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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 9, 2025
Bob Black was a notable presence in the anarchist community in the 1980s and 90s, and this book contains some gems: explicating his antiwork philosophy (such as it is), a Mike Hammer parody, a couple of then-current short articles about the Gulf War. The vast bulk of the book however consists of airing grievances, either against people he is or has been involved with in lawsuit, or against others in the anarchist community with whom he has engaged in literary spats (no doubt the 'friendly fire') in the title; almost invariably it comes across as petty, tedious, and a waste of time for the reader.
June 1, 2014
Sometimes authors reveal more about themselves than they intend to. Consider the title of this book. Bob has a history of turning friends into enemies, of causing the most damage among the ranks of his nominal allies, of launching indiscriminate attacks that hurt the people closest to him. In my own case, I was enough of a friend at the time of publication to receive a signed copy (possibly a free one at that, I don’t recall). But, I was hurt, when, at the back of the book, he asserted that “all media” had suppressed the flyer he created against the Iraq war. I was a zine editor at the time, and a frequent publisher of Bob’s work. And, strictly speaking, it was true that I hadn’t put the flyer in my zine. But, I did put it all over the campus of the college I was attending at the time, as I did with posters from “Dadata” and other sources. By the time I saw the words, it was too late to ask for a retraction, and so I just let my friendship with Bob slide, to avoid future burns.
If that sounds petty, that’s because it is. But, I had been around Bob enough to know that he loved a good argument, not so much for the process as for the result – Bob loved to win. He loved to take revenge on people who had disagreed with him and he could be a most dangerous opponent. If I had been hurt only in the smallest way this time, the next time it would likely be something bigger.
All of which tells you nothing about this book, but it may be a clue as to why Bob’s writing is so engaging. He invites you to come along with him and celebrate his victories. He gives the reader a chance to share in reveling in revenge against his opponents. He brings a razor-sharp wit to bear on even the most incidental slight or disagreement, and wry smiles and outright cruel laughs are one of the pleasures of reading his work. The strong point of this volume is the opening section on Bob’s anti-work position, particularly the piece “No Future for the Workplace” that was written for the Wall Street Journal. There are a number of good (now very dated) jibes to be found as well in the “Dial-a-Rumor” section. And, stuck near the back, there’s a very interesting scholarly piece on the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. But, honestly, the whole book is enjoyable, each piece giving some pleasure on reading.
So long as you don’t know Bob personally.
If that sounds petty, that’s because it is. But, I had been around Bob enough to know that he loved a good argument, not so much for the process as for the result – Bob loved to win. He loved to take revenge on people who had disagreed with him and he could be a most dangerous opponent. If I had been hurt only in the smallest way this time, the next time it would likely be something bigger.
All of which tells you nothing about this book, but it may be a clue as to why Bob’s writing is so engaging. He invites you to come along with him and celebrate his victories. He gives the reader a chance to share in reveling in revenge against his opponents. He brings a razor-sharp wit to bear on even the most incidental slight or disagreement, and wry smiles and outright cruel laughs are one of the pleasures of reading his work. The strong point of this volume is the opening section on Bob’s anti-work position, particularly the piece “No Future for the Workplace” that was written for the Wall Street Journal. There are a number of good (now very dated) jibes to be found as well in the “Dial-a-Rumor” section. And, stuck near the back, there’s a very interesting scholarly piece on the impeachment of Andrew Johnson. But, honestly, the whole book is enjoyable, each piece giving some pleasure on reading.
So long as you don’t know Bob personally.
April 15, 2008
The author, who wrote for an anarchist publication in San Francisco, spends most of this book talking about himself. It would be far more interesting to someone in the Bay Area anarchist scene in the 80s. I have little interest in that extremely esoteric topic, however.
I bought it for the first section which follows up Abolition of Work and Other Essays, which I read online and loved. He responds to negative reviews in his usual scathing, hilarious, ad hominem way. That part was great.
I bought it for the first section which follows up Abolition of Work and Other Essays, which I read online and loved. He responds to negative reviews in his usual scathing, hilarious, ad hominem way. That part was great.
August 30, 2015
A middle aged boring white dull man. And his rants. He choose not to work. So he evangelizes. Which is not work. Because he is against work. And the bills have to be paid. So he prints boring white dull man opinions. And than he goes to market to sell them. Just like with any produce. But this is not work. Because he is against work.
July 29, 2011
I like his writing style and a lot of his ideas. I don't quite agree that kids who like to play in dirt can be conscripted to clean toilets - it's not play if someone makes you do it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews