Book Review: There is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart

 

Image: The cover of the book is divided in half from side to side by black and white separated by a paper torn edge. In the center is a realistic painting of a pomegranate, cut in half with the insides facing forward. There is one side full of seeds and the other with most seeds missing. Over the top in large white letters is "THERE IS NOTHING SO WHOLE AS A BROKEN HEART." Along the left side from bottom to top in red letters is, "MENDING THE WORLD AS JEWISH ANARCHISTS." On the right side in black letters is, "EDITED BY CINDY MILSTEIN."

There is Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart: Mending the World as Jewish Anarchists is a book I have looked forward to since first hearing about its existence. (I will refer to the book as TNSWBH going forward for brevity's sake.) I did not realize at the time that a large chunk of the contributions in this book would either be from my city- Pittsburgh- or take place in it. Due to the atrocity that occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue, I knew that it would undoubtedly be referenced, but that is only a small part of a much longer culture of Jewish anarchist community and resistance in Pittsburgh. I felt excited very early on to learn about all of the different Jewish organizing, art, creativity, and so on in the area that I had not known about before- and the book did not disappoint. I did have a little bit of anxiety. Of course, when reading and reviewing a book with contributors that I know personally and many others I have one degree of separation from, I want to give it a good review. I also do my best to be honest, so I really hoped it would live up to my expectations. It did and then some. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed everything written and edited by Cindy Milstein that I have had the pleasure to read. This book is yet another installment in their catalogue that is all around well edited and composed. I can honestly say I liked every entry in this and that is very rare for an anthology. TNSWBH is a diverse collection of nonfiction essays, folktales and mythology, and artworks from anarchist Jews in various locations. The graphic design of the book is lovely from cover to cover. The artwork inside is fantastic- I wanted to cover my walls with everything I saw in this book. I mentioned Pittsburgh already and I would say most of the essays actually come from people who lived there, formerly lived there, or who had done organizing there. This does limit the population and perspective of the book somewhat, but there are international contributions as well including that from other continents. 

I have been an atheist* since my early teens and was not raised with any more religion than a couple family members who mentioned they prayed to (Christian, I assume,) God. As a result, much of my education about different religions- outside of being told I was going to hell by far right Christians- has come later in life. Since Jewish religion is only part of the diverse and widespread Jewish heritage and culture throughout the world, I am even more ignorant of that than I am of Christian and religion-adjacent cultures. As a result, I am coming at a book like this with great wonder. I really appreciate how many of the entries included footnotes and descriptions for people like me to be able to understand and fully appreciate the words and content therein. This makes the book able to be appreciated by non-Jews while also, I assume, still giving Jews the ability to be centered. I learned a lot about various Jewish culture and history and how anarchist, radical, LGBTQ, Jews have made these things their own. I learned a lot about the struggles people have balancing oppression with privilege or finding their way in places that may lack understanding and acceptance. I learned a lot about the myriad of ways anarchist Jews have come together around celebration, tragedy, and everything in between to create community and effective organizing practices to heal themselves and the world. 

This book is delightfully Queer and that of course adds to the joy in reading the entries and viewing the artwork. The combination of Queer solidarity and Jewish community is a powerhouse of liberation. There was so much I didn't know about the history of Jewish anti-fascist resistance organized by Jewish women and other LGBTQ people. The book is also, unsurprisingly anti-Israeli-zionism and pro-Palestinian liberation, adding a chorus of voices to the conversation that is often dominated by right wing, zionist Jews. There are stories of dealing with anti-semitism across the board in everywhere from far right white supremacist attacks to your friendly neighborhood anti-semitic anarchist dude. I am so happy that the people in this book found each other because I cannot imagine going through any of these things alone. And that is another thing I learned: the power of radical left Jewish community is grand. At every atrocity, you can bet that there are likely anarchist and other far left Jewish organizers fighting for healing and liberation.

