Lezioni feline di antifascismo: Tutto quello che il tuo gatto può insegnarti sulla libertà

by Stewart Reynolds, Maura Parolini (Translator), Matteo Curtoni (Translator)

Questo libro è un ringhio di battaglia, un invito a lottare contro l'assolutismo, a disarmare e sconfiggere ogni fascismo, in qualsiasi forma, con arguzia e con qualche occasionale zampata.

Genres: Nonfiction, Humor, Politics, Cats, Philosophy, Animals, Audiobook

39 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Brittlestar (Stewart Reynolds) has built a global following by combining sharp wit, family-friendly humour, and razor-clear observations about the absurdities of modern life. With more than 650 million views across platforms and hundreds of thousands tuning in weekly, his videos make people laugh, think… and occasionally wonder if he’s spying on their family group chat.

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like “On Tyranny” but with cats. Very important reading for the world we’re living in.

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you’re depressed about the state of the country and feeling helpless to do anything about it, this may be just the book for you. It will bring a smile to your face.

The author knows cats a lot better than either fascists or resistance, however. The image of fascism you see here is stuck in time: it’s Colonel Klink from Hogan’s Heroes. The acts of resistance are nearly all solitary swagger, not strategic, collective, or sustained.

One thing the author could have learned from cats but didn’t is this: when someone is aiming overpowering force at you, get out of the way. Skedaddle. Have hiding places that only you know about. Then, when it’s safe, appear out of nowhere again.

But it’s not cat behavior that’s going to create a place of safety. It’s humans uniting.

[Naomi Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short little mini book with a lighthearted approach to tackling timely threats of fascism with cat-like agility

[Maddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and have a feeling my rating would be higher if I had the physical book in front of me, as I believe there are illustrations(?). 4/5 stars 🐈

[Wanda Pedersen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short audiobook, which was an excellent choice. This was a cute idea, which mostly worked, but was on the edge of overdoing itself. Cats resisting fascists makes a certain amount of sense. It's a very unusual cat who will acquiesce to your every whim. They are far more likely to do as the author claims: loudly and persistently demand what they want, wait until your back is turned to do exactly what they want, attack offenders of their dignity with sharp claws, or vanish so completely that they are unfindable. Humans may have opposable thumbs (the better to operate can openers) but cats know they can outmaneuver us. If you have ever been nagged by a cat that wants something, you know all about this.

If I didn't know better, I would suspect Prime Minister Carney of using this as a play book. Particularly with regards to the final chapter on community building.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think Brittlestar is funny and you like cats you’ll like this book.

Unless you’re a fascist.

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10. Down with fascists, up with cats.

[Stephanie’s Libby Antics · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person alive in the world, this essay is a small balm to my dried out husk of a soul.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic but solid.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s like the Art of War but for cats. It’s short and entertaining… just don’t let your MAGA friend read it. 😅

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Egyptologists still can't seem to figure out exactly why so many cat statues were found inside the pyramids. Debates still rage about whether Napoleon liked cats or was fearful of them. Cats, it seems, innately understand the possibilities of power better than most animals. Certainly more so than humans, as this little book sums up with humor. Might explain why no photos of Trump with cats exist. They know a fascist when they seen one.

[Mollified.Moments · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely a five star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was exactly the kind of thing I didn’t know I needed between my regular reading. It’s short—you can get through it in one sitting—but manages to pack in a lot without ever feeling like it’s trying too hard.

It’s funny, yeah, but also weirdly sharp. The chapters are quick, and sure, some of the ideas repeat a little—but that kinda works when you’re talking about cats. They’re stubborn, unpredictable, and do whatever they want… which is exactly the point.

There’s one line that stuck with me—“Rest isn’t just self-care—it’s resistance. And nothing terrifies a fascist more than someone who’s wide awake, well-rested, and ready to strike.”

Honestly, yes.

I will 100% be buying a finished copy of this for myself and grabbing extras for my fellow childless cat ladies. It’s the kind of book you want to pass around. It’s snarky, thoughtful, and makes a good case for calculated chaos.

[Rach · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short little guide on ways to fight back against the fascism we are currently seeing in our country and around the world, with tips taken from the clever, persistent, resilient cat. I really appreciated how short and to the point each tip was, drawing direct comparisons between the ways cats deal with humans and the ways we can deal with fascism. Some of these tips might seem less relevant considering how far down the road to fascism some of our leaders have gone in the last 6 months, but I still think there are some good little gems in there to encourage us and remind us of the importance and value of resistance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this book for review purposes.

[Hache · Rating 1 out of 5]

El libro es un 0, le pongo una estrella porque no puedo ponerle menos. Es el peor libro que me he leído en mi vida.
Me he forzado a terminarlo porque fue un regalo (además de cortísimo), y aun así se me ha hecho eterno. No tengo pruebas pero tampoco dudas de que está escrito con IA y no ha pasado por las manos de ningún editor que pudiera haber salvado un poco los muebles a este desastre. Repetitivo, sin ideas, AIslop y políticamente estéril: siento que define perfectamente lo que es el partido demócrata estadounidense. Lo peor no es el libro en sí, si no la valoración media que tiene en goodreads y algunas de las reseñas. Meteorito mátame.

[ash:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

trump slander but in the context of cats. genius.

[Ashleah · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5/5 stars)

Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism is a short but sweet (and funny!) nonfiction book about dealing with oppressive regimes.

This was pretty fantastic! It's under 70 pages, but I lost count how many times I laughed out loud or made other audible noises of enjoyment or shook my head in agreement.

There are eleven short essays, each focusing on a type of behavior from our feline friends that might help us in our efforts to resist fascism. There are beautiful line art illustrations throughout the book, and I especially loved those. I kind of want to buy prints to hang up on my wall!

Overall I really enjoyed reading this. However, it does get a smidge repetitive at times, and since the book is so short that really stands out. I've been recommended the author's other book, Welcome to the Stupidpocalypse, which is longer and more-in depth--I've already ordered a copy for myself!

If you're looking for something witty and funny to help you resist oppressive regimes, I highly recommend this one!

I received a complimentary review copy from Grand Central Pub. All opinions contained herein are my own.

[Becca Dawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Idek what I just listened to but I love it. Simultaneously hilarious, satirical, iconic, serious, insightful, inspiring. I know I know odd combo of adjectives but if you know you know. Turns out there is a lot we can learn from cats in tackling modern fascism and oppression together in this crazy world we are living in which lacks so much empathy and justice for humanity of all kinds. Packs quite the punch in 37 minutes. Big fan. Feels illegal to include in my reading goal but yolo

[nancy! · Rating 4 out of 5]

FDT!!!!!!

[Raquel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Conceito giro, pena ser totalmente escrito em chatgpt e com zero originalidade

[Tom Palumbo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book was written with ChatGPT. I can tell because, I hate to admit it, but I use AI heavily at work to write emails and memos and project descriptions, and I’ve tailored it to be a little more casual to avoid using corporate-speak. The tone and style of this book are identical to what I get there.

That being said, the premise is clever and the main ideas are very creative. Drawing inspiration from house cats to fight fascism is wonderful. At the end of the day, all you need are the chapter titles and maybe one paragraph for each.

[Sue Em · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprisingly full of real strategic suggestions when I was expecting just a lighthearted read. While definitely funny, it's full of gems. From "strategic chaos" to unrelenting assertiveness, the feline playbook really is applicable to creating resistance. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so fun and silly.

[Kristen Carannante · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Election Day read. It was a birthday gift from my feline/democracy friendly book club.

[grandmalily · Rating 3 out of 5]

My two favorite things: cats and anti-fascism 😺

[Liliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Libro corto de lecciones que podemos aprender sobre los gatos para combatir el fascismo. Es divertida y relevante, habla de varias lecciones desde el lente actual del fascismo en Estados Unidos y se me hizo divertido ver como ciertas figuras políticas de la izquierda socialista reflejan algunas de las lecciones que habla el libro (ej. Zohran Mamdani, Bernie Sanders).

