At 350.org we've always wanted to work from the bottom up, and it's good to see people assembling a theoretical framework for understanding this decentralized approach! (Bill McKibben, founder 350.org, author, The End of Nature)

Rob Kall shows us that the high tech information revolution set the stage for a political and social evolution the connectivity of which has the capacity to transform everything, everywhere. We have only to say 'yes' to tap the power of this interconnection, participating in it from where we stand. (Dennis Kucinich former U.S. Representative (D-OH) and 2004 and 2008 Democratic presidential primary candidate)

The Bottom-up revolution is fueling tremendous change in politics, commerce, and how people relate to each other. Rob Kall's book, Bottom-up, provides a powerful guide to how organizations can understand and tap bottom-up's power. (Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist)

"Kall's well-researched book integrates knowledge from philosophy to economics and ecology. He shows us how, all over the world and across many fields of endeavor, we humans are organizing new and rewarding ways of acting for the common good. His book is both idealistic and realistic and gives us a vision of what we all most need -- hope for the future." (Mary Pipher, psychologist, and #1 NYTimes best-selling author of Reviving Ophelia and Writing To Change The World)

"We are in the midst of a profound change of paradigms: from seeing the world as a machine to understanding it as a network. Rob Kall has interviewed many of the leaders, both thinkers and activists, of this global cultural transformation. In this eminently readable book he weaves their statements, values, and ideas into a coherent and inspiring whole. Bottom-Up is a joy to read! (Fritjof Capra, author of The Web of Life and The Hidden Connections, coauthor of The Systems View of Life)

Rob Kall's book, Bottom-Up points the way to a more caring and connected world. This stimulating book combines realistic facts with idealistic optimism at a time when both are so urgently needed. (Riane Eisler, author of The Real Wealth of Nations and The Chalice and the Blade)

The bottom Up Revolution that you describe in your book is the only way we're ever going to see a revolution or an evolution. The top down is what we have today and the minority, they control our society lock-stock-and-barrel. What we need is a majoritarian control and that's what you're talking about, and that's only going to come from the bottom up. I exhort people get your book, read it and digest it. That's the answer. Senator Mike Gravel

Yes, the Internet can be used for something other than extracting value and data from human beings. Rob Kall is here to show us how to leverage the power of networks to actually network. (Douglas Rushkoff, Digital thought leader, author of Present Shock)

"Putting real power into the hands of voters and consumers, has made bottom-up approaches massively disruptive for politics and brands. It's the present and future of politics and business. Rob Kall's book, Bottom-up pulls together the wisdom and experience of some of the leading thinkers who have brought the bottom-up revolution to full bloom" Joe Trippi, pioneering Internet campaign manager of Howard Dean, digital campaign consultant.

The Bottom-up Revolution really changed my way of thinking. It was eye-opening on so many levels. I recommend it to everyone. I think it's great. I really enjoyed it. Marjorie Kelly, Executive Vice President and a Senior Fellow with The Democracy Collaborative, and co-author of The Making of a Democratic Economy and author, Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution

The Bottom-Up Revolution is wonderfully thought provoking and engaging. Topics range from parenting and patriarchy to connection, organizing and reaching people, with so much in between. Rob Kall's exploration of how bottom up ways of being and thinking can transform our lives -- and they already do -- is wide ranging and deep with solidly supporting scientific, psychological, historical and technological arguments. See this book as a reference and a tool for those people wanting to create new ways of relating to one another and in our world together." (Marina Sitrin, Attorney, Assistant Professor of Sociology at Binghamton University , Author of Everyday Revolutions: Horizontalism & Autonomy in Argentina and co-author of They Can't Represent US! Reinventing Democracy From Greece to Occupy)

Just as The Tipping Point provides an explanation for big changes, Rob Kall offers a unified explanation for the magic behind the success of the biggest tech companies, the Arab Spring, Occupy and the social media revolution" An important, big picture, visionary approach weaving together technology, economics, evolution, science and personal relationships-- even happiness-- to describe a wave of change as significant as the invention of the printing press that is well under way-- a wave that could rescue the planet from the Top down system that afflicts the planet. (Thom Hartmann host of nationally syndicated radio show, The Thom Hartmann Program, since 2003 and a nightly television show, The Big Picture, since 2008)

