I’m back with my sometimes-annual antifascist birthday reading list, where instead of the gift you probably weren’t going to get me anyway (no worries, I didn’t get you one either, right?), I ask you to choose an antifascist book to read. My favorite part is when you actually read it and tell me how you feel about it!
I started this clearly very loosely held tradition in 2019 with this list of nonfiction books, podcasts, and other actions. In 2022 I went all-out with fiction recommendations. Seems like I skipped last year, so I’ve included books that came out since the last list I wrote. Without further ado, this year’s antifascist birthday book list…
Let This Radicalize You: Organizing and the Revolution of Reciprocal Care
By Kelly Hayes and Mariame Kaba
https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/1922-let-this-radicalize-you
(nonfiction)
Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism
By Shane Burley and Ben Lorber
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741043/safety-through-solidarity-by-shane-burley/
(nonfiction)
¡No Pasarán!: Antifascist Dispatches from a World in Crisis
Edited by Shane Burley
https://www.akpress.org/no-pasaran.html
(nonfiction anthology)
The Writing on the Wall: Signs of Faith against Fascism
By Eric Martin
https://wipfandstock.com/9781666759099/the-writing-on-the-wall/
(nonfiction)
Station Six
By S.J. Klapecki
https://www.akpress.org/station-six.html
(fiction)
Begin The World Over
By Kung Li Sun
https://www.akpress.org/begin-the-world-over.html
(fiction)
Shout-out to AK Press where I have a monthly subscription, and shout-out to The Beautiful Idea, an antifascist bookstore & community hub on Charlottesville’s downtown mall, where I also have a monthly subscription, and which should have all these books for sale unless they haven’t restocked since I bought their last copy… in which case, they have other awesome antifascist books, too!
Content notes for Charlottesville 2017 Summer of Hate, A11-A12:
–Safety through Solidarity – Chapter 7 on white nationalism includes interviews with me and several other Charlottesville community members about A11-A12, etc. UTR is in the index if you want to skip those parts or at least prepare yourself.
–¡No Pasarán! has a fabulous piece by Emily Gorcenski that includes discussion of her direct experience on A11-A12 and in Charlottesville more broadly. A few of the other pieces may include folks who aren’t Charlottesville community members who touch on A11-A12 as part of recent antifascist history.
–The Writing on the Wall is all about A11-A12 so huge content note for the whole thing. I found it very difficult emotionally to be honest, courageous and beautiful and difficult. Eric is a beloved friend and comrade of mine, and the book features an interview with Jalane as well as several other beloved friends and comrades. I’m glad this book exists – I recommend it for folks who don’t have first-hand experience of A11-A12, and especially for folks involved in Christian organizing.
Another disclaimer is that I’m still in the process of reading Safety through Solidarity but I feel confident recommending it! I was crying from the introduction and learned so much from the first section, and I feel deeply grateful to be included in this powerful project.
Something that’s on my reading list that I haven’t read yet, but would love to discuss when I do…
From the River to the Sea: Essays for a Free Palestine
Edited by Sai Englert, Michal Schatz and Rosie Warren
https://www.versobooks.com/products/3293-from-the-river-to-the-sea
(free e-book anthology of personal testimonies, essays, and interviews)
In sum: Free Palestine, fight antisemitism, and let this radicalize you, because through antifascist movement building, together we can begin the world over!
Much love.
