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Resist: Stories of Uprising
At a time that feels unprecedented in British politics – with unlawful prorogations of parliament, casual race-baiting by senior politicians, and a climate crisis that continues to be ignored – it’s easy to think these are uncharted waters for us, as a democracy.
But Britain has seen political crises and far-right extremism before, just as it has witnessed regressive, heavy-handed governments. Much worse has been done, or allowed to be done, in the name of the people and eventually, those same people have called it out, stood up, resisted.
In this new collection of fictions and essays, spanning two millennia of British protest, authors, historians and activists re-imagine twenty acts of defiance: campaigns to change unjust laws, protests against unlawful acts, uprisings successful and unsuccessful – from Boudica to Blair Peach, from the Battle of Cable Street to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Britain might not be famous for its revolutionary spirit, but its people know when to draw the line, and say very clearly, ‘¡No pasarán!’
Featuring:
Bidisha with Prof Richard Hingley on BOUDICA's RISING, 60 AD
SJ Bradley with Prof John Walter on the OXFORDSHIRE RISING, 1596
Martin Edwards with Prof Robert Poole on PETERLOO, 1819
Kamila Shamsie with Prof Malcolm Chase on the CATO STREET CONSPIRACY, 1820
Anna Lewis with Dr Richard C. Allen on MERTHYR RISING, 1831
Kim Squirrell with Dr Marcus Morris on the TOLPUDDLE MARTYRS, 1834
Eley Williams with Rhian E. Jones on the REBECCA RIOTS, 1839
Lucy Caldwell with Dr Ben Griffin on CAROLINE NORTON, 1839
Uschi Gatward with Dave Steele on the GREAT CHARTIST MEETING, 1848
Jude Brown with Dr Mark O'Brien on the LIVERPOOL TRANSPORT STRIKE, 1911
Donny O'Rourke with Dr Jim Phillips on the BATTLE OF GEORGE SQUARE, 1919
Steve Chambers with David Rosenberg on the BATTLE OF CABLE STREET, 1936
Karline Smith with Dr Kenny Monrose on the NOTTING HILL RIOTS, 1958
Luan Goldie with Dr Jonathan Moss on the FORD DAGENHAM WOMEN'S STRIKE, 1968
Irfan Master with David Renton on BLAIR PEACH, 1979
Lucas Stewart with Mike Carden on the LIVERPOOL DOCKERS DISPUTE, 1995
Gaia Holmes with Dr Chris Cocking on the NEWBURY BYPASS PROTEST, 1996
Zoe Lambert with Jo Blackman on SEEDS OF HOPE, 1996
Nikita Lalwani with Dr Roger Ball on the TOTTENHAM RIOT, 2011
Julia Bell with Daniel Renwick on GRENFELL, 2017
This project has been supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the Lipman-Miliband Trust, as well as Arts Council England.
Part of Comma's 'History-into-Fiction' series.
But Britain has seen political crises and far-right extremism before, just as it has witnessed regressive, heavy-handed governments. Much worse has been done, or allowed to be done, in the name of the people and eventually, those same people have called it out, stood up, resisted.
In this new collection of fictions and essays, spanning two millennia of British protest, authors, historians and activists re-imagine twenty acts of defiance: campaigns to change unjust laws, protests against unlawful acts, uprisings successful and unsuccessful – from Boudica to Blair Peach, from the Battle of Cable Street to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Britain might not be famous for its revolutionary spirit, but its people know when to draw the line, and say very clearly, ‘¡No pasarán!’