Bringing Rob Kall in as a consultant on making my business and its website more Bottom up was incredibly valuable. Rob's out of the box member registration system suggestions led to a multi-leveled engagement process designed to maximally connect clients with the company, which took the company and the website to the next level. Rob's coaching in Bottom up thinking played a strong role in enabling me to sell my company for over a million dollars. (Don Brown Founder, the International Wireless Industry Consortium (IWPC))

"Human survival depends on learning to organize the way all successful living communities organize as they adapt to ever changing local conditions--from the Bottom-Up. A timely contribution to confronting the transformation imperative confronting humanity." (David Korten, author of When Corporations Rule the World; The Great Turning; and Change the Story, Change the Future)

"We need a more Open digital world -- that's good for business, the economy and the future of humanity. To get there is going to take "bottom-up" effort and Rob Kall's book is an exciting roadmap for how that can happen." (Rufus Pollock, author of "The Open Revolution", Founder of Open Knowledge, and formerly Mead Fellow in Economics at the University of Cambridge

Rob Kall's writings on the "Bottom up" revolution have real potential to show people that they can hold power accountable and improve justice. A book on this subject could help to repair the economic, legal, social, and political fabric of the United States. (Paul Craig Roberts former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, former editor and columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Business Week and Scripps Howard News Service)

Wonderful work! An insightful, integrative adventure into what makes humans flourish. Rob Kall shows us that we know how to do this, that most of human history was about connection and that there are ways to make it happen again. He offers real solutions and practical suggestions for taking back the world for community, connection and wellbeing away from hierarchy, exclusion and destruction. A new handbook for the necessary revolution! (Darcia Narvaez, professor of psychology, Notre Dame, University, author of Neurobiology and the Development of Human Morality: Evolution, Culture and Wisdom)

"Rob Kall's book, Bottom-Up, offers valuable ways of seeing and powerful tools for enabling new power and connectivity to work to change the hope and promise for the future." (Jeremy Heimans, CEO & Co-founder of Purpose and coauthor of New Power )

The most effective ways to create a more inclusive, fair-for-all future will be from the bottom up. Rob Kall's book lays out how that would look with a hopeful, pragmatic vision that will change the way you see the world. (Dave Zirin, is the sports editor for The Nation, a columnist for The Progressive, and the author of eight books on the politics of sports, including What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States and A People's History of Sports in the United States)

Rob Kall has been in on the modern bottom-up revolution from the ground floor. While the last two years have put the dangers of social media and connectivity at the forefront of our national debate, Rob Kall knows as well as anybody the infinite positive potential of our new world. (Jesse Lee, former White House Director of Rapid Response and Social Media Director for Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi)

"Rob Kall demonstrates how the Bottom-Up revolution has ushered in a business, political and social upheaval the likes of which we've never seen. The Bottom-Up Revolution is a must read book that you need, to understand how this revolution affects every area of your life and the opportunities it is creating. (Jim Donovan, author, "happy@work - 60 Simple Ways to Stay Engaged and Be Successful)

"Ever growing inequality and intense and growing political distortions have radically aggravated the top-down imbalance of power, undermining democracy. Rob Kall's book, Bottom-Up is a guide to taking back humanity's shared legacy of shared responsibility. A stimulating read and an important contribution!"(Gar Alperovitz, author of What Then Must We Do? Straight Talk About the Next American Revolution)

Rob's Bottom up consulting for Thought Technology over the years, to help us incorporate Bottom up thinking in our business and product development, has been very valuable. It is a truly disruptive technique, well worth considering, which is well explained in his book. (Hal Myers, Ph.D., president, Thought Technology, Ltd., member, Board of directors, Ten to the Ninth Foundation (formerly Singularity University)

"We're at a paradigm-shift moment in history, where we will look back at it and realize that a particular model of how we govern our affairs together became outdated. Kall's book Bottom-Up offers great alternatives and solutions that are not found in conventional governing models. (Carne Ross is a former British diplomat, a strategy coordinator for the UN, and author of the book, The Leaderless Revolution)

