Try Anarchism for Life: The Beauty of Our Circle

by Cindy Barukh Milstein

Try Anarchism for Life revolves around a thought experiment: What are some of the many beautiful dimensions of anarchism? In reply, it blends gorgeous circle A drawings by twenty-six artists with Milstein's words, forming picture-prose that are at once inviting and playful, poignant and dreamy. The pieces encourage us to notice and expand on liberatory practices, especially in a time when so much feels impossible. In depicting how anarchism gifts us lives worth living, this book warms ailing hearts and offers tender succor

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics

124 pages, Unknown Binding

Published November 15, 2022

About the author

Cindy Barukh Milstein is a diasporic queer Jewish anarchist and longtime organizer. They've been writing on anarchism for over two decades, and are the author of Anarchism and Its Aspirations and Try Anarchism for Life: The Beauty of Our Circle. They edited the anthologies Rebellious Mourning: The Collective Work of Grief and Deciding for Ourselves: The Promise of Direct Democracy, among others.

Reviews

[Jake Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautiful meditation on what anarchism is and should be. any radical should read these, we need more books like it that encapsulate the beauty of liberation and inspire with the spark of foolishly optimistic vision of the future(and the present)

[Corvus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Try Anarchism for Life is a break from Cindy Barukh Milstein's usual style, (which I like very much for the record.) It is more abstract in some ways, more playful, and more accessible, (though I do find their other books quite accessible as well.)

The book, published by Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness, is a lovely printed collection of artworks sent to the author paired with Milstein's short writings on various topics. There are lino and wood cut prints, illustrations, graphic design, and more. I really loved the images that they chose to include in this book and Strangers did a great job with the design and printing.

When I say this book is accessible, what I mean is that I think it could be handed to almost anyone, including youth within reason as well as older folks. It has a playful and simplistic way of talking about who anarchists really are and creating a much larger picture than the black bloc that some people may see on the news (which Milstein and I both also support for the record.) Many people do not connect the mutual aid efforts that they run into with anarchism due in part because in those situations, anarchists don't often call them anarchist events- they're more focused on getting the work done than branding. People often associate anarchists with what they're against. Given that the vast majority of anarchism is based on cooperation and taking care of one another, this sort of quick run through of various elements is very important.

There is the curmudgeon and me, who no longer organizes due mostly to health problems, but also for other reasons. I've seen some stuff go down that I and other anarchists should not be proud of. This part of me feels the need to remind the curious reader that anarchists, like all human beings, can have some really messy group dynamics and anti-aurhoritarian groups can attract people looking to exploit that. This book doesn't talk about that, nor am I saying it should. I'm saying that this book creates a beautiful picture of anarchy and I wish I could say that we could match that perfectly in real life all of the time.

That said, one of the best messages of the book is that one can do anarchism day to day alone or with some friends in a variety of ways, regardless of if one joins an anarchist labeled group. Anarchistic things are happening all around us and many people don't even realize it. When a conflict arises or when something doesn't work, we can change and grow in new ways. Anarchism can only stay alive with said growth.

This book does an excellent job of showing that anarchism is not what reactionaries believe- either a structureless society full of harm, an authoritarian communist dictatorship (addressed directly in the book, by the way,) or a chaotic street party based purely on destruction. It is a consistent movement on a long journey with no end. It is a constant struggle to create better things in the place of the harmful structures that exist to take it all away.

I believe that Milstein conveys these and more things in a way that is light and playful. The reader does not have to prepare themselves for a 800 page book full of dead anarchist theory one needs a background in or college degree to grasp. They can read this and know what anarchism actually looks like on a day to day basis, and get to enjoy some excellent artwork in the process.

This was also posted to my blog.

[Jessica Ranard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anarchism for Life is almost a picture book, almost a zine, almost something else. A collection of prints made by various anarchist artists making their own version of the Anarchist A, with different themes from trans and queer bodies, to play as anarchism, to self determination & skin shedding as seen through depictions of possums, foraged mushrooms, a circle of snakes moving through the past to our self determined future. Whimsical + bold + experimental + collective. As someone whose new to the anarchist world, to anarchist lives, this book is helpful for people who see how anarchism is a collection of small parts & why we’re drawn to it, and how we get to be the people who make the decisions that affect us. Kind of like a small moment where you’re at a food distro & someone has brought the soup & the same person is wearing a shirt that says “dykes and fags for a free Palestine” and people know that person because they come here every Sunday, and someone else is making the coffee, and you realize that people are already doing the things they can to create different worlds, worlds where we try to get people’s needs met without asking for permission. Bread & roses & maybe even some more coffee too

[Francis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Try Anarchism for Life: The Beauty of Our Circle was a decent read, especially since I'm new anarchism. First off, each artists' circles were gorgeous and had such creativity inside of them! And Milstein's pages were full of playful, pretty poise and metaphors that were a joy to read.

The only reason I'm giving it a 4 star rating is that it didn't blow my mind and I'm very strict on giving 5 stars lol

I think I would recommend this book to those who were curious about anarchism (like me lol) but don't want to be weighed down by too much info and want some positivity :)

[Ems · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Cindy Milsteins writing, and these mini essays/meditations are paired beautifully with their own art piece centered around the circle-A.
The stories are quick but inspiring and cover so much ground. I feel like I will definitely come back to this collection. Bonds of Trust is the one essay that made me happy cry and I want to share it with anyone who will listen. Props to Cindy Milstein, Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness, and all of the artists involved!

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow Cindy on Instrgram and am always delighted when they post about a walk they've been on and the street art they've seen along the way. I look forward to these posts almost as much as I look forward to the books they create. Try Anarchism for Life combines both of these pleasures of mine in a marvelous way. The only complaint I have is that I got through it too quickly. Give me more!

[Fyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book filled with beautiful art, thoughtful essays and a great showcase of the positive that flourishes in anarchy.