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Let me start by saying I wanted to like this book. If I were politically any further left I’d have to start calling people comrade.
My issue is this: the book is just inaccessible. The dry academic position Bray takes completely isolated me. The historical research, while well synthesized, was bland and honestly, draining. I’ve read so many historical papers (I literally have a history degree), and just could not bring myself to invest anything other than superficial energy into this book.
The second half of the book picked up, with some practical information about everyday fascism and small steps you can take, but by this point, I had completely lost interest.
Super, super disappointing.
My issue is this: the book is just inaccessible. The dry academic position Bray takes completely isolated me. The historical research, while well synthesized, was bland and honestly, draining. I’ve read so many historical papers (I literally have a history degree), and just could not bring myself to invest anything other than superficial energy into this book.
The second half of the book picked up, with some practical information about everyday fascism and small steps you can take, but by this point, I had completely lost interest.
Super, super disappointing.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
This is an interesting overview of antifascism as a political movement and its history in different countries. I did find it hard to follow sometimes, since Bray goes into minute detail about antifascist groups in different places (many of which have very similar names). Also, some of his arguments felt undercooked and not all that persuasive; for example, he criticizes Erica Chenoweth's research because of the headline on an article they wrote for The New Republic (among other things), but apparently isn't aware that authors often don't write their own headlines.
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
..... If you just read Appendix A of this book, you really don't need anything else from it. Yes, that is the part not written by the author lmao.
The author's writing is awful. The history is completely garbled, he goes back and forth over the same ideas constantly, it's incredibly long-winded in the worst way, it's super wishy-washy, the whole thing is extremely poorly done. If you want a list of EVERY antifascist group that's ever existed in the West, then this is for you.
I don't see how this book is particularly useful honestly. I absolutely consider myself anti-fascist but all this book does is point out that that's not a true political or philosophical identity on its own, which is accurate. But that also kind of nullifies the point of this book existing... I think books on communism, socialism, feminism, antiracism, anarchism, etc, are all much more necessary than this one and lead you to the same or better lessons and concepts.
Also this book suffered MAJORLY from being written by a cis white dude. Woof.
The author's writing is awful. The history is completely garbled, he goes back and forth over the same ideas constantly, it's incredibly long-winded in the worst way, it's super wishy-washy, the whole thing is extremely poorly done. If you want a list of EVERY antifascist group that's ever existed in the West, then this is for you.
I don't see how this book is particularly useful honestly. I absolutely consider myself anti-fascist but all this book does is point out that that's not a true political or philosophical identity on its own, which is accurate. But that also kind of nullifies the point of this book existing... I think books on communism, socialism, feminism, antiracism, anarchism, etc, are all much more necessary than this one and lead you to the same or better lessons and concepts.
Also this book suffered MAJORLY from being written by a cis white dude. Woof.
I finally feel like I truly understand the mindset of the multi faceted group that is antifa. Reading this book really gave me a perspective on the battle they are waging and the tactics that they feel are necessary in bringing an end to fascism. Whether or not I agree with those tactics, whether or not I feel like their beliefs are also close to fascism, I can honestly say this book did an excellent job of showing me how important this work is to this group.
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Having grown in the sixties, public protest has been normalized for me. I have personal experience as well with the alt-right and Antifa as they were protesting on the college campus where I work. I am glad they were there to protest, but as with any protest that turns to violence -- you have to ask yourself is there an alternative. My belief is that if you don't stand up for yourself, no one else will. It's easy to sit in your living room and make judgements about how other people should act. With that said, this is a thorough history of the anti-fascist movement in both Europe and the United States. Thank you, Mark Bray, for writing it. I received this book as an ARC through Edelweiss Plus and the publishers.
Non-Book Riot Challenge: For some reason, the pandemic has affected me differently than other readers in that I have a had a more difficult time enjoying a book. Maybe it's depression, maybe it's the abrupt change in routine, maybe it's the large amount of anxiety when looking at the events of the past 6 months. This is the only book that I was able to get all the way through (granted, it took me quite a while and some threatening messages from the library trying to get me to return it), but I needed to have a better understanding of the tension and how to stand up for those who need the support. Before reading this, my understanding of the anti-fascist movement was minimal at best. The media portrays it as a bunch of hooligans looking for blood of anyone who has opinions different than their own. And that's some bullshit. It answered so many questions and though, it felt like there were a few points that he tried to push a little too hard, it was incredibly helpful to improve my understanding and to take a deeper look at my own philosophies and how I can utilize them for the better.
informative
inspiring
medium-paced