Featuring:
Bidisha with Prof Richard Hingley on BOUDICA's RISING, 60 AD
SJ Bradley with Prof John Walter on the OXFORDSHIRE RISING, 1596
Martin Edwards with Prof Robert Poole on PETERLOO, 1819
Kamila Shamsie with Prof Malcolm Chase on the CATO STREET CONSPIRACY, 1820
Anna Lewis with Dr Richard C. Allen on MERTHYR RISING, 1831
Kim Squirrell with Dr Marcus Morris on the TOLPUDDLE MARTYRS, 1834
Eley Williams with Rhian E. Jones on the REBECCA RIOTS, 1839
Lucy Caldwell with Dr Ben Griffin on CAROLINE NORTON, 1839
Uschi Gatward with Dave Steele on the GREAT CHARTIST MEETING, 1848
Jude Brown with Dr Mark O'Brien on the LIVERPOOL TRANSPORT STRIKE, 1911
Donny O'Rourke with Dr Jim Phillips on the BATTLE OF GEORGE SQUARE, 1919
Steve Chambers with David Rosenberg on the BATTLE OF CABLE STREET, 1936
Karline Smith with Dr Kenny Monrose on the NOTTING HILL RIOTS, 1958
Luan Goldie with Dr Jonathan Moss on the FORD DAGENHAM WOMEN'S STRIKE, 1968
Irfan Master with David Renton on BLAIR PEACH, 1979
Lucas Stewart with Mike Carden on the LIVERPOOL DOCKERS DISPUTE, 1995
Gaia Holmes with Dr Chris Cocking on the NEWBURY BYPASS PROTEST, 1996
Zoe Lambert with Jo Blackman on SEEDS OF HOPE, 1996
Nikita Lalwani with Dr Roger Ball on the TOTTENHAM RIOT, 2011
Julia Bell with Daniel Renwick on GRENFELL, 2017
This project has been supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the Lipman-Miliband Trust, as well as Arts Council England.
Part of Comma's 'History-into-Fiction' series.
- GenresNonfictionShort Stories
450 pages, Hardcover
First published October 17, 2019
9 people are currently reading
176 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 25, 2020
Shouldn't really work, but does, this book collects stories (fictions) about moments in Britain's history where uprisings have made an impact and pairs them with factual accounts/summaries by historians. Often the fictional pieces have protagonists involved in the events or on the periphery (for example the imagined producer of the banners of the 'Tolpuddle Martyrs') so we get a flavour of living through the protest/battle/strike. Sometimes the story is set now and looks back. The historians involved give us an objective view of what is known and the implications/changes that occurred due to the events. It's not all action on the streets, eg we learn that Caroline Norton's letter writing campaign 'succeeded in pressuring parliament into improving women's legal and social position': something I knew nothing about. I learnt about other revolts too, like the Rebecca Riots and The Battle of George Square in Glasgow in 1919, although most were known to me. A primer for readers to follow up on the information and a taste/flavour of how things occurred, I read it backwards because it is in historical order (starting with Boudica), and I was wanting to know about the latest piece on Grenfell. A devastating piece on the neglect of the council landlords despite letters and protests from the residents warning of the possibilities of fire, this set the tone for the whole book: it's a call to action too. Gripping. Should be used in schools' curricula. I'm hoping there will be later books covering things like the BLM marches and include things this leaves out like the poll tax riots in London.
February 29, 2020
"It's septic, this country - how we live side by side, so much to so little."
Resist is a sharp and poignant discussion on the contrasts of life in the UK, of those with less constantly having to stand up against those with more. It’s bold and unflinching; an unambiguous demonstration of how poorly so many in the country have been treated, of how many men and women over the centuries have had to give their lives to ensure progress is not lost.
As explained in the introduction, Resist focuses not on uprisings that moved progress forward, but on those that made sure it was held as a constant. This focus meant many of the movements discussed were ones I hadn’t heard of before, and I’m glad to finally be aware of them now. The book is structured in chronological order, with each fictional story about an uprising accompanied by a factual explanation of events and their impact. As the events move towards more recent history, many explanations are written by those present at - and in some cases, orchestrating - the uprisings. A couple of the histories of older events seemed a bit dry, or maybe trying to cover just too much ground in a brief essay. But I was particularly moved by Jo Blackman's write up of Seeds of Hope, and especially her frank discussion of how they broke down their fears about possible imprisonment, disarming their fears as powerfully as they disarmed the plane. I found her question of "If I really believe that this jet will be used to bomb civilians, then what is my responsibility as a human being?" remarkably impactful, and one I know will be lingering in the back of my mind for a long time: how often do we simply close our eyes and look the other way rather than facing up to our responsibilities?
