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siminiucdenis's review against another edition
4.0
Maybe 4 and a half. Good book, good intro to Noam's views. I genuinely did not know anything about theoretical anarchism and his understanding was well explained without using highly theoretical terms. The way he presents anarchism as a future solution instead of a system that should be implemented unexpectedly makes a lot of sense. Definitely learnt a lot, got a lot of questions answered, and ordered some of my ideas.
jack_d's review
3.75
The first bit is so good then it gets into too much digression and repetition. idk I'm so sleep deprived what even is good literature
sassylk's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
I don’t know quite how to review my thoughts on the actual topic of anarchism, except to say how much this book helped me understand it (I had always assumed the popular definition, of ‘chaos’, was correct. how wrong i was…) This edition of the book was slightly odd as it was essential 5 very different pieces of writing from Chomsky - 2 interviews, a speech, a history lesson, and a manifesto. They worked okay in tandem but clearly were not made to be put together, so it made for bitty reading. I was ensconced in some parts (say, the interviews), but others (ENOUGH ON THE MINUTIAE OF THE SPANISH CIVIL WAR) did drag on quite a bit. Overall I’m glad to have read it as a guide to a philosophy that I know little about but now admire greatly.
hildegnk's review against another edition
4.0
I heard a joke about Anarchism is that you have to have read at least 17 books on it before you can call yourself an anarchist. I'd advise anyone starting on this book to read up at least a bit on the Spanish revolution (chapter 3) for a better/easier time understanding. It took me a long time to read the whole book through, because in my opinion, it requires quite some background knowledge that I did not have. Nonetheless, when I started with the book was at the least sceptic towards anarchism, but Noam made some very solid points in this book. Suffice it to say I have definitely lost my prejudice towards, and reshaped my opinion on anarchism.
eithe's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
2.5
Not a primer on the subject, nor a cohesive text (it's made up of excerpts), as I had assumed. Movement between chapters is jarring. I felt like I've started learning about anarchism halfway through a course.
ostrava's review
5.0
I haven't defined the limitations of my ideological preferences yet, I'm still traveling around, figuring what makes sense to me and what doesn't. It's not easy to stick on something when everything feels so unorganized and ideological purity drives the movement to the ground, but offer only mere speculations on the solutions, though I do lean libertarian socialist more than anything else (the question of the movements required to dismantle a state bothers me though). So yeah, this book, as many others, has been mostly informative and insightful, but not a turning point.
If I'm giving it 5 stars though, it's gotta be because of Chomsky's accesible style and focused mind. Whether you agree with him or not, you're leaving the reading with a lesson or two. Highly stimulating.
I have to admit I didn't particularly cared for the first chapter. A bit repetitive and too similar in ideas to "The Responsibility of the Intelectuals". Worthy of a possible reread in the future though. Everything else was wonderful. Just do note that if you're interested in reading Chomsky's own views on anarchism go straight to chapter 2 or even 3. You can be selective as this is an anthology, not a "centralized" work. At times I wondered if I should lower the rating because of the admitted problems of uneven substance in the essays, but I ultimately decided against it. This is a great book on its topic.
If I'm giving it 5 stars though, it's gotta be because of Chomsky's accesible style and focused mind. Whether you agree with him or not, you're leaving the reading with a lesson or two. Highly stimulating.
I have to admit I didn't particularly cared for the first chapter. A bit repetitive and too similar in ideas to "The Responsibility of the Intelectuals". Worthy of a possible reread in the future though. Everything else was wonderful. Just do note that if you're interested in reading Chomsky's own views on anarchism go straight to chapter 2 or even 3. You can be selective as this is an anthology, not a "centralized" work. At times I wondered if I should lower the rating because of the admitted problems of uneven substance in the essays, but I ultimately decided against it. This is a great book on its topic.
tsenteme's review against another edition
5.0
Ξεκαθαρίζει πολλά πράγματα μέσα από συνεντεύξεις του. Σίγουρα ο αναρχισμός δεν είναι κάτι συγκεκριμένο. Γενικά πολύ ενδιαφέρον