Book Review: Squatting in Britain 1945-1955
by Norman Spinrad ISBN: 978-1-60486-810-4 PP: 264 Publisher: The Merlin Press £16.99
After World War II, many people squatted empty properties, often government-owned ex-Army camps, since a housing crisis had been created as a result of the hugely damaged housing stock, slow state action to build new homes and a huge influx of returning servicemen as well as displaced peoples from other countries.
Don Watson’s “Squatting in Britain… Continue reading
Film Review: Dunkirk
Directed by Christopher Nolan Released Jul 2017 Running Time 106 minutes
Nolan’s Dunkirk amounts to a nostalgic remake of a 1950s World War II film where the brilliant cinematography and immersive sound fails to make up for the nationalist myth making and glorification of war.
I approached it ready to suspend political criticisms in the name of entertainment but found this impossible because both characters and story are weak and… Continue reading
Book review: Raising Hell
by Norman Spinrad ISBN: 978-1-60486-810-4 PP: 128 Publisher: PM Press, 2014 £9.99
Raising Hell opens this installment of Outspoken Authors (OA) with a doozy: union organisers, sentenced to Hell, unionise demons and eventually help Lucifer with his own identity crisis. Quality stuff. Punchy dialog. Guest appearances by Hoffa and Gompers. Fun commentary on religion. Explorations of Lucifer’s relationship with God. Tight writing moves this fun exploration out of… Continue reading
Book review: Against Doom — A Climate Insurgency Manual
by Jeremy Brecher ISBN: 978-1-62963-385-5 PP: 128 Publisher: PM Press 2017 £11.99
Easy to read 100 page book about how to collaborate and proactively work to stop the end of the world — or at least the extermination of humanity — aka climate change. Clearly committed to non-violent direct action, there is a lot here that could be useful for anti-capitalists and… Continue reading
Book Review: The Day the Country Died — A History of Anarcho Punk 1980–1984
by Ian Glasper ISBN: 978-1-60486-516-5 PP: 496 Publisher: PM Press, 2014 £19.43
There are many great things about Ian Glasper’s The Day the Country Died: A History of Anarcho Punk 1980–1984. First, it’s convenient and persuasive to be able to read about a number of related bands in the same book. Don’t have to search here and there for information. Second, it’s solid seeing an… Continue reading
Book review: The Science of Herself
by Karen Joy Fowler ISBN: 978-1-60486-825-8 PP: 128 Publisher: PM Press, 2013 £10.99
Fowler’s multiple short pieces make for a great introduction to her work, voice, and style. The opening and title piece, “The Science of Herself,” connects Jane Austen with a struggling, poor, and female fossil hunter in early 1900s England. Patriarchy, poverty, and perserverance. It’s an engrossing story with lean, efficient writing which fleshes out… Continue reading
Book review: The Lucky Strike
by Kim Stanley Robinson ISBN: 978-1-60486-085-6 PP: 128 Publisher: PM Press, 2009 £
The New York Times has a blurb on the front of this book — and the back. This volume is the second one in PM Press’ Outspoken Authors series. These points indicate Kim Stanley Robinson’s importance, prestige, and ranking, in part at least, within science fiction as well as in how the… Continue reading
Book review: Romantic Rationalist — A William Godwin Reader
Edited by Peter Marshall ISBN: 978-1-62963-228-5 PP: 192 Publisher: PM Press, 2017 £15.99
If interested in the roots of modern anarchism, you’ll at least know William Godwin’s name. The fellow was quite prolific in writing, so he has a number of works to sort through. Hence the true benefit of this gorgeous volume: rather than sitting down with a volume or two, this reader empowers you to identify… Continue reading
Book Review: Left of the Left — my memories of Sam Dolgoff
by Anatole Dolgoff ISBN: 978-1-84935-248-2 PP: 400 Publisher: AK Press, 2016 £17
Sam Dolgoff was an American anarchist and wobbly (member of the Industrial Workers of the World). He’s an important figure, active for almost seven decades (including ones where anarchism was supposed to have ‘died out’!) Anatole Dolgoff is the youngest son of Sam and Esther Dolgoff, and Left of the Left is his insider’s account… Continue reading
Book review: TVA Baby
by Terry Bisson ISBN: 978-1-60486-405-2 PP: 192 Publisher: PM Press, 2011 £13.99
Differentiating Bisson’s writing from his political work is hard. In his The Left Left Behind, Bisson states you can’t separate his politics from his writing (101). So maybe it’s normal that whenever I read Bisson, it’s always framed knowing he was involved with anti-imperialism and anti-racist work. I easily read and enjoy short stories like… Continue reading