Rob Kall is a social media force of nature. Accessible, insightful and forward thinking. BOTTOM UP provides the kind of cutting-edge and savvy thinking that will move anyone's business forward at an accelerating pace. Highly recommended. (Jonathan Maberry NY Times bestselling author, editor and lecturer)

One of the primary means of human communication, internal and external, is storytelling. Here, in BOTTOM UP, Rob Kall is challenging humanity to tell itself a new story, one designed to free us from hierarchicalism to a more egalitarian, interconnected web of meaning. (Steven Barnes, television writer (Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, Stargate) and author of LION'S BLOOD")


Rob Kall is tapping, in exploring, assessing, and clarifying this important new way of thinking that has been influenced by the civil rights movement, women's movement, new more effective ways of doing business. This will be an important book that can make changes in our world. (Dr. Linda Seger author of twelve books, including the bestselling Making A Good Script Great, Spiritual Steps on the Road to Success and The Better Way to Win)

Rob Kall's Bottom Up is a revaluation of values, not the empty mouthingof the word "democracy" that is so common, but the application of belief in popular wisdom to every aspect of life. Actually believing that the views of more people is better means a new way of thinking about the world that is democratic, feminist, localist, populist, and radically richer than the elitist perspectives that are more common even in the parts of the world that shout the word "democracy" the most. Here we come to understand both the power of small groups and the upsides to internet crowd sourcing, the potential of nonviolent movements and ways in which the past has not been what we supposed. Don't just read this book; get lots of people to read and talk about it. (David Swanson host, Talk Nation Radio, author of War No More: The Case for Abolition)

Rob Kall's book, Bottom Up, offers a compelling vision of a way of being in the world, bringing insights from different cultures and fields together while offering concrete steps to make the vision a reality. This is one of the rare books that, once you read it, will change the way you see the world and your relationships. (Helena Norberg-Hodge Author, Ancient Futures, Producer and co-director of the film The Economics of Happiness, Founder of Local Futures and co-founder of the International Forum on Globalization)



Rob Kall's book is amazing He's created a real break-through, visionary how-to for a sustainable, quality future. Like Saul Alinski's Rules for Radicals, this book is destined to become a classic must-read for all those concerned with social, economic, and environmental justice in today's interconnected world. Story shapes the world and our world needs new stories if we are to survive and thrive. The story of the Bottom up evolution and revolution is one that can change individuals, groups, businesses, religions, and governments for the positive as it shows how Bottom up inclusiveness, connectedness, collaboration, empathy, innovation, and freeform creativity can help unleash the great potentials for good inherent in our very nature. If you want to improve things in your world and the world, first read this book, then apply the suggestions. Change is sure to come. (Pamela Jaye Smith Mythologist, Author Inner Drives, Power of the Dark Side, Symbols Images Codes, award-winning writer-producer-director)

Rob Kall has certainly acquired the first-hand experiences and knowledge gained through interview to deliver some interesting insights about the "Bottom up" information revolution. Whereas the old "Top down " systems created stove-pipes and excessive secrecy that blocked information sharing and led to the "failure to connect the dots" before 9-11, the Bottom up approach should be the main fix. Kall's concept would seem to interface equally well with the founding fathers' idealism in setting forth their democratic theory of governance as with the realism that makes the multi-sourced, Bottom up Wikipedia work. As someone who shares my support of both government and corporate whistleblowing--which is nothing more than encouraging greater horizontal sharing of information, I commend Rob Kall's important work on this topic. (Coleen Rowley former FBI special agent and TIME magazine's "Persons of the Year" in 2002)


In his new book, Bottom Up, Rob Kall's exploration of Top down and Bottom up forces in our culture, our brains and our planet provides a deep insight into the challenges we face. He offers pathways we can use to create the changes we need to break free of the war economy and build local peace economies. (Jodie Evans co-founder, Code Pink, Chair, Women's Media Center)

