This Land is My Land: A Graphic History of Big Dreams, Micronations, and Other Self-Made States

by Andy Warner, Sofie Louise Dam

The stories of 30 self-made places around the world: Tired of your country's bad politics? Feeling powerless to change things? Start your own utopia instead! This nonfiction graphic novel collects the stories of 30 self-made places around the world built with a dream of utopia, whether a safe haven, an inspiring structure, or a better-run country. These are the empowering and eccentric visions of creators who struck out against the laws of their homelands, the approval of their peers, and even nature itself to reshape the world around them.
Travel around the globe, from the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands to the Indian rock garden of Nek Chand, the micronation of Sealand to the pirate-founded, anti-slavery community of Libertatia.
Organized into 5 chapters: intentional communities, micronations, failed utopias, visionary environments, and strange dreams.

Fans of Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis and Bryan Caplan's Open Borders will love the graphic novel This Land is My Land.

The hope that tomorrow will be better than today is shared universally and depicted through the stories of people who were dissatisfied with the status quo, so they chose to build something better.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, History, Comics, Politics, Geography, Comix

160 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

Andy Warner creates nonfiction comics.

He is the author of Pets & Pests, This Land is My Land, Spring Rain, and the NY Times Best Selling Brief Histories of Everyday Objects. His books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Korean, French and Spanish.

He is a contributing editor at The Nib and teaches cartooning at Stanford University and The Animation Workshop in Denmark.

His work has been published widely, including by Slate, American Public Media, Popular Science, KQED, IDEO.org, The Center for Constitutional Rights, UNHCR, UNRWA, UNICEF, Google X and Buzzfeed.

He was a recipient of the 2018 Berkeley Civic Arts Grant and the 2019 and 2021 Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park Artist-in-Residency.

He works in a garret room in South Berkeley and comes from the sea.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirty visions of paradise on earth - thirty cautionary tales that will make you wonder if a utopia for one is a dystopia for another - excellent cautionary tales that are particularly relevant today.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an amazing book. This has all sorts of experimental communities that were founded, some of which are still around, some of which are long gone. Each of these communities is described, and story told about, in graphic novel format, making each story very accessible.

There is Freetown Christiania, a community formed in Copenhagen on the land of a disued army based, back in the 1970s. It is still around.

Or the Van Dykes, which was more of a concept, of lesbians, all called Van Dyke, who traveled aorund together.

Each story is amazing in itself, and lots of fun to read about. And yes, Sealand, the offshore rig that was declared its own country, is there as well, as well as another off shore rig, Rose Island, which was destroyed by the Italians when they took it back.

Great way to learn about what lengths peopole go to to have their own place away from the government.


Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

[Ed Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short descriptions of a bunch of tiny nations or utopian communities. They are described to us in 2 to four pages each by an owl, representing goddess Athena, I suppose because of her relation to the first democracy in Athens.

I knew of some of these, not of others. Most didn't last long, though North Dumpling Island, owned by the guy who created the Segway, is still going strong and has a non-aggression pact with the USA. Also still around is the "Principality of Sealand", "Freetown Christiania", and "Oneida Community" transformed itself into the company "Oneida Limited" which is still a profitable company. "Ladonia" probably has the highest number of citizens, currently over 22,000, including over 1000 royalty, though none of them actually live there.

Among the rich guys who've set-up their own countries, this book includes Henry Ford (Fordlandia in Brazil), Dean Kamen of Segway fame (North Dumpling Island), and Hemingway's brother Leicester Hemingway (New Atlantis. It sank, just like it's namesake.). King Camp Gillette of razor blade fame never build his Metropolis, but he tried, and while Peter Theil has given up on a floating country, the Seasteading Institute he was involved in is still trying.

I have neither enough ego, nor enough money, to try it myself. Though getting away from it all is appealing sometimes.

[Rod Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amusing bathroom book. Each chapter of two to four pages briefly outlines the history of a small and usually failed community or nation. The first half of the book has the better material as it delves into the visionaries, rebels and weirdos who decided to form their own tiny country or utopia. The second half of the book lags as it mostly becomes about artists who create big sculpture parks or man-made caves.

