Change doesn’t come easy—especially when you’re trying to build something better in a place that pushes back. That’s why soldiers have field manuals. And that’s why this workbook exists.

The Piefighting Workbook is a no-holds-barred, 1,861-page field guide for anyone trying to develop community projects with heart, guts, and a high tolerance for red tape and resistance.

Complied by Paul Hallinan Miller—developer, community builder, and former Ringling Brothers clown—this manual was forged in blood, sweat, and tears. Every page reflects 15 years of real-world lessons learned through global circus tours, city hall battles, and grassroots wins and losses in Ludlow, Kentucky.

This isn’t theory. It’s lived experience. The good, the bad, and the hilariously ugly. Think of it as the anti-Anarchist Cookbook: pie-fighting tactics for builders, not burners. Aimed at restorative justice, not revenge.

You can read this without Paul’s memoir, Circus in a Sundown Town, but together? They pack a punch—and a pie.

If you’ve ever bled for an idea, pushed through local politics, or believed a town could become more than it is—you’ll find yourself in these pages.