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jwinchell's review
4.0
Essential. I tend to roll strongly left of center but it's been a while since I let myself lavish in radical questioning. This book was just the antidote I needed during Thanksgiving in a very red state and with barely contained intolerance all around me. Even though in so many chapters I found myself skeptical and wondering: could that even be accomplished? Demilitarization, really? I am so grateful for thinkers and activists like Bill Ayers. A solid structure here: 8 themed chapters, laced with questions and examples from history and today, assertions about the need for resistance. It's not easy but actually it's the most important thing to do: like Che Guevara said, "Be realistic, demand the impossible!"
indielitttttt's review
5.0
Demand the Impossible: A Radical Manifesto by Bill Ayers
I really enjoyed this book. A lot of books on the state of the world, even the ones that talk about change, tend to be very pessimistic but this one is hopeful. It’s positive and hopeful and I think we can all use a bit of that in our lives especially at this moment in time. The book is broken down into chapters that tackle a specific issue from prison and police abolition to education reform. The chapters give examples on how we can come together to resist and demand change. Read this book if you need a little hope. “We can always do something, and something is where we begin.”
4.5/5⭐️
I really enjoyed this book. A lot of books on the state of the world, even the ones that talk about change, tend to be very pessimistic but this one is hopeful. It’s positive and hopeful and I think we can all use a bit of that in our lives especially at this moment in time. The book is broken down into chapters that tackle a specific issue from prison and police abolition to education reform. The chapters give examples on how we can come together to resist and demand change. Read this book if you need a little hope. “We can always do something, and something is where we begin.”
4.5/5⭐️
carlosmartinez's review
4.0
Nothing dazzlingly original for leftists, but provides some useful inspiration.
dylanlouise's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
I found this book really informational. The author comes from a privileged perspective, but he definitely did his research and reached out to people who were directly affected by the problems discussed. The way the book is organized is really cool too, with statistics about the problem and then ways to imagine a solution. I gave it less than 4 stars because it was a bit hard to get into, and because, instead of writing about how to "demand the impossible" in general, he writes about specific issues which isn't what I expected.
selenotropic's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent and inspirational manifesto for modern times. I think the success here is twofold: 1) Instead of talking ambiguously about capital and proles and alienation, Ayers very systematically lays out distinct issues in contemporary society, explains how they're connected to capitalism, and discusses ways to fight back. 2) He really nicely balances the large and small scale. As per the title, a big part of the argument of the book is the need to be hopeful, to constantly be imagining a better world to fight for, but Ayers is careful not to turn his manifesto into utopian evocations of some ideal world, and there's equal focus on the feet-on-the-ground moment-to-moment struggle required to make the world better.
For people looking for an accessible intro to radical politics or old hats who want a little inspiration, highly recommended.
For people looking for an accessible intro to radical politics or old hats who want a little inspiration, highly recommended.
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