Under Joe Solmonese’s leadership, the Human Rights Marketing campaign became the model other companies look toward to produce effective public and political transformation. Against daunting odds, HRC was instrumental in moving landmark nationwide legislation like the Matthew Shepard and Adam Byrd, Jr., Hate Offences Prevention Work; repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Inform”; and passing marriage equality serves in eight says. How do Solmonese and HRC do it?

What Solmonese reveals with this book is that for him, the about The Gift of Anger: Use Passion to Build Not Destroy key to success was understanding how to harness his anger. Essentially it’s just a form of energy. Channeled, it could keep you moving forward on an extended trip. But uncontrolled, it could blow everything up.

With this as his guiding concept, Solmonese uses tales from his work with HRC and his previous position as CEO of the powerful women’s organization EMILY’s List to share a series of often-surprising lessons. For instance, empathize together with your foes rather than shaming them, find allies wherever you can, and ask for the doable, not really the impossible (even though the “difficult” is normally your ultimate goal). Most impressive in this publication are the tales of Solmonese’s ability to draw some type of win—however little—from seeming adversaries.

But at every step of the way he emphasizes the need for managing the yin-yang pressure of anger. Particularly if one is coping with irrational and unpleasant attitudes, the temptation is ever show surrender to righteous indignation. While it’s good to experience it, Solmonese’s advice is to always be strategic with your outrage.