The whole collection is full of similarly powerful accounts; it is impossible to read it without questioning what your own role should be.
The uprisings take place all over the UK, and the lack of emphasis on London was refreshing, particularly in the first half, where all of the events happen elsewhere. It’s a collection that consciously draws out women’s role in these events – not just supporting quietly behind the scenes, but fighting and risking and changing.
The short stories breathe life and colour into each event. A powerful standout for me was Kamila Shamsie’s story on the Cato Street Conspiracy. I loved how this demonstrated the impact of events echoing down through society – repercussions cascading through generations and across continents. I found it a valuable piece in highlighting the extent to which ‘normal’ people were complicit in movements like the slave trade. It can be difficult to identify how unjust some of our own practices can be when those are all we are familiar with, and this story refuses to allow anyone to plead privileged ignorance.
I also really loved Gaia Holmes’ story on the Newbury bypass, a powerful, visceral and lyrical piece capturing an event which I'd never heard of, despite being alive when it happened, and I was fascinated by the tales of men dressing in women’s clothing during the Rebecca Riots. The Seeds of Hope story was just as gripping as the write-up accompanying it.
Luan Goldie’s piece on the Ford Dagenham Women’s Strike was a much-needed reminder that so many of these events are still within living memory. It’s an evocative consideration of how little we know about family memories, of how little we sometimes care about our own history until it is too late.
“Deep structural change rarely happens without civil disobedience” reminds Jo Blackman. The challenge of Resist is implicit: how are we pushing back against those creating the rules? Have we lost the sense of urgency and passion held by those who have died fighting for these causes? Have we forgotten that for justice to be upheld, sometimes we have to get our hands dirty?
Resist is a timely pulling together of the threads that run throughout history of division and injustice, of courage and of people refusing to lose hope in fighting for a better world. The parallels to today are endless, but it is impossible to finish this book without a deep sense of optimism, buoyed by a strong sense of unity in the fight for a better, more just world.
Resist is a sharp and poignant discussion on the contrasts of life in the UK, of those with less constantly having to stand up against those with more. It’s bold and unflinching; an unambiguous demonstration of how poorly so many in the country have been treated, of how many men and women over the centuries have had to give their lives to ensure progress is not lost.
As explained in the introduction, Resist focuses not on uprisings that moved progress forward, but on those that made sure it was held as a constant. This focus meant many of the movements discussed were ones I hadn’t heard of before, and I’m glad to finally be aware of them now. The book is structured in chronological order, with each fictional story about an uprising accompanied by a factual explanation of events and their impact. As the events move towards more recent history, many explanations are written by those present at - and in some cases, orchestrating - the uprisings. A couple of the histories of older events seemed a bit dry, or maybe trying to cover just too much ground in a brief essay. But I was particularly moved by Jo Blackman's write up of Seeds of Hope, and especially her frank discussion of how they broke down their fears about possible imprisonment, disarming their fears as powerfully as they disarmed the plane. I found her question of "If I really believe that this jet will be used to bomb civilians, then what is my responsibility as a human being?" remarkably impactful, and one I know will be lingering in the back of my mind for a long time: how often do we simply close our eyes and look the other way rather than facing up to our responsibilities?
The whole collection is full of similarly powerful accounts; it is impossible to read it without questioning what your own role should be.
The uprisings take place all over the UK, and the lack of emphasis on London was refreshing, particularly in the first half, where all of the events happen elsewhere. It’s a collection that consciously draws out women’s role in these events – not just supporting quietly behind the scenes, but fighting and risking and changing.