Humans have spent 99% of our developmental time in the wild kingdom, which tutored us in what Rob Kall calls Bottom up values"-small, local, interdependent, respectful, egalitarian and decentralized"-and which the world desperately needs in order to balance out some of the darker impulses of Top down values. His faith that Bottom up values represent a critical re-balancing act for humanity, if not an outright better mousetrap, is compelling and hard-won, and I offer him a high-five for his courageous inquiry into the deep wisdom inherent in our age-old intimacy with natural rhythms, native intelligences, and interconnectedness. (Gregg Levoy author of Callings (Random House) and Vital Signs (Penguin))

"Rob explores the difference between a natural, organic, bottom-up connection consciousness and our corporately imposed Top down hierarchical collective consciousness. What Rob is speaking about is the difference between an artificial and ultimately stagnate way of organizing the world and a natural, organic growth, which starts with a seed, sends downs roots and sends up shoots which blossom. By returning to a Nature-based theory of connection, the Bottom up revolution brings us back into alignment with Earth's laws, returning humanity to its place in creation. Like a good gardener, Rob works into the soil of his thesis different voices that exemplify how this Bottom up Revolution is expanding in politics, business, religion, personal self-awareness and story. And he places technology where it belongs--as a tool to further our connection consciousness, not an end in itself. The Bottom up revolution is about democracy finally living up to its original ideals, where we the people decide what we need from our society." (Cathy Pagano, author, Wisdom's Daughters: How Women Can Change The World)

"Rob Kall's book, The Bottom Up Revolution has really caused me to relook and reframe many of my thoughts on where our connectedness using social media tools like LinkedIn is headed, and not just for career trajectory but for life. If you are looking for a new perspective on our sometimes zany digital world we live in, this book will keep you reading and may ultimately revise but for sure challenge your current paradigm." (Wayne Breitbarth, author of The Power Formula for Linkedin Success: Kick-Start Your Business, Brand, and Job Search)

"In this book, Rob Kall is fueling a discussion that is long overdue, one that can perhaps shake us out of our current herd mentality back to true community and intertwined purpose. His Bottom up discourse may serve to turn us all upside down just long enough to view our current politic from a different perspective". (Dr. Mari K. Swingle, Author, i-Minds: How Cell Phones, Computers, Gaming and Social Media are Changing Our brains, Our Behavior and the Evolution of Our Species.)

"Rob Kall's book, Bottom up: The Connection Revolution, is both a welcomed manifesto and a guide for rethinking the power of human agency, understanding the connections that both make us human and legitimate human planetary relations. Moreover it is a powerful call for providing the ideas, social practices, and relations that make human connections possible, enable them to work together from the Bottom up, and to transform such connections into a powerful movement in which people take control of their lives and create a better future for everyone." (Henry Giroux is the Director of the McMaster Centre for Research in the Public Interest. He is the author of Zombie Politics in the Age of Casino Capitalism, America's Education Deficit and the War on Youth, and dozens more.)

Rob Kall already had a serious understanding of the Internet and its implications for media and democracy while I was still figuring out how to use email. Some see Internet connectivity solely as a means toward power and profit; Rob's book, Bottom up, sees and offers it as a vehicle for bettering society and ourselves. (Jeff Cohen, Founder, FAIR, and founding Director of the Park Center for Independent Media )

"Bottom up: The Connection Revolution" is a direct and logical look at how we live our lives, conduct our business, manage our societies, and, most importantly, communicate with each other. Author Rob Kall explains it all in plain English. Kall cuts to the heart of the most critical issues in communication today. This book is as important as game theory. And people will take notice." (John Kiriakou, former CIA officer and author of "The Reluctant Spy" and "Doing Time Like a Spy")

Rob Kall's Bottom-Up weaves together the many strands of new thinking about how to use decentralized, non-hierarchical approaches to solve crucial social and economic problems. Bottom-Up presents a tapestry of ideas and examples that can inspire and guide readers. (Peter Plastrik, coauthor Connecting to Change the World: Harnessing the Power of Networks for Social Impact.)

In his ground-breaking new book The Bottom Up Revolution, Rob Kall invites and eases us into in a much needed meta-level shift--a truly basic paradigmatic shift from top down to bottom up. He capably and imaginatively explores the differences between these ways of approaching life, clearly demonstrating that bottom-up allows us to flourish. His vision and his book are enriched by telling references to interviews which he has engaged in over the years with bottom-up researchers, theorists, activists, dreamers in a variety of areas. Think about Rob's interviews. Read this revolutionary book. And take one step further into the bottom-up universe yourself. You will not regret it. (Bonnie Burstow, M.D., author of Psychiatry and the Business of Madness and Radical Feminist Therapy and associate professor at the University of Toronto)

Rob Kall has been the center of a vast, decentralized conversation for years, letting us hear in interviewees' own words the power of connection in every realm. His new book brings it all together, showing us that the old order is broken and fast being replaced from the bottom up. The old power elite may not know it yet, but millions of us--organizers, artists, thinkers and doers--have gotten the message. So should you, by reading Bottom-Up. (Arlene Goldbard, author of The Culture of Possibility: Art, Artists & The Future)

Fascinating, eye-opening, and extraordinary, Rob Kall's Bottom Up: The Connection Revolution explores the emerging paradigm of our age--bottom up thinking--connecting an enormous range of disciplines and topics, from systems, chaos, and complexity theories, to the evolving role of technology in our lives. Not merely a cogent exposition of contemporary thinking, however, Bottom Up extrapolates from abstract ideas to derive practical, everyday steps we can take to improve our chances of global survival, peace, and prosperity. Following Rob's lead, we can change habits as individuals to deepen our connection with others across the planet. (Wendell Potter, former health insurance executive, co-author of Nation on the Take: How Big Money Corrupts Our Democracy and What We Can Do About It, and Founder of Tarbell.org)

"In Bottom-Up, Rob Kall offers a blueprint for human surviving and thriving that everyone can follow. Using personal stories from his many famous contacts (from Capra to Quinn), he shows how in every aspect of life we can reconnect with that which is in our DNA by replacing our artificial and oppressive hierarchical priorities via a return to a consciousness based on the kind of egalitarian relationships that we honored for most of human history." (Four Arrows, aka Don Trent Jacobs, PhD, EdD, author of Unlearning the Language of Conquest and Teaching Truly: A Curriculum to Indigenize Mainstream Education)

"Rob Kall's The Bottom-Up Revolution, takes a very holistic view of bottom up thinking and action, from changes in our psychology to our systems of work, living and governance. As someone who's been working to make bottom-up economics a reality for over 30 years, this book reinforces the need for and potential of redirecting our priorities-- and resources--from the few at the top to the many at the bottom." (Anthony Flaccavento, author of Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up)

"You have something special and important here. Somehow you manage to teach and suggest and introduce the reader to concepts in a way that feels inclusive. Like, we're thinking about it together. Partly it might be because the subject, Bottom up, is innately understood by all of us and so it feels like you're stirring up stuff we already know. But also I think it's because you truly are practiced at connection consciousness and so it's natural for you (I'm guessing) to write about it with a desire to include us. As a reader I was learning more because it feels like you're inviting me to think with you."

(Tsara Shelton author Spinning in Circles and Learning From Myself)

The world is seemingly full of disconnected crises, but Rob Kall begs to differ. An exceptional pattern thinker, he connects a range of contemporary challenges through a framework of bottom-up solutions in a world dominated by top-down thinking. Mining extensive interviews with thought leaders and exploring an eclectic mix of leading-edge ideas, Bottom Up describes a variety of latent and emergent characteristics of an evolutionary paradigm shift that's changing the world. Whether your focus is in business, leadership, activism, or organizations, Kall offers a practical conceptual map and toolset to engage the planetary evolution taking place all around us. If you want to make a difference and need inspiration for how to participate in this global transformation, there is plenty in this book to draw from. (Antonio Lopez author The Media Ecosystem)

Stressed? Oppressed? Isolated? Kall's Bottom-Up offers a lifeline for connecting with yourself, with others, and with your whole community or organization so that everyone thrives. He offers compelling science, stories, and insights from business, government, the arts, and more to make visible an unabashedly hopeful bottom-up revolution towards cooperation, compassion, and meaning. Join him. (Peggy Holman, author, Engagement Emergence: Turning Upheaval into Opportunity and co-author, The Change Handbook)

