Which Way for the Ecology Movement? by Murray Bookchin (AK Press, POB 40682, San Francisco, CA 94140-0682/POB 12766, Edinburgh, EH8 9YE, Scotland, 1994) 75pp. $6.00/£4.50 paper.
In this slim book made up of four somewhat recent essays, Murray Bookchin continues to paddle not only against the current in his attempt to influence the direction of the mainstream ecology movement, but against the efforts of many others involved in the more radical avant-garde of the ecological milieu.
In this collection, the first parts of his essays on "The Population Myth" (reprinted from Green Perspectives) and "Sociobiology or Social