Best anti-fascist organising books?

[RileyOBlimey]

What are the best books on grassroots anti-fascism?

We’ve got a long thread on the excellent Beating The Fascists. I rate Dave Hann’s Physical Resistance too.

What other decent reads are out there?

 

[Pickman's model]

Have you tried the 43 group?

 

[hitmouse]

Those two, plus older stuff like We Fight Fascists and Out of the Ghetto, are the main ones I've read. As far as the new crop goes, I know the Mark Bray book was pretty hyped when it came out, and the new 12 Rules book? Although maybe that one's more a book about fascism than a book about antifascism. Oh, and there's a book by a (former?) u75 poster called Militant Antifascism as well, which I've also not read.
Looking through AK Press's site, here's some others I've not read which might be interesting?

The US Antifascism Reader

<p>This reader reconstructs the history of US antifascism into the twenty-first century, showing how generations of writers, organizers, and fighters spoke to each other over time.</p>

www.akpress.org

No Fascist USA!

<p>The story of how a national grassroots network fought a resurgence of the KKK and other fascist groups during the Reagan years, laying the groundwork for today’s anti-fascist/anti-racist movements.</p>

www.akpress.org

Alerta! Alerta!

On-the-ground profiles of the unique characters involved in anti-fascist struggles in Europe, offering historical context, explaining the roots and growth of the far-right, as well as the history of European anti-fascism and how it informs struggles around the world today.

www.akpress.org

Confronting Fascism

Discussions questioning and then overturning established radical theories about world fascism, its revival, and what to do about it. From the ranks of militant anti-fascist activists, and produced in conjunction with Chicago Anti-Racist Action and Arsenal magazine. With contributions from Xtn...

www.akpress.org

 

[Pickman's model]

Ready welling and able
Anti-fascist by Martin Lux

 

[RileyOBlimey]

Have you tried the 43 group?

Only books that have referenced them. Which book do you recommend?

 

[hitmouse]

Only books that have referenced them. Which book do you recommend?

We Fight Fascists is pretty in-depth on them. (I may also have access to a copy of the ebook if anyone wants that.)

 

[hitmouse]

Also, not actually a book, but a lot of Past Tense's stuff about AFA and related matters is great, and some of their posts are very very long:

anti-fascism – LONDON RADICAL HISTORIES

Posts about anti-fascism written by mudlark121

pasttenseblog.wordpress.com

 

[Pickman's model]

Only books that have referenced them. Which book do you recommend?

The 43 group by Morris Beckman

 

[petee]

was going to link to the Mark Bray book, but hitmouse got there. consider this a booster

i have a file of links, will look there to see about anything else.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

This is most of what I have, plus the more recent 12 Rules For What and Sonabend’s 43 Group one (both great).



I’d definitely add to the recommends of Morris Beckman and Martin Lux. And add Joe Jacobs - Out of the Ghetto on Cable Street (ETA - that’s just one section of the book but the whole book is great).

Libcom has an archive of AFA’s Fighting Talk magazine and there is also an online archive of Red Action to be had.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

21/30 12 Rules For What - Post-Internet Far Right: Fascism In The Age Of The Internet

Interesting small book from the 12 Rules For What podcast. Actually a lot more readable than the bits they read out aloud on the show led me to believe. Explains the various currents of European/US fascism concisely and well. Some good bits on their limitations (for example the precarious relationship that online grifter "influencers" have with their "swarm" of fans). Quite useful for old farts who have their analysis of this stuff rooted in the 1980s and 1990s, I think. Makes some suggestions for what could be done at the end but wisely ends by saying that these things really need to be worked through by a movement. Good stuff on how climate change is going to fuck everything up and what this means for anti-fascists too - their next book is on eco-fascism.

hitmouse reminds me that I wrote this on the book challenge thread.

 

[Pickman's model]

hitmouse reminds me that I wrote this on the book challenge thread.

What do you think of 'the culture of fascism'?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

What do you think of 'the culture of fascism'?

It should be fought etc etc.

The book is ok from what I can remember. There is some mad stuff in there about the BUF’s jazz bands and I think some good stuff on women in the BUF too. It is one of them anthologies by academics so not so much on the fisticuffs etc.

I think it was quite expensive (a present).

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Has anyone read this one?



“A young congresswoman falls in love with a daring masked protestor in Seattle, Washington. After encountering him at a non-violent burning down of a federal building she can't tell what is hotter, the fire or her feelings developing for him.”

 

[Sue]

Has anyone read this one?

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“A young congresswoman falls in love with a daring masked protestor in Seattle, Washington. After encountering him at a non-violent burning down of a federal building she can't tell what is hotter, the fire or her feelings developing for him.”

Is it any good..?

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Is it any good..?

I was hoping someone could let me know that, but the reviews on Amazon are somewhat less than effusive.

 

[Sue]

I was hoping someone could let me know that, but the reviews on Amazon are somewhat less than effusive.

I think it sounds pretty promising...

'After encountering him at a non-violent burning down of a federal building she can't tell what is hotter, the fire or her feelings developing for him.”

 

[hitmouse]

Fair play to her, she's definitely found her niche:

Interesting that Proud Boys Capitol Punishment is so much higher-rated than Antifa vs. Proud Boys. Those are a lot of colons/subtitles per book though.

 

[Serge Forward]

The 43 group by Morris Beckman

Morris Beckman's book is top notch. So is Out of the Ghetto by Joe Jacobs.

 

[imposs1904]

This is most of what I have, plus the more recent 12 Rules For What and Sonabend’s 43 Group one (both great).

View attachment 294058

I’d definitely add to the recommends of Morris Beckman and Martin Lux. And add Joe Jacobs - Out of the Ghetto on Cable Street (ETA - that’s just one section of the book but the whole book is great).

Libcom has an archive of AFA’s Fighting Talk magazine and there is also an online archive of Red Action to be had.

Club Life and Socialism is a cracking wee book.

 

[RileyOBlimey]

The 43 group by Morris Beckman

I’m half way through this, it’s excellent so far, good shout. They were seriously organised: highly skilled intelligence, actual commandos, in-house doctors and lawyers and making full use of the extra skills and resources available. It’s pretty humbling especially considering the multiple actions that was engaged every week.

 

[M Testa]

i'm feeling a bit left out here somrades!

Militant Anti-Fascism: 100 Years Of Resistance!

‘Militant Anti-Fascism: 100 Years Of Resistance’ by M. Testa. ‘Potent Primer On Europe’s Anti-Fascist Struggle … a useful source of information about the fight against…

malatesta32.wordpress.com

 

[hitmouse]

i'm feeling a bit left out here somrades!

Militant Anti-Fascism: 100 Years Of Resistance!

‘Militant Anti-Fascism: 100 Years Of Resistance’ by M. Testa. ‘Potent Primer On Europe’s Anti-Fascist Struggle … a useful source of information about the fight against…

malatesta32.wordpress.com

Third post in this thread!
ETA: on a related note, Freedom just published a review of the 12 Rules book. The review itself is slightly tl;dr for me so far but I'll get around to it at some point.

 

[A380]

These ones seemed to do the trick last time.

 

[8ball]

These ones seemed to do the trick last time.

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I think only one of them, at best, counts as an “organising book”.

 

[Nigel]

First few copies of fighting talk a reasonably useful on what militant working class anti fascism effectively is!

Fighting Talk magazine - Anti Fascist Action

Complete archive of UK group Anti Fascist Action's journal Fighting Talk, published between September 1991 and April 1999, in PDF format.

libcom.org

 

[Nigel]

Total Resistance!

Total Resistance

This is a legendary work by the famed Swiss expert on g…

www.goodreads.com

Towards A Citizens Militia!
Not really that much use practically (maybe dug outs and similar illustrations may be of use) however reasonably entertaining!

Towards a citizens' militia: anarchist alternatives to NATO and the Warsaw pact

A semi-legendary anarchist how-to guide to irregular warfare. Written in the early 1980s by the International Revolutionary Solidarity Movement (First of May Group), Towards A Citizens' Militia details the principles of libertarian armed resistance, organization, and the conduct of guerilla...

libcom.org