge from the contemporary American labor movement, the remarkable story of his battle to create the first Amazon union in the U.S. and a powerful call to arms on behalf of the working class In the early days of the Covid pandemic, warehouse worker Chris Smalls and his colleagues continued showing up as the rest of the world was shutting down. A dedicated and experienced Amazon employee, increasingly frustrated by the inner workings of the retail giant, Smalls had already felt himself reaching a breaking point. So, when coworkers around him began falling ill, and with no transparency or assurances of safety coming from those in charge, he made the only choice left available to him. He staged a walkout with friend Derrick Palmer, eventually finding himself on the picket line without a job. But what began as a demand to keep essential employees safe in a crisis would grow into a movement devoted to achieving dignity and security for the American wage worker, sparking a groundswell of organizers at the most notable companies across the nation—including Starbucks, Trader Joe's, and Apple—and leading to lasting change for labor. When the Revolution Comes is the riveting inside story of how a young Black man from Hackensack, NJ with little-to-no resources led a scrappy band of Staten Island warehouse workers in an improbable fight against Amazon, the second largest private employer in the U.S., and won. This epic David-and-Goliath tale traces Smalls’ dramatic story, from a childhood spent navigating his dad’s stints in and out of prison to his early pursuits of a career in music; from his years of sacrifice and economic uncertainty as a father of three, fighting a miasma of warehouse managerial politics in an effort to make ends meet, to his ascension as the leader of a new generation’s labor movement. A deeply personal and eye-opening account of the creation of the Amazon Labor Union, When the Revolution Comes is both a searing exposé of what it’s like to be working class in America today as well as the empowering story of what is possible when the overworked, underpaid, and disempowered join together, a movement born in community. One of Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of the Year “With candor and fierce moral clarity, Chris Smalls takes readers behind the scenes of the most consequential labor uprising in modern history—and it’s one hell of a ride. What begins as a gripping personal narrative grows into a blueprint for worker-led resistance, full of stubborn hope and a timely reminder of what ordinary people can achieve, if only we come together.”­ —Jessica Bruder, author of Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century “ When The Revolution Comes is an honest, courageous, painful, and wildly inspiring story of one man's journey to make what seemed impossible, possible. Smalls leaves us with one of the most important lessons of social change—when we refuse to accept injustice, every day, and everywhere, for ourselves and for others, remarkable and transformative change is not only possible, it is inevitable.” —Alicia Garza, author of The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart “Chris Smalls is the everyman: a hard-working American who discovers that his ambition, his Blackness—and even his hope—threaten the multi-billion dollar corporations calling the shots in the U.S. An intimate and heartbreaking account.” —Rachel Slade, author of Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way) “Smalls is a tireless advocate for everyday workers, unafraid to speak truth to power: whether it’s standing up to corporate giants or calling out political leaders who fail to make good on their word. His clarity of vision and tenacity of approach are apparent on every page of this galvanizing story, which is nothing short of a clarion call for what we can achieve when we band together.” — Ericka Hart, author of Nasty Work: Resist Systems, Explore Desire, Liberate Yourself “Chris Smalls has given us one of the best autobiographies in American labor history, revealing with truth and humility the emerging consciousness of a young progressive, then elucidating with care the myriad challenges of a grassroots battle for workers' rights, one that has made him an inspiration to that struggle around the world.” —Philip Dray, author of There is Power in a Union: The Epic Story of Labor in America “ When the Revolution Comes is, like its author, vibrant and captivating. This highly readable account braids the story of Smalls' rough but lively youth with fresh insights about being working class and Black in America. The party promoter-turned warehouse worker-turned activist’s twisty memoir culminates with his recent labor organizing, which gave him a new sense of meaning. That feeling—of solidarity and power—is then transmitted to the reader. Smalls’ book is a rare com