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August 3rd-11th 2008, near Kingsnorth in Kent. Education, low-impact living, and high impact direct action.

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We think the following books are worth a read, and you might think so too.

The Shock Doctrine

Naomi Klein. Pengiun. 2023.
Through her central thesis, that since the 1970s neoliberals has increasingly used moments of 'shock' at a societal level to push through their economic restructuring, Klein tells the tale of the wholesale theft of public wealth by private corporations over the last 40 years and the violence that has accompanied it. Her first book, No Logo, helped define a generation of resistance. Let's hope this book can do the same.

Live Working or Die Fighting

Paul Mason. Vintage. 2023.
Paul Mason really brings to life the history of workers' struggle as he examines different episodes of it, from the 1871 Paris Commune to the experience of the Jewish workers' Bund organisation in Poland. Alongside this, Mason draws parallels with 21st century struggles in the global south, allowing him not only to present a fascinating historical narrative, but to draw out of it key dilemmas which have informed the alternative strategies pursued by different parts of the international workers movement over time.

Stuffed and Starved

Raj Patel. Portabello Books. 2023.
Although written before the outbreak of a 'global food crisis' in 2008, Stuffed and Starved is essential background reading if you want to understand the crisis. Patel combines global economics with Fast Food Nation-style micro-history and even the philosophy of food consumption to really get to grips with why starvation, obesity and fat corporate profits go hand in hand in today's globalised food system. And whether its land occupations or community gardens, he also shows how people are fighting back.

The Society of the Spectacle

Guy Debord. Various publishers. Originally published 1967.
This is a work of philosophy so not surprisingly its not always an easy read. It certainly doesn't bother with anything so mundane as references. Yet this groundbreaking work from the 1960s is still highly relevant to our understanding of 'advanced' capitalism in the global north and how it keeps us enthralled. If you can't get into the first chapter, try a different one, as the narrative itself is less important than the overall picture you end up with.

Do It Yourself

The Trapese Collective. Pluto Press. 2023.
This engaging book is a toolkit for grassroots activism, dealing with issues from reclaiming public space and creating activist media to how to start a permaculture garden, all enlivened with drawings and illustrations. Ideal for activists of the climate change generation, this book is nevertheless a world away from the liberal consumerist perspective which characterises the rash of 'ethical living' books which you can now buy.