A provocative read
The Coming
Insurrection
“It's useless to wait — for a breakthrough, for the revolution, the nuclear apocalypse or a social movement. To go on waiting is madness. The catastrophe is not coming, it is here. We are already situated within the collapse of a civilization. It is within this reality that we must choose sides.”
This is the enticing text on the back cover of one of the latest bestselling radical books, The Coming Insurrection. Written anonymously in France by “The Invisible Committee,” the book has become the principle piece of evidence against the Tarnac 9; nine individuals being charged in an anti-terrorism case for supposedly sabotaging transportation infrastructure (without physically harming a human being). The French interior minister has publicly called this book a “manual for terrorism.”
If that didn't pique enough curiosity and interest, ultra-right wing pundit Glenn Beck did a review of the book on Fox News claiming that the book indeed was a major threat to America, capitalism, and western civilization as a whole. He claimed it is responsible for recent waves of riots across Europe and it will spread to North America now that it has been translated into English and published. He then suggested every conservative read it in order to know who their enemies are, know what they are thinking, and can prepare for this “coming insurrection.”
With reviews like that, millions, myself included, needed to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. Indeed it is a revolutionary text unlike any other, but most of it is basic common sense. For example, one of the quotes from the book that terrified Beck was, “It's a question of how to fight, how to pick locks, to set broken bones and treat sickness, how to build a pirate radio transmitter, how to set up street kitchens, how to aim straight...” It seems to me that if indeed our civilization is in collapse, as many predict it is, most of those skills will be pretty useful for survival and meeting human needs. Is building kitchens, broadcasting radio signals, and having a basic concept of first aid, really such a dangerous thing?
Perhaps what is so dangerous about this book is that it so effectively illuminates the hidden realities of where this society is headed, and in very clear terms encourages more conflict with the state and ruling classes worldwide. After reading this book, I understand why it terrifies our so-called “leaders.” Unlike many revolutionary books, this one is a well-crafted invitation to an ongoing and intensifying global revolution that will happen whether or not we join. It resonates deeply with these times of global crisis, and shows the reader how logical, necessary, and appealing, revolting against the dominant system is. Indeed it claims in the first section of the book that “rigorous application of logic leads to revolution.”
Starting with the alienation and disenfranchisement of the individual in the “1st circle,” the book goes on to thoroughly deconstruct social relations, the workplace, the urban and rural environments we live in, the global economic and environmental crisis' and western civilization in its entirety by the time it reaches the “7th circle.” It is after a rigorous examination and logical rejection of what has become of humanity that the book starts offering advice on getting organized in order to build a culture of resistance capable of becoming a full-blown insurrection. It offers important advice such as forming communes, liberating territory from state control, blocking the economy, avoiding direct confrontation with police and armed forces, and deposing authorities at the local level.
All in all The Coming Insurrection is a provocative, intelligent, and interesting read. What is more interesting though is what the readers will DO once they put it down.
“It's useless to wait — for a breakthrough, for the revolution, the nuclear apocalypse or a social movement. To go on waiting is madness. The catastrophe is not coming, it is here. We are already situated within the collapse of a civilization. It is within this reality that we must choose sides.”
This is the enticing text on the back cover of one of the latest bestselling radical books, The Coming Insurrection. Written anonymously in France by “The Invisible Committee,” the book has become the principle piece of evidence against the Tarnac 9; nine individuals being charged in an anti-terrorism case for supposedly sabotaging transportation infrastructure (without physically harming a human being). The French interior minister has publicly called this book a “manual for terrorism.”
If that didn't pique enough curiosity and interest, ultra-right wing pundit Glenn Beck did a review of the book on Fox News claiming that the book indeed was a major threat to America, capitalism, and western civilization as a whole. He claimed it is responsible for recent waves of riots across Europe and it will spread to North America now that it has been translated into English and published. He then suggested every conservative read it in order to know who their enemies are, know what they are thinking, and can prepare for this “coming insurrection.”
With reviews like that, millions, myself included, needed to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. Indeed it is a revolutionary text unlike any other, but most of it is basic common sense. For example, one of the quotes from the book that terrified Beck was, “It's a question of how to fight, how to pick locks, to set broken bones and treat sickness, how to build a pirate radio transmitter, how to set up street kitchens, how to aim straight...” It seems to me that if indeed our civilization is in collapse, as many predict it is, most of those skills will be pretty useful for survival and meeting human needs. Is building kitchens, broadcasting radio signals, and having a basic concept of first aid, really such a dangerous thing?
Perhaps what is so dangerous about this book is that it so effectively illuminates the hidden realities of where this society is headed, and in very clear terms encourages more conflict with the state and ruling classes worldwide. After reading this book, I understand why it terrifies our so-called “leaders.” Unlike many revolutionary books, this one is a well-crafted invitation to an ongoing and intensifying global revolution that will happen whether or not we join. It resonates deeply with these times of global crisis, and shows the reader how logical, necessary, and appealing, revolting against the dominant system is. Indeed it claims in the first section of the book that “rigorous application of logic leads to revolution.”
Starting with the alienation and disenfranchisement of the individual in the “1st circle,” the book goes on to thoroughly deconstruct social relations, the workplace, the urban and rural environments we live in, the global economic and environmental crisis' and western civilization in its entirety by the time it reaches the “7th circle.” It is after a rigorous examination and logical rejection of what has become of humanity that the book starts offering advice on getting organized in order to build a culture of resistance capable of becoming a full-blown insurrection. It offers important advice such as forming communes, liberating territory from state control, blocking the economy, avoiding direct confrontation with police and armed forces, and deposing authorities at the local level.
All in all The Coming Insurrection is a provocative, intelligent, and interesting read. What is more interesting though is what the readers will DO once they put it down.