The short stories breathe life and colour into each event. A powerful standout for me was Kamila Shamsie’s story on the Cato Street Conspiracy. I loved how this demonstrated the impact of events echoing down through society – repercussions cascading through generations and across continents. I found it a valuable piece in highlighting the extent to which ‘normal’ people were complicit in movements like the slave trade. It can be difficult to identify how unjust some of our own practices can be when those are all we are familiar with, and this story refuses to allow anyone to plead privileged ignorance.
I also really loved Gaia Holmes’ story on the Newbury bypass, a powerful, visceral and lyrical piece capturing an event which I'd never heard of, despite being alive when it happened, and I was fascinated by the tales of men dressing in women’s clothing during the Rebecca Riots. The Seeds of Hope story was just as gripping as the write-up accompanying it.
Luan Goldie’s piece on the Ford Dagenham Women’s Strike was a much-needed reminder that so many of these events are still within living memory. It’s an evocative consideration of how little we know about family memories, of how little we sometimes care about our own history until it is too late.
“Deep structural change rarely happens without civil disobedience” reminds Jo Blackman. The challenge of Resist is implicit: how are we pushing back against those creating the rules? Have we lost the sense of urgency and passion held by those who have died fighting for these causes? Have we forgotten that for justice to be upheld, sometimes we have to get our hands dirty?
Resist is a timely pulling together of the threads that run throughout history of division and injustice, of courage and of people refusing to lose hope in fighting for a better world. The parallels to today are endless, but it is impossible to finish this book without a deep sense of optimism, buoyed by a strong sense of unity in the fight for a better, more just world.
August 8, 2021
This was one of the works I based an interview around for one of my university modules, with one of the contributors- Zoe Lambert- being the interview subject. I was intrigued by the premise of this short story collection and I wasn’t disappointed. Naturally, there were some stories I preferred to others (‘The Children’ by Lucy Caldwell, ‘Little Bird’ by Steve Chambers and ‘Seeds of Hope’ by Zoe Lambert were my favourites) but the way in which this collection integrates non-fiction with fiction is great; I really appreciated how each short story was followed by a historical account I could compare and contrast the story to. The only downside to my reading experience of this was the fact that I didn’t enjoy some of the writing styles but overall I found this informative and an interesting approach to the history of British uprisings.
December 12, 2020
#AD: gifted product
Thank you to Comma Press for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review also published on my blog.
I’ve followed Comma Press for a while, so I was very excited to be offered an eARC of Resist: Stories of Uprising in return for a review. The concept of the book had me very interested: a collection of short stories and essays, chronicling the history of British uprisings and protests. It’s also a different format to anything I’ve read before, which I always find exciting. Each short story focused on a different uprising or protest, and was followed by an essay on the subject. The sections were arranged in chronological order, starting with Boudica’s Rising in around 60AD, right up to Grenfell Tower in 2017. Writers contributing to this collection include Kamila Shamsie, Lucy Caldwell, Luan Goldie and Nikita Lalwani. I had heard of a few of the authors in this collection before, but Lucy Caldwell is the only one who’s work I had read prior to this.
Obviously, as this collection is contributed to by many different writers, the writing style and approach to the stories varies greatly throughout the book. Some take a more direct approach to describing the protest, like “Boudica’s Rising” by Bidisha, and others consider the uprising from an outside perspective, often from the family of a protester, such as “The Good Sister” by Jude Brown. The story that stood out the most to me stylistically was Lucy Caldwell’s story, “The Children”. The narrator of Caldwell’s story (I read the narrator as Caldwell herself, but this may not be the case) documents her journey from discovering a lump on her breast to her diagnosis (thankfully, it is benign). Within this personal journey, the narrator learns about Caroline Norton. Norton’s tale of fighting for the right of a woman to custody of her own children is woven throughout the narrator’s story. Having the narrator reading about Norton’s struggle, sympathising with it as a mother herself, and offering Norton’s story to the reader in chunks was a very clever way to incorporate Norton’s struggling without sensationalising it.