Corto, divertido y directo al grano. 🐈✨

[Eline Schoonhoven · Rating 3 out of 5]

geinig maar valt wel een beetje in herhaling

[Nic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful. A completely delightful political/social justice manual. Super short, super cute (the artwork would make such cute tattoos), just what’s needed for these days.

[Sam Cardet · Rating 1 out of 5]

So the blurb says “it’s like On Tyranny, but with cats,” and I said, “Cool, I’m definitely the target audience for this.” But the problem is, unless you’re interested in adopting some very literal cat behaviors (like sitting in boxes and knocking glasses of water off the table) in your fight against tyranny, there’s no real praxis here.

This is surface-level, diet antifascism. I almost can’t believe how tone-deaf and trivializing it is in certain parts. It says cutesy things like “keep your claws sharp,” but doesn’t discuss any actual methods for active resistance or community organizing. To wit, the author’s idea of using one’s claws seems to be primarily about making “cutting remarks” and posting “biting comedic commentary online.” He also tells readers to be cuddly and kind first and only use our freshly sharpened claws when they’re REALLY needed. Mhm, okay. This guy is looking in on us from Canada with a sad smile saying, “Have you tried being so super duper cute that the fascists just get confused and give up?”

The image of the fascist presented here is always bumbling, always responding to your cute, coy acts of resistance with a stutter and a “Whaa-?! How did they do that?!” There are no practical tools for when the responses to resistance are, in fact, extremely scary and very, very violent. Are fascists stupid and insecure? Yes, but that doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous. And when you’re encouraging people in only a vague, abstract way to get involved in protests and physically occupy “spaces that aren’t yours,” *ignoring that dangerousness could get someone hurt or killed.*

Not only is this book simplistic and often just straight-up cringe, it’s extremely repetitive, and not in an “effective poetic repetition” way. I lost count of the number of sentences constructed as “It’s not X—it’s Y.” Or “It’s not about THIS—It’s about THAT.” I hate to say it, because I can tell there is a real human voice in this book (however glib), but it’s giving ChatGPT. And one of the most quintessentially fascist tools currently in the tyranny toolkit is generative AI. (If I find even a dust mote of concrete evidence that genAI was used for this tiny book, it’ll be enough for me to bump it to 1 star. And I never give anything 1 star.)

What I came for: A cute, funny, entry-level guide into resistance politics. I didn’t have terribly high expectations, mind you, but I was at least expecting SOME useful advice. To borrow the conclusion phrase used ad nauseam in the book: At the end of the day, this book isn’t just functionally useless—it also wasn’t even that cute or funny. And it’s so definitely NOT “On Tyranny, but with cats,” that it almost reads like a satire piece on performative activism. Imagine being an internet comedian with the nerve to compare your inane “writing” to that of a history scholar.

Anyway, if you want a warm hug and a pat on the back from someone who will call you the fuzziest lil’ freedom fighter for tweeting “Trump is stupid” and turning in for a nap (hey, not judging—we’ve all been there), then you may enjoy this cuddly collection of insubstantial “fight the power” quips. Everyone else, go read Angela Davis, bell hooks, and James Baldwin. This dude doesn’t have the first clue about what we’re really fighting here in this country and what’s at stake.

[Molly McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed this book this week. I had an amazing time. Shoutout to my girl Anna for bringing this to my attention because it hit the spot

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart Reynolds AKA Brittlestar because I have enjoyed his humorous takes on politics on his Instagram feed. This book was short, sweet, light but to the point. Basically if you're fighting fascism, be more like a cat than a dog. But basically, he makes his point succinctly and clearly.

"Fascists survive on predictability because their entire system is built on the illusion of control." Be like the cat. Be unpredictable. Fascists can't handle unpredictability.

"Fascists, despite their chest-thumping bravado, are deeply insecure" They thrive on denigrating and making people feel small. They only win if you let them. Cats won't let them. You shouldn't either.

One more...

"Fascists, despite their swagger, are terrified of sharp resistance - both literal and metaphorical. They thrive on compliance..." So never let them think you are defenceless...

It's an interesting way of presenting this battle between democracy and fascism and it makes the point very clearly. Check it out and check out Brittlestar... (3.5 stars)