Off Our Rockers and Into Trouble: The Raging Grannies

Janet Money is a writer and policy analyst for the Canadian Cystic
Fibrosis Foundation.

In 1987, the Raging Grannies—a group of senior women who wear
outlandish clothing and hats and sing satirical lyrics set to popular
tunes—was born in Victoria, B.C., Canada’s unofficial retirement
capital. In their introduction, the authors describe the group, and the
more than 60 organizations modelled after it around the world, as
“whistle blowers, catalysts, troublemakers, general nuisances …
we’ve worked for peace and nuclear disarmament, safe food and water,
saving the forest, an end to poverty, homelessness, injustice and war
… it’s been a rough ride, with few victories, but we’ve had a lot
of fun on the way.” The Victoria Grannies’ first issue was nuclear
disarmament; in subsequent years, the group has tackled high-profile
(destruction of the ancient forests of Clayoquot Sound) and even
dangerous events (the World Trade Organization protect in Seattle).

Despite the book’s folksy tone, these are not sweet old ladies: they
are wise women with important things to say. They acknowledge the
difficulty of achieving a balance between crowd appeal and what they
have to say: “If nobody likes us, nobody is going to listen to our
message. But if we let ourselves be turned into lovable local
characters, we’re doomed.”

At times hilarious, often thought-provoking, this book, like the Raging
Grannies themselves, is an important addition to Canada’s contemporary
political scene.