I will admit to being slightly worried about sensationalising when I realised just how recent some of this history is. However, I thought all the stories were handled sensitively, and told from an appropriate and interesting perspective. Having the opportunity in several places to read stories from the family of protesters, or having the protest recounted by the narrator to a family member of a younger generation was fascinating. I also really enjoyed the essays that went alongside each story. Some of these essays were written by protesters themselves, offering a first-hand insight into the reality of protest. The essays ensured that the historical accuracy was addressed, and also gave further information that didn’t make it into the story. This additional content really enhanced the book overall, and offered crucial context to many of the stories.
On the essay side, I would actually perhaps have liked to see more. The essays were very interesting, but often when I finished them, I was craving more information. The citations at the end of the essay do offer the opportunity to seek out further reading, so I think I’ll have to go back through the sections that most interested me and see if I can access any of the cited works. The section on the Rebecca Riots was particularly fascinating to me. It was a protest I had never heard of, but now I really want to read more around it. If you’ve not heard of the Rebecca Riots, I really recommend doing some reading on them. The other thing the essays offered that the stories often could not (depending on the way they were narrated) was the impact of the protest. Did things actually change? Was the protest successful, whatever successful means? One of the essays that really considers this was by Dr. Jonathan Moss, writing about the Ford Dagenham’s Women’s Strike of 1968. The strike did not achieve the stated aim, Moss argues that many saw the protest as successful regardless. The protest against Ford has been seen as key to the later passing of the 1970 Equal Pay Act, and has been made into both a film and musical. Is this success when the women did not achieve their original aim? Did the women win, or did Ford win? Is it possible that they both did? These are some of the questions this particular section, and indeed, the book in general asks of its readers. Are there ways in which unsuccessful protests can still succeed? I would argue that yes, in many ways they can. As this book shows, unsuccessful protests are still protests, and can forge the way for a new generation of protesters.
I would definitely recommend Resist: Stories of Uprising to anyone interested in the history of protest, and also anyone interested in British history. It’s a very varied, educational, interesting read, offering fiction, essays, politics and history alongside one another in a way I’ve never seen before in a single text.
Rating: 4 stars.
Thank you to Comma Press for providing a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This review also published on my blog.
I’ve followed Comma Press for a while, so I was very excited to be offered an eARC of Resist: Stories of Uprising in return for a review. The concept of the book had me very interested: a collection of short stories and essays, chronicling the history of British uprisings and protests. It’s also a different format to anything I’ve read before, which I always find exciting. Each short story focused on a different uprising or protest, and was followed by an essay on the subject. The sections were arranged in chronological order, starting with Boudica’s Rising in around 60AD, right up to Grenfell Tower in 2017. Writers contributing to this collection include Kamila Shamsie, Lucy Caldwell, Luan Goldie and Nikita Lalwani. I had heard of a few of the authors in this collection before, but Lucy Caldwell is the only one who’s work I had read prior to this.
Obviously, as this collection is contributed to by many different writers, the writing style and approach to the stories varies greatly throughout the book. Some take a more direct approach to describing the protest, like “Boudica’s Rising” by Bidisha, and others consider the uprising from an outside perspective, often from the family of a protester, such as “The Good Sister” by Jude Brown. The story that stood out the most to me stylistically was Lucy Caldwell’s story, “The Children”. The narrator of Caldwell’s story (I read the narrator as Caldwell herself, but this may not be the case) documents her journey from discovering a lump on her breast to her diagnosis (thankfully, it is benign). Within this personal journey, the narrator learns about Caroline Norton. Norton’s tale of fighting for the right of a woman to custody of her own children is woven throughout the narrator’s story. Having the narrator reading about Norton’s struggle, sympathising with it as a mother herself, and offering Norton’s story to the reader in chunks was a very clever way to incorporate Norton’s struggling without sensationalising it.