I would definitely put this book in the required reading category for pretty much all audiences. It was a gift to read.

This was also posted to my goodreads.

*I don't know if this is relevant, but just in case: I am not the kind of atheist that spends time in faux-intellectual debates about the existence of God(s) nor do I think religion is inherently bad or good. I find that to be a waste of time at best and highly oppressive or genocidal at worst. I think religion serves a great purpose for many people and scenarios and basically have a, "as long as your version of it isn't oppressive and calling for my and others' extermination, I am cool with it and want to learn more," sorta approach.

Book Review: Why We Fight

Image: The cover of the book is a candid photo of several protestors with gas masks, shields, and/or umbrellas fighting through tear gas on a city street. The photo has a greenish yellow filter tinting everything in it. The person on the left side is in mid stride and is holding a stick that may be a flag pole. From the center to the right side are all of the other protestors in the image. In off-center, slanted text is "Shane Burley" in white, "Why We Fight" in black, and "Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse," in greenish yellow. In small text down the right side it reads, "foreword by Natasha Lennard."

Shane Burley's new collection, Why We Fight: Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse brings quite a lot to the table. I had always known that there was likely much diversity between far right movements just as there is on the left. Nonetheless, I still always assumed the right to be far more united than we are. Like most people, I receive constant messages that the other side is a monolithic enemy. Burley's collection makes it clear they are indeed the enemies, but it taught me so much about the variations and diversity among fascist and other far right groups. This attention to the diversity of tactics and goals of far right, white supremacist, and/or fascist groups is critical in knowing how to resist them. This is not just a manifesto of sorts. Burley is a journalist and a good one at that. He provides copious footnotes and citations for his claims adding even more to the book's credit.

In his introduction to the book, Burley admits that he had made incorrect predictions about the (lack of) future threat of fascism in the past. He has since come to learn over time that the threat is all too real. In this collection, he examines various far right groups, histories, tactics, belief systems, and popularity. He includes a lot of information about key players, past and present, as well as fair analyses of their strengths and weaknesses. Groups and individuals covered include the alt right, alt light, kekistan, turning point, Richard Spencer, Andy Ngo, Jason Kessler, Atomwaffen, Incels, and many others. These essays show a fascinating amount of diversity among far right groups and their many detestable ideologies. It turns out, contrary to my thinking, they are not as united as I assumed. It feels odd to call this information "fascinating" when it is so horrific. But, I found myself completely immersed and intrigued by these glimpses into worlds that were not my own- often times using information gathered from infiltration online or other forms of cover skillfully executed by Burley.

Another thing that this book does quite well is that Burley manages to expose these far right individuals and groups and their abhorrent belief systems without platforming those beliefs. This can be difficult to do. Many more centrist journalists believe that we should allow Nazis plenty of air time to let us know what they believe, but this almost always backfires- especially with those who are skilled in word play and charisma. Burley details these groups and histories without giving them that sort of platform. This makes the book a good know-thy-enemy sort of resource as well as a resource that can be shared with someone who may not have their mind up or who simply lacked the information to know better.

My favorite essay in the entire book is "Contested Spaces." Much of my musical interest and focus since my early teens has been with industrial music and other dark and related genres. I can speak from experience that industrial has a very long far leftist political history, but has also attracted its share of fascists, misogynists, racists, and others. "Contested Spaces," begins as an examination of fascist forms of neofolk, then expands to highlight the anti-fascist neofolk artists who are reclaiming the genre. The essay continues to examine many other counterculture spaces in which a war between ideologies is waged. It is fascinating, well researched, and most of all offers a realistic depiction of the messy conflicted nature of the topic, rather than giving a watered down black and white description. 

All in all, I learned a ton from this book. I left it feeling as if I had graduated to an entirely new understanding of the topics and groups discussed therein. I definitely recommend this book for pretty much anyone, but especially for those center-to-left who desire a better understanding of the wide variety of people we are fighting against and why.

 This was also posted to my goodreads.