"In Bottom-Up, Rob Kall offers important insights on why our society is in such disarray and what we must do to change it. He demonstrates how "top down" thinking is what has produced our current mess, and how bottom up thinking is much more efficient for solving problems and producing change. Rob shows how lasting change must come from the people themselves and not from the leaders. This was as true in the days of the Magna Carta as it was for the Bill of Rights as it was for the Union movement that first gave workers' rights and protection in this country, as it is today. Indigenous elders have told me, "if you want to change the world, start talking and keep talking." Rob is doing this with this book and with his OpEdNews, and he is making a difference. I recommend this book to all who wish to see lasting, human-friendly, compassionate change that will sustain humanity is this crazy world of today." (Lewis Mehl-Madrona, MD, author of the Coyote trilogy that discusses healing practices from Lakota, Cherokee, and Cree traditions and how they intersect with conventional medicine)

"There's no dispute that we now live in a hyper-connected, globalized world--but plenty of argument over the type of globalization that's best for our collective future. In this timely work, Rob Kall makes a persuasive case for 'trickle-up' globalization from below and that the truest, best, and most long-lasting fundamental change always comes from the bottom up. Read this book--then act on it!" (Rory O'Connor, award-winning filmmaker and author of Friends, Followers, and the Future: How Social Media are Changing Politics, Threatening Big Brands, and Killing Traditional Media)

Rob Kall's must-read book offers a VIP look at today's many "connection revolutions," plus key suggestions for bottom up leadership in each one. (Susan Strong, author of Move Our Message: How to Get America's Ear)

"Rob Kall gives readers an important wake up call to the bottom up power that they have to protect their rights, powers, and freedoms. His advice applies to all aspects of life, including politics, economics, journalism, entertainment, and psychology and wellness. Kall's book explains the differences between the top-down leadership approach of dominating, fear based, disconnected authoritarianism and the bottom-up connection consciousness that emphasizes values, justice, fairness, equity, and kindness. This book helps readers see the whole elephant as opposed to the disconnected parts. Kall gives great advice as to intensifying, expanding, prolonging, and deepening connections.

With his professional background, Rob Kall is the perfect person to write this book. This is a very well-researched book that includes dozens of insightful interviews with top-notch experts. Kall shows how bottom-up small acts can produce massive results. He emphasizes that since we can't avoid this emerging bottom-up connection revolution, we need to learn how to navigate and embrace it. This bottom-up leadership will result in power to the people. This is a fascinating and insightful book, especially in this new era of digital hunting and gathering." (Larry Atkins, author of Skewed: A Critical Thinker's Guide to Media Bias)

Synopsis: Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Sir Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, and Mark Zuckerberg have all said that change or growth happen from the bottom up.

But what does it mean and how do you do "bottom up" better and smarter? Essentially, bottom up is a way of life and a way of doing business.

In "The Bottom-Up Revolution: Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity", award-winning journalist, inventor, software architect, connector and visionary Rob Kall picks up where Malcolm Gladwell's seminal book "Tipping Point" left off. It is basically a how-to book for businesses, leaders, organizations, activists, and individuals, cracking wide-open humankind's biggest trend in seven million years.

By understanding the roots and implications of "bottom up" and "top down" corporate executives and business leaders will be better able to tap the incredible power of this trend, just as the billionaire founders of Google, Facebook, Craigslist and Twitter have done.

Critique: Drawing upon informative and illustrative interviews from more than one hundred 'bottom up thought leaders' ranging from jack Dorsey, Howard Zinn, Naomi Klein, and Riane Eisler, to Josephy Nye, George Lakoff, and Medea Benjamin, "The Bottom-up Revolution: Mastering the Emerging World of Connectivity" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to personal, professional, community, college, and academic library Business Management & Entrepreneurial Leadership collections and supplemental studies lists. It should be noted for personal reading lists that "The Bottom-Up Revolution" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $12.07). Michael Dunford, midwestbookreview.com