Ben Wikler at the Cambridge Public Library
About this Event
Harvard Book Store and the Cambridge Public Library welcome Ben Wikler—political organizer and strategist who served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from July 2019 to July 2025—for a discussion of his new book, This Is The Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy. He will be joined in conversation by Danielle Allen—James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, acclaimed author of Our Declaration, and the forthcoming book Radical Duke, releasing June 2026.
Ticketing
RSVP for free to this event or choose the "Book-Included" ticket to reserve a copy of This Is The Plan and pick it up at the event. Following the presentation will be a book signing.
Note: Books bundled with tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand. Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at Harvard Book Store up to 30 days following the event. This offer expires after 30 days. Please note we cannot guarantee signed copies will be available to ticket holders who do not attend the event.
About This Is The Plan
From the most successful Democratic operative of the last decade, a revelatory account of what you—yes, you—can do to defeat Trumpism.
If you are looking at the spiraling crisis of American politics in the Trump era and wondering how the hell we get out of this mess, This Is the Plan is the book you’ve been waiting for.
Ben Wikler led the Democratic Party of Wisconsin to a string of improbable victories in a state with a political system so rigged that it was dubbed a “democracy desert”—which is, coincidentally, Trump’s goal for the whole country.
Now, in This Is the Plan, Wikler distills lessons from the front lines in America’s most closely divided state to map out a comprehensive plan to dictator-proof American government, defeat MAGA at every level of the ballot, and build a future of democracy, opportunity, and freedom for all.
It will be a blast. The plan is to, as he writes, “have fun storming the castle—in a civil, metaphorical, and non-January-6th-y way.”
Drawing on decades of organizing, from local races (including a race for county coroner that hinged on the issue of zombification) to presidential showdowns, Wikler brings us behind the scenes to explore the hidden structures of power that shape our politics and our lives, and takes us into the art and science of winning elections. As he details a people-powered path out of the political wilderness, Wikler reveals what you personally can do to move the needle.
This Is the Plan reveals, year by year and step by step, a vision not only to end America’s collapse into authoritarianism but also to reconnect us to our neighbors—and, fighting side by side for democracy, to build meaning, community, and joy.
Bios
Ben Wikler is the author of This Is the Plan: How to End America’s Meltdown and Save Democracy, which draws on his experience leading Wisconsin’s political comeback to outline a step-by-step strategy for readers to undo Trumpian authoritarianism and make the country work for everyone. While Ben served as chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from 2019 to 2025, Wisconsin Democrats won 10 out of 13 statewide races—including Joe Biden’s presidential win in 2020, Tony Evers’s reelection in 2022, and Tammy Baldwin’s victory in 2024, as well as three state Supreme Court landslides that flipped the majority and ended the state’s extreme partisan state legislative gerrymander. Wikler has spent over two decades at the forefront of progressive advocacy and political action. Before leading the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Wikler worked for MoveOn, where he helped spearhead campaigns to protect the Affordable Care Act and resist the Trump agenda. Growing up in Madison, Wisconsin, he was active in campaigns, advocacy, and writing headlines for The Onion. He now lives in Wisconsin with his wife Beth, three kids, and enormous dog, Pumpkin.
Danielle Allen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and author of Justice by Means of Democracy, Cuz, and Our Declaration, winner of the Parkman Prize. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the American Academy of Sciences and Letters, she lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Co-Sponsor
The Cambridge Public Library serves as a doorway to opportunity, self-development, and recreation for all its residents, and as a forum where they may share ideas, cultures, and resources among themselves and with people around the globe. Learn more at cambridgema.gov/cpl.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 34.45