This is probably more like 2.5 stars, but the material piqued my interest, even while the execution felt a little like little book reports from internet articles or other books that have already covered the same material. (See Atlas Obscura: An Explorer's Guide to the World's Hidden Wonders or All Their Own: People and the Places They Build)

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun concept

[Stephanie Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a fun way to learn some weird stuff about the strange people and crazy ideas that have shaped our world!

[Sydney S · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

First thing of note is that this ARC had a giant “X” and copyright watermark through every single page, so that was pretty distracting. I get it, you don’t want your work pirated and copied by people, but the giant “X” that covered the entire page, and giant watermark in the center of every single page, was not only distracting, it also made it really difficult to judge the art and read certain panels. There were panels in the center of most of the pages where I just could not read entire sentences. Just wanted to note that before I begin.

I appreciated the pages (4) in the beginning that serve as kind of Content/Chapters pages. They're unique and useful. Reminds me of the joy I get from reading books that include a map and other similar charts/graphs. The book contains sections on Intentional Communities, Micronations, Failed Utopias, Visionary Environments, and Strange Dreams. Each section contained new information that I’m glad I was able to learn about in such an engaging and colorful comic format.

The Contents pages also go along nicely with the art and colors for this book, which were beautiful in a simple way. I think this would be a great way to teach kids about history. The illustrations are youthful and it makes learning entertaining. I definitely learned a lot. I was particularly surprised by all of the micronations. Very interesting stuff.

The “New Atlantis” chapter starts with “It doesn’t take a lot to create your own country. One of the earliest known micronations was founded on bird droppings by a Nobel Laureate’s brother.” Yes, please, tell me more! (It was Leicester Hemingway, by the way. Ernest Hemingway’s brother, which makes it so much better in my opinion). Leicester founded a country in the middle of the ocean by basically creating a giant raft anchored down, and, of course, he named his country New Atlantis. It was legal because there was a law stating that you could claim an “island” as long as it had bird droppings on it. Comical and fascinating. This was probably my favorite story in the micronations section, and I can’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before.

I think my second favorite in that section might be the story of Ladonia. I won’t spoil it, but I’ll say this artist guy was awesome and possibly a little cuckoo.

One of the more recent micronations, Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands, has a great chapter in this book too. Seriously fascinating stuff.

The failed Utopias section was informative and surprising as well, particularly the chapter on Tama-Re. Who doesn’t love a tale about a dude who thought he was an alien sent here to save the planet? (I would say the planet he said he was from, but I can’t quite make it out behind the watermark). It’s hilarious that he claimed the “promised land” was in Georgia, my state, a state that is most definitely not enlightened. I might want to find the site of these pyramids he had his followers build though. But… apparently this dude Tama-Re was not a good guy, so maybe I wouldn’t want to see where those pyramids were after all. All of this Tama-Re stuff ended in 2002 by the way, so this was pretty recent.

The authors of this graphic novel definitely knew what they were doing. There’s some obvious skill here, on every single page. I would read more books by these authors for sure.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

[Keen Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many books on this subject, and yet I am pretty sure that I have never come across any of the first five written about in here, which was a pleasant surprise to say the least. Not only that but there were many more which were new to me too.

Ra Paulette’s Caves, Nek Chand’s Rock Garden, Freedom Cove in Vancouver Island and the Temples of Humankind. So many of these stories are magical, bizarre and outlandish, but all are interesting in their own way, but surely the most memorable of all is the incredible story behind the Arizona Mystery Castle?...

This is really well researched, and almost every story leaves you wanting more. The art work is fresh, lively and colourful and really brings these stories to life. The people and places described within these pages are testament to the phenomenal imagination, creativity, romance and determination that mankind is capable of out there in the great, wide world.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's no real analysis here, nor are any of the profiles terribly in depth. But they're each fascinating, in their own way. For some reason, the whole is narrated by a barn owl, so I kept imagining that Jareth was telling me these stories. That's probably a selling point for quite a few people, actually.

