About the book:
This book reveals Australia’s radical past through more than 500 tales of Indigenous resistance, convict revolts and escapes, picket line hijinks, student occupations, creative direct action, street art, media pranks, urban interventions, squatting, blockades, banner drops, guerilla theatre, and billboard liberation. Twelve key Australian activists and pranksters are interviewed regarding their opposition to racism, nuclear power, war, economic exploitation, and religious conservatism via humour and creativity. Featuring more than 300 spectacular images How to Make Trouble and Influence People has been published in a second edition by PM Press. As this edition will mainly be distributed to audiences outside of Australia all of the listings from the first edition have been put in chronological order and introductions added for key periods in Australian history. It also features an additional 30 pages of new material.
Praise for the book:
“I noticed clear back on my first visit in ’83 that radical Aussies fighting back seem to be far more tenacious and creative than most Americans—Roxby Downs, that damned Franklin dam in Tasmania, Operation Titstorm, etc. A far better way to heat up the planet than your lovely mining companies. So keep up the good work! A prank a day keeps the dog leash away.”
—Jello Biafra
“A fascinating recovery of Australia’s neglected past and a worthy inspiration to today’s would-be troublemakers.”
—Sean Scalmer, author of Dissent Events: Protest, The Media and the Political Gimmick in Australia
“If you’ve ever thought of speaking out about an issue or have idly wondered what you could do to make the world a better place, this is the book for you! Fascinating interviews, quirky historical snippets and stunning photos chronicling all the Australians who have made a difference and who have done so with courage, audacity and a lot of humour! Keep it on your desk at work for all those moments when you need some inspiration, a bit of hope or just a good laugh.”
—Jill Sparrow, co-author Radical Melbourne 1 & 2
“Fascinating interviews with Australia’s best troublemakers make for a riotous scrapbook covering our radical history of revolts and resistance.”
—Rachel Power, Australian Education Union News
“McIntyre has amassed hundreds of tales alongside dramatic photographs in what is unashamedly a songbook for Australia’s future culture-jammers and mischief makers.”
—Katherine Wilson, The Age
"Ours is not a message of resignation.
Merata Mita’s classic 1983 Patu! is an amazing and inspiring documentary film. It is a record of the mass direct action that took place in Aotearoa New Zealand in 1981, in protest against a South African rugby tour and the apartheid it represented.