I will admit to being slightly worried about sensationalising when I realised just how recent some of this history is. However, I thought all the stories were handled sensitively, and told from an appropriate and interesting perspective. Having the opportunity in several places to read stories from the family of protesters, or having the protest recounted by the narrator to a family member of a younger generation was fascinating. I also really enjoyed the essays that went alongside each story. Some of these essays were written by protesters themselves, offering a first-hand insight into the reality of protest. The essays ensured that the historical accuracy was addressed, and also gave further information that didn’t make it into the story. This additional content really enhanced the book overall, and offered crucial context to many of the stories.
On the essay side, I would actually perhaps have liked to see more. The essays were very interesting, but often when I finished them, I was craving more information. The citations at the end of the essay do offer the opportunity to seek out further reading, so I think I’ll have to go back through the sections that most interested me and see if I can access any of the cited works. The section on the Rebecca Riots was particularly fascinating to me. It was a protest I had never heard of, but now I really want to read more around it. If you’ve not heard of the Rebecca Riots, I really recommend doing some reading on them. The other thing the essays offered that the stories often could not (depending on the way they were narrated) was the impact of the protest. Did things actually change? Was the protest successful, whatever successful means? One of the essays that really considers this was by Dr. Jonathan Moss, writing about the Ford Dagenham’s Women’s Strike of 1968. The strike did not achieve the stated aim, Moss argues that many saw the protest as successful regardless. The protest against Ford has been seen as key to the later passing of the 1970 Equal Pay Act, and has been made into both a film and musical. Is this success when the women did not achieve their original aim? Did the women win, or did Ford win? Is it possible that they both did? These are some of the questions this particular section, and indeed, the book in general asks of its readers. Are there ways in which unsuccessful protests can still succeed? I would argue that yes, in many ways they can. As this book shows, unsuccessful protests are still protests, and can forge the way for a new generation of protesters.
I would definitely recommend Resist: Stories of Uprising to anyone interested in the history of protest, and also anyone interested in British history. It’s a very varied, educational, interesting read, offering fiction, essays, politics and history alongside one another in a way I’ve never seen before in a single text.
Rating: 4 stars.
November 12, 2020
This book made me very angry, so it absolutely served its purpose. It's so sad and poignant, with stories stretching across centuries showing that nothing ever really changes. Human life is but a speed bump in the pursuit of wealth, and as civilised as we think we are, the powers that be keep us in the dirt because it keeps them wealthy.
A brilliant collection of stories and accompanying essays that everyone should read.
A brilliant collection of stories and accompanying essays that everyone should read.
January 14, 2023
As a way to trip through the history of British uprisings, mainly concentrating on the last two centuries, this book of short fictions, each with an accompanying historical account, is a pretty good way to do it. A nice review for those with a good grounding in UK socio-political history, and an accessible way for someone like me, with very patchy knowledge of our shared history.
The double helping with each occasion of protest of fiction and essay works very well. Having been given a personalised taste of the event in the fiction, I was generally very well primed (occasionally by highlighting my ignorance of the event, more often simply by stimulating my curiosity) for the bigger overview provided by the accompanying essay. Of course, some of the fictions work better than others, but all work pretty well, and some work very well.
Well worth reading for anyone interested in improving their knowledge of the social history of protest in the UK.
The double helping with each occasion of protest of fiction and essay works very well. Having been given a personalised taste of the event in the fiction, I was generally very well primed (occasionally by highlighting my ignorance of the event, more often simply by stimulating my curiosity) for the bigger overview provided by the accompanying essay. Of course, some of the fictions work better than others, but all work pretty well, and some work very well.
Well worth reading for anyone interested in improving their knowledge of the social history of protest in the UK.
February 7, 2023
I was reading some if the stories in recommendation from a TikTok'er. She promoted it to show stories of uprising, which is educational and interesting. But sadly, not particularly well written or compelling. Unusually, I'm abandoning without reading all the short stories, maybe some of the ones I haven't read are better.
October 27, 2025
Interesting concept, containing a lot which was new information for me, but the variability of the fictional pieces let it down a bit, and some of the academics could have been encouraged to be more focussed. Nonetheless, worth reading, or worth reading most of it.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews