Expect Resistance is not one but three books, each of which may be read as a complete work unto itself. The first book, printed in standard black ink, continues the inquiry into modern life and its discontents begun in Days of War, Nights of Love, Just as that book included improved versions of texts originally published between 1996 and 1999, this book draws on CrimethInc. material from 2000 to 2004, painstakingly refined and augmented with a great deal of new content. The second book, in red ink, is a composite account, related by three narrators, of the adventures and tribulations that inevitably ensue when people pursuing their dreams enter into conflict with the world as it is.
I started this book thinking that it was a bit childish and pedantic. But as I read on, the points it made became more and more salient and incisive. It was as if it had to point out the obvious to get to the even more obvious. What is obvious is we are civilizing ourselves to death. How many people is this way of life working out for? You? Me? Anybody we know? I'm not talking about keeping your head above water enough to pay your bills and not be hungry. I'm talking about living at the nadir of existence; following your passions and dreams. Any monkey can perform a task for peanuts and trinkets. How many of us are willing and able to follow our respective imaginations to wherever that may lead us? This book points out that no matter who that is now, it could be all of us. And also now, not in the future.
The book points out that we are living and fighting in the revolution every single day of our existence, whether you like it/know it or not. Every small decision we make, every interaction with another human being that is where we choose how we want this world to be. We can choose to support hierarchy, or we can choose to abolish it. We can choose to continue the status quo of income inequality, wage work that is objectively indentured servitude, hunger, private prisons, drones, bombs, the destruction of the environment, and all the other "normal" things that make the life that we know. Or we can choose to live another way; any other way. That's another point, we don't have to have an alternative precisely mapped out because it is different for each of us. Nobody knows what is best for you better than yourself.
The title is a double entendre. The powers that be can expect resistance from the people who refuse to play the shell game of "democracy" any longer. And you, the revolutionary, can expect resistance from everyone around you who fear change. I would recommend this book to anyone who is sickened by what they see on the news everyday, anyone whose ennui is palpable to the point of causing them mental distress, and anyone honest enough with themselves to admit to either or both.
This is the kind of book that I got a lot out of, but would also want to recommend to unsuspecting strangers -- which is very rare for me with anarchist writing.
This book goes heavy on the crimethinc-style irony, which I never fail to enjoy. One of the themes that I appreciated was the exploration of the "half revolution" while talking about sectarianism, tourism, and especially adultery. I thought the concept was delivered and framed very successfully. What's more, the adultury chapter was the best example of how I felt the book was able to explore complex ideas, avoid the use of specialized language, and *still* provide more depth than what could have been accomplished with that jargon.
I'm super into fiction and "the story" as a medium, but I was also impressed with what the writing that broke up this story added. I still haven't read Evasion, but it always seemed like people were unwilling to take the ideas outside of a cultural context (hence the necessity for something like "All traveler kids purged from crimethinc membership."). The format of Expect Resistance seemed like a great way to write a narrative that's compelling, but that simultaneously spells out the ideas in a more neutral context.
I will say that I wish I'd gotten to know the characters a little more, but in general I felt the writing was simultaneously deeper (as in the nuanced subtleties of characters' difficulties, lives, relationships) as well as more spectacular (as in "blacksmiths will once again swing their heavy hammers through the air, forging crowns great enough to fit on all heads at once"!).
The latest novel from the anarchist collective people love to hate and hate to love shows a lot of growth both in writing and thoughts since Days of War, Nights of Love.
I think what I liked more than anything was how the book included a healthy dose of humility alongside the standard hyberole Crimethinc. is known for. The protagonists don't just save the day in some romantic revolution, they have weaknesses and failures and in the end despite a rousing call for hope, the questioning and the uncertainty of fighting for a completely different world is acknowledged. I appreciate that.
White people problems! Well... Mostly. I really enjoyed the class/race/gender issues explored within the activist community, a lot of times a group can implode either from unexamined privilege (or too much navel gazing) and this book showed that perfectly. I can't say this is an amazing book or that it's written well. It is pretentious, and messy, and disjointed, and repetitive. But despite all it's flaws, it really did stick with me and make me rethink my life. Deep, huh? But I mean, I use to be a but more radical and this made me examine how I've changed since college and rethink some ways of looking at the American dream, heteronormative lifestyles, career goals, class issues, so even though it's like a long bad article in AdBusters, I still kinda think it may be worth your time.
I love everything crimethinc does & only readin the inside FLAPS on this thing I was excited and inspired beyond belief. I would be done with the book already but I'm trying to savor every single drop of it, reading only a tiny section a day. Drooooooooolllllllllll
...AANNND now i'm done and SHEESH louise, this is the big to inspire all books and all peoples and..go get it.
This is very good stuff. Although I feel it’s mainly written for activists, I enjoyed it very much. It’s something like propaganda (in the best sense of the word) mixed with a pretty neat story about a couple of activists. The chapter about failure is very interesting and gave a whole lot to think about. I’d pretty much put this book in the genre of philosophy in that it really gets you thinking and in the end made me change some aspects of my life. This one and Days of War, also by the Crimethinc collective, I highly recommend.
This book was definitely both a great read and a hard one in some parts. The sections in black print were actually pretty well written and offered a good critique of the world we live in for the most part. There was also a very humanist element with the theory texts which i really appreciated as it can be rare in anarcho literature. The sections printed in red inked were kind of frustrating and at times annoying. I suspect this book wasn't aimed at me and my kind. However if you're a lifestylist drum circle fan this might be right up your street.
One word can sum up this book: cliche. From the writing to the themes (not to mention is fixation with some sort of Manichean/Rousseauian hybrid ideal for humanity). It works decently enough as a sort of self help book for leftists, but not much more. The main problem I see with it is that if you are interested in the topic you deserve something more rigorous and if you are resistant to the ideas it is too ardent in its presentation.
i couldnt get through the first chapter. i used to love this kind of writing when i was in high school, but it just doesnt do it for me anymore. maybe i will try to pick it up again sometime, but i have other things id much rather be reading.
"When we talk about revolution, the idea is that we could enter the secret world and never return..." "...some of us are even waiting ahead there for you."
I've struggled to find something that mirrors my disillusionment so purely. My ancestors were rebels, they were enslaved and then freed; and some were hunters or farmers, had to be; some were undoubtedly artists, maybe even dedicating their lives to the work. And here I am, trying my hardest to feel an emotion, any emotion; here I am, clocking in and out of meaningless shifts, disassociating from them, forgetting the days; here I am, burning slowly, soon extinguished by the gray world.
"What if we don't care to rule or be ruled?"
If there's something Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Spy Kids, Codename Kids Next Door, Charlie Brown, Fairly Odd Parents (the list goes on), taught me, it's that the adult world is gloomy and will oppress you. It will wipe you of your imagination if you let it, and if you listen to them - the adults - you will too become an oppressor. If you've never wished to oppress, good luck. You'll be sweeping floors and be at the beck and call of shadowy figures who will extract you for all you're worth. And on top of that, you'll be micromanaged to shit by childish bosses who never came of age. Watch as they treat you like garbage, watch as they insult your existence. You are disposable in every way, didn't you know that? You too, could be a boss one day, they tell you, with their indulgent grins; if only you'd listen! if only you'd kept your head down, your mouth shut! The idea makes you sick to your stomach.
"You can spend all your energy surviving according to the terms set by the market economy, the expectations of your parents and peers, and the weight of your own inertia - or you can risk everything to make those considerations obsolete."
So what do you do? You accept your failure, you walk with it. In fact, you must change your perspective on it. What does it mean to be failed in a failing world? So what if I'm not a vampire in the castle, like the rest of them? I was not made to suck blood.
The future is unwritten. So what does it mean for you? Will you accept their protection for your obedience? Will you till the lands for your rulers, the very lands that were once commons? Will you accept your meager pay for your efforts, will you still claim you are not in chains? Will you watch television and go to sleep, will you plan a trip to Disney or the Bahamas, will you kiss your child on the forehead in your modest single family home ,while you know full well you are bequeathing to them a burning planet? Will you trade the bitterness of struggle for the sour grapes of defeat?
Or will you fucking do something about it?
"Somewhere under those same stars were roads I'd never traveled, coastlines I'd never set foot upon, beautiful people I'd never met. If the present and the future were both inescapable and irredeemable, didn't that render me weightless, debtless, free?"
extremely sad and hard to get through at times but also some of the most elevating writing i have ever read about moving out of a world that has been suffocated by capitalism. indulges in depictions of liberation by way of art and mutual aid and protest and vandalism and drugs and sexuality combined with the incredible artwork and editing comes together to form something really special and a book i bust out whenever i am feeling particularly upset by my job lol. gorgeous and poetic and tragic and very hopeful, describes a revolution of self in order to be a part of revolutionary change in our world
“No one is more qualified than you are to decide how you live; no one should be able to vote on what you do with your time and your potential unless you invite them to. ”
A mix of narrative fiction and light theory with some art. Did not strike me as inspiring as the previous collection (DAYS OF WAR, NIGHTS OF LOVE), though I am wondering if it's partially my age. Would the previous collection strike me as hard today as when I read it 15 or so years ago? I do like how they generally steer clear of polemic and the usual political rhetoric (which is usually meant to be inspiring but is completely uninspiring to me as a reader).
So many of my views have been radically altered by this book, and I adore the gorgeous typesetting and imagery in it. Neither a manifesto nor a work of fiction, Expect Resistance stands out as a dangerously attractive introduction to the theory and practice of anarchy. There was however a subtle vein of anti-intellectualism that pulse a little close to the surface at times, but if you view it as a revolt against dogmatic, capitalist "science" then I think you can forgive it.
I need a while to process and think about this book after finishing it before I write an in depth review, but it was an incredibly insightfull and liberating book covering all aspects of life.
This book grabbed me at the beginning and didn’t let go at the end. Not exactly what I was expecting - I had no idea about the fiction narrative - but still fantastic.
It all began with me lurking in the dark corners watching the December 2008 Athens riots with a secret, hidden yet all the more intense glee. My interest in Anarchy was burning but I knew nothing much about it. I bought several books on anarchy, but all preached theory and intense scholarly information leading up to and behind the movement. They lacked the intensity and 'awake-ness' (?) that was lurking within me. I was educated but not fully aware. Then I bought Expect Resistance and everything fell into place.
I remember when I first started reading - just the first page - on the train in Athens, my eyes red from tear gas and my face smeared with the kindness of strangers who had rubbed white powder on my cheeks so that I could see. I could hardly contain myself. And I burst with enlightenment, with passion and anger and all those things that had been burning inside of me for years but had never been able to escape. If you have something inside of you too, something that keeps you away from the sheep - something that stops you from succumbing to the everyday capitalism that eats everything and everyone around you, but you are not quite sure what it is, than READ THIS BOOK. Ever questioned basic things that others take as a must, like a 9-to-5 office job, a house with central heating and electricity, a huge load of pointless Bu****it social rules that are deemed vital yet in actual fact have no point whatsoever? Again, read this book.
Yes, it may have been written by middle-class 'yobs', as some have suggested. and it may be received as self-righteous. But it depends on what you get out of it, how you approach it and whether you really can just read it without any pre-formed anything. Its just a book, so just read it and don't try to fit it into a box.
It is pure enlightenment, sheer delight. Intense reality, simple truth that does not preach but shows you what you feel inside and how to access it and use it. That delicious voice at the back of your mind that whispers wickedly, that you want to succumb to but you are not sure just why.
This book will show you why and say that it is ok to break away.
I felt curious about anarchism, as it shares my mistrust of both government and big business. However, this primer by the group CrimethInc gave me little to hope for from that end either. The book alternates between discussions of theory, and fiction portraying a group of dissidents and activists and their travails.
The book advocates sabotage, vandalism, and theft. It reads like the journal of a self-absorbed, angst-ridden teenager, one long "woe is me" wail. In one vignette, the character takes a defective coffee machine from her office to the roof, where she drops it to the street below, nearly hitting a passerby. This exemplifies the reckless irresponsibility of the book. They advocate dumpster diving, living off the surplus of industrial society, while at the same time working to undermine and destroy that same society. They glorify the hunter-gatherer societies of millennia ago, while blithely glossing over the fact that 7 billion humans cannot survive in such a manner.
Or perhaps they revel in the idea of a mass die-off, with themselves surviving to dance in the ruins? The artwork at the end of the book includes an image of a bow-wielding barbarian, a grubby Robin Hood imitator, threatening the survivors of some apocalypse in a ruined cityscape. This is in the section on a hopeful future. So, CrimethInc seems to want a ruined world of thugs and scavengers, dumpster diving for the few edibles left, in a city full of rubble. At least we won't have to deal with that defective coffee machine anymore.
Aside from being a full on anarchist field guide, I absolutely love this writing, as writing, as well. It's so refreshing– and so important!!!! So effective/affecting... The words, written revised even plagiarized over time and reedited to deliver in this book form, each feel like actual, often powerful, actions (mostly of hardheaded rebellion), to me. Planned and spontaneous, but with a definite passion filled goals, hopes, imperatives behind them... Crimethink wants everyone to know that we are not alone and that there are a LOT of other ways to be and do and act and think and love in this world than what we are routinely given. There are scores upon scores of more (and more) twisty paths any of us may take besides the main roads we're guided to, metaphorically speaking. I like how this perspective unhesitatingly gets into the messy interpersonal and psychological details of human lives without being embarrassed or stupidly/haughtily pretending that political concerns are (or could ever be) above the mundane. Fresh! Necessary! Fascinating! Finally!!!!
Just pick it up and read it! The layout and images are also fantastic and perfect.
Where to start... At times it is hard to tell if this book is calling for all out anarchy or just anarchy of our minds. The messages within the book are inspirational as they make you look at yourself and say "why do I do the things I do?" As you read, you begin to see yourself as another drone that labors back and forth for what you are told is the way to live, all the while you just sink further into an unhappy rut. They point out what is necessary for your mental freedom.
As a concept, I see the value in thinking like this. I see where a little mental anarchy could be an amazing thing. Freeing your mind from the pressures of corporate and popular belief systems can't be a bad thing... However, I am also a little hesitant to agree with the idea of utter anarchy. I guess my time in the military has shown me that some level of order is necessary to survive.
Other than the call for anarchy, the book made me think about my life and how I view the "struggles" of that life. A little shift in perspective never killed anyone.
Interesting read if you allow yourself to learn from it.
This was a fantastic read. As an activist, I can say this is the best piece of literature I've come across that accurately and accessibly conveyed all of the emotions involved in such an endeavor. Anyone can pick up this book. From the general consensus model, to the internal struggles, to dealing with the overwhelming scale of the activist resistance, to the sheer rush of being a part of a direct action, to the lifestyle of empowerment, responsibility, openness and sincerity that comes with the activist world, it really did an exceptional job conveying all of that. The only critique that I am sure most will have is the self-righteous nature of some sections, but honestly? Get over it. That does not take away from the core message of the book, and these are people that devote their entire being to the cause of bettering humanity and the world around them.
This book came as close to changing my life as I think any book can. Questions about liberty, community, philosophy, are all posed in ways that I've never seen before. It forces you to reckon with the ways we act, how we interact with each other, even the things we want, are affected by the advanced, oppressive society we're all stuck in. Most radical politics books focus on economic or macro-political issues, but this book is uniquely personal, taking ideas of radical thought and applying them in ways you might not expect. What assumptions have you made about the way your life must be? Are those assumptions true? Is there any other way to live? I found this book extremely valuable for anyone asking those sorts of questions, maybe for the first time.
The cats at crimethinc used to constantly amaze me with their boradsheets, manifestos and books. Their previous Recipe's book was fantastic how-to guide to survive the apocalypse combined with a protestor/activist toolkit and prankster arsenal. Expect Resistance is more short story laden than i thought. Its an interesting experimental narrative approach about living the life of the dreamer and the square but i don't really think its the best of their work... I review this so that you might pick up their other works. google crimethinc and order something.
One of the better Crimethinc books. If you're familiar with Crimethinc literature, you know what to expect. That being said, I found this a little more readable than "Days of War, Nights of Love" which had been my previous favorite from the Crimethinc Ex-Workers Collective. I am excluding "Recipes for Disaster" as it is less of a book and more of a collection of instructions/experience. The best part was the section on Monogamy, which was excellently written.
This book alternates between sections on theory and a narrative. These sections are obviously written by different authors. The narrative is terribly written, and the book would have been much better off if this part were simply removed. Whenever I recommend Expect Resistance to anyone, I advise them to just skip past the storyline parts; this is, at least, made easy to do as the narratives are printed in red, rather than black, ink.
This book is everything I was hoping it to be. A more mature, well-rounded version of Days of War. The intertextual weaving of the narrative combine with the essays was brilliant and well-executed and made for a much more compelling reading than a book of straight non-fiction essays. A lot of CrimethInc. detractors should really read this book before going off on another tired strawman tirade.
i'm not going to lie, this book was a bit too self-congratulatory for my taste.
i was excited to read it, but upon delving deeper, i just couldn't stomach the arrogance. i don't care what the subject is, arrogance is a huge turn-off for me. i'm on to days of war, nights of love in hopes of more inspiration.