Why We Fight: Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse

Dear Colleagues,

Whilst there is never enough time to read the vast wealth of relevant, topical material out there, I like to keep an eye for particularly valuable new books to promote.

And so, I came across Shane Burley's new book, Why we Fight, when reading reading the transcript of this podcast from Truthout: https://truthout.org/audio/activists-are-building-a-counterculture-of-care-in-apocalyptic-times/?fbclid=IwAR1veozzduf6NCBG4C44--RtpPfxQ5neE2V33B8OBbW9dFk7O6LtUka6PGE

Whilst 'the fight' for progressive social change is so important to pick apart and understand, why we fight, and particularly in the face of relentless assault, is just as important to stop and reflect upon.

And for left activists in the UK this fight is so difficult and not least in the Trump aftermath - a dominant theme of Burley's book.

You can buy the book here, and here is some promotional blurb.

These essays, many published here for the first time, cover the shifts in rhetoric and tactics of the Alt Right since their disastrous Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017, and the explosion of antifascist, antiracist, and revolutionary organizing that has risen to fight it. Burley unpacks the moment we live in, confronting the apocalyptic feelings brought on by nationalism, climate collapse, and the crisis of capitalism, but also delivering the clear message that a new world is possible through the struggles communities are leveraging today. Burley reminds us what we're fighting for not simply what we're fighting against.

“No writer is more knowledgeable about the recent politics and culture of fascism and antifascism in the U.S. than Shane Burley. As a journalist, Burley has closely followed local and national struggles against white supremacy. As a theorist, he has helped us to situate the Alt Right and anti-fascism within broader conceptual dynamics. Finally the broad range of his work making sense out of this era of struggle has been gathered together in Why We Fight—an invaluable resource for fighting fascism and imagining a new world in the 21st century.” —Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook

“From the streets of Charlottesville to the bleachers of Major League Soccer, Burley’s Why We Fight is a clear-sighted and utterly compelling collection of stories of fascist creep and organized resistance. Beyond its chronicling of the bumbling and violent rise of white-supremacist groups during the last few years, Burley’s most important lesson is this: Fascism will come for us all if we let it, but we are neither alone nor powerless to fight it. Read this book then give it to a friend and then organize.” —Vegas Tenold, author of Everything You Love Will Burn

In Solidarity

Ian