After spending time with members of the Communist Party in the 1930s, Saul Alinsky developed a strange new way for radicals to fundamentally transform the United States. For a fee, he would infiltrate certain communities to stir up and agitate the poor and minorities. Yet, arguably, the only one he lifted out of poverty using these methods was himself. Community organizing gained Alinsky the financial security to live in a beautiful home in affluent Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, far from the ghettos and slums where he caused so much strife and commotion.

Alinsky’s tactics and results caught the attention of generations of radicals. His last book, Rules for Radicals, became the bible for those in America seeking radical transformation. And his strange, creepy acknowledgment to Lucifer at the beginning of the book provided insight into his goals and desires.