[January Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great and informative book for all ages. The Owl is adorable. I like the graphic novel format. It teaches about micro-nations. Some that are gone and some that are still around!

[Sarah Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but I wanted more.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and fascinating read! It explores utopias, small communities, micro nations, and more. It was interesting to see the communities that were more motivated by shared beliefs in a better world versus those motivated by power and profit/tax evasion. There were some funny lines worked in that I don’t think kids would get, so that was enjoyable too!

[A'idah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What you read in the synopsis sounds far more important than what is actually said in the book. While each of the accounts is, to very different extents, interesting, there isn't much more feeling beyond that. It's not enough to be interesting -- there is no statement made in this book other than an attempt to say "do you want to live in a different society? So did these people!"

Even among the accounts themselves, what's emphasized more than the societies themselves is the ideologies and egos of their leaders. Imagine glossing over the fact that a commune loses its founding leader because he is arrested for statutory rape. What the author calls "failed utopias" are what should correctly be called "cults". In many cases these new societies are founded out of extreme libertarianism and a primary desire to evade taxes. Most don't speak to the nature of community, which is the basic tenet of any micronation, state, or dreamed society that involves more than 1 person.

While the book is well-illustrated (and must have taken hundreds of hours of research on top of that), it's hard to enjoy a book once you get halfway through and realize that you're not going to get more than this. There is little substance beyond the facts themselves, and the sheer quantity of different places makes it hard to actually remember each one once you've read a few more pages.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm an Andy Warner fan, a geography fan, and a fun facts fan, so I was extremely predisposed to like This Land is My Land. It lived up to my internal hype. Several of the minor nation-states and impossible utopias were brand new to me, which was certainly a thrill, considering I've read several books almost identical to this one over the years.

Warner does a good job with restricted page counts, relaying just the most interesting factoids. Of course I wanted more more more, but This Land is My Land serves as a strong introduction to these weirdo places. I did yearn for Warner's own art stylings, though Sofie Louise Dam was more than serviceable.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So interesting and so entertaining at the same time. A history of people who have tried to start their own country over the ages. I wasn't aware of almost any of them, but it made me excited to research more.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was really interesting - and it made me want to set up my own micronation. Just a little bit. Or at least it made me want to visit some of the ones that still exist.

[Jesica DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting history unfolds in bright graphic detail. I could not put this book down and it is leading me to research some of the people and places further.

[Lisa Toledo · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking to learn about how surprisingly easy it is to succeed from a nation and establish your island, raft, or tunnels in a mountain as a sovereign nation, this is the graphic novel for you.

With every example of a micronation, intentional community, failed utopia and visionary environment given, I asked myself, “Is this a cult?” I suspect the overwhelming answer is YES.

Some notable examples:

- A long series of tunnels in the Italian Alps where the community has a room to contact aliens

- Leicester Hemingway, overlooked brother of Ernest, develops his own nation on a raft he anchors with a car battery, which dissolves after a hurricane

- Abandoned WWII structure that Pirate Radio took over, named themselves sovereign, then started fighting amongst themselves with guns, mercenaries and kidnapping. Because they were in “international waters” the UK said, “fight this out amongst yourselves.”

- The inventor of the Segway convinced his friend George HW Bush to sign a nonaggression pact with with his succeeded island off the coast of Connecticut. It is an island of 1, though he runs for re-election every year. He puts up pro and and anti campaign posters around the island during this time - he always wins.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brief illustrated overviews of just some intentional communities. Looks like the author chose to stay away from some of the more tragic/culty communities, so this is not a comprehensive collection.

The narrative tone and illustrations are bright and light, but not jokey. The facts are related fairly neutrally with little judgement from the creators.

[Phillip Han · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting and quick graphic novel that shows many examples of people trying to create their own worlds. It was intriguing to read how and why these people strived to achieve their goals and see if these dreams might ever come true in the future.

[Akiva ꙮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Does exactly what it says on the tin. Worthy and interesting idea to compare and contrast the different kinds of experiments. I might have put intentional communities last or next-to-last instead of first however. They are (currently) striking the balance that the other types aren't/didn't/didn't intend to, so I think you'd want to see the different ways that imbalanced projects failed before seeing how others successfully adapt and perpetuate themselves over time.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really beautiful art and interesting tone of narrative. I thing this book deserves much more recognition

[Jordan Self · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduced me to so many events in history I have never heard of, and it acts as a springboard into more learning. I would read about a visionary or an event, and then I would do more research to dig deeper into the stories that interested me. I would say if you are interested in this book then you should definitely go for it because there is going to be something in here that you will never forget. The only thing that I would have liked to see more of is the Strange Dreams section. There are only three entries here and it would have been nice to have more of those. I can see that the writers behind this book are really interested in the cults and free thinking societies, but the possibilities of the dreams of people are what interests me. Dreams are what brought people together to start those other societies and micronations.


Thank you Goodreads and Chronicle Books for the giveaway and the opportunity to read this book!

[TammyJo Eckhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the 30 places looked at in this graphic book, 27 were actually built at one time. Some still stand, some have decayed. Three were just ideas that involved books or moving but no real structures that fit the plans. Those three unmade locations dragged the otherwise fascinating book down.

The places looked at are organized into five categories -- Intentional Communities, Micronations, Failed Utopias, Visionary Environments, and Strange Dreams (the unbuilt three). Each category is described so you know what type of locations you will be finding inside.

I loved the drawing, inking, and coloring of the pages, it kept it interesting as I turned pages. The text and characters made the locations intriguing and I ended up looking them all up. I do wish a list of resources were included in the book to make finding more information easier particularly since a good number of them are places you can visit today.

The book is a quick read, the locations take between two and six pages only yet a lot is packed in because of the graphic nature of the work. I think this would be fun reading for grade school age and above.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read!
I have a particular interest in oddball visionaries. I love stuff like this. This Land is My Land is a book full of people who for various reasons have been compelled to create towers out of concrete and bottles, claim islands as their own sovereign nations and name themselves king, begin a sex-cult-turned-fork-factory in the name of pure living, or dig tunnels under the Italian alps for the sake of spiritual growth.
It took me much longer to read the book than a slim graphic account normally would because I ended up googling all the places to see what they looked like. Recommended for fans of cults, outsider artists, gurus, and self-professed kings.

Fun fact: one of the guys profiled was my dad's boy scout leader.

[Teresa Grabs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and its journey through self-made communities. The graphic novel approach and art style helps bolster the individuality message found in the descriptions of the communities. Some of my favorite communities presented were Libertatia (a pirate community on Madagascar), Auroville (a community in India built on compassion), and Ra Paulette's Caves (a cave community in New Mexico). Readers will find hope, ideas, and even some ideas that failed, but the drive to make something better comes through loud and clear in each story.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy.

[Gloria Cangahuala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting graphic novel depicting a number of micronations and other visionary endeavors around the world. I hadn't heard of any of these places, so I was fascinated! I wished that each section about each place were a little longer and had more historical background. I would have liked to have read a little more about each place, but I understand that the authors were trying to keep things brief and just give a quick overview.

Overall, this was a very interesting book that was a quick read.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the illustrations in the graphic novel. Excellent artwork.

I did feel like there was a final page or panel missing from pretty much every story. They all felt like some kind of take-away or afterward was missing. Once you get used to that sort of truncated feeling, the writing is good, each story is quick. Different places are grouped together by type, which was a nice way to organize them.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical and occasionally poignant collection of folks from history with big dreams -- from individuals declaring sovereignty of their own parcels of land and planned private industrial cities, to idealistic societies creating utopias, all meeting with varying degrees of success. A quick, entertaining, educational summer read.

I received this ARC via LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations with a lot of little known history facts that intrigue me. I felt that they didn't leave enough pages to tie it all together and that each story didn't lead one directly to the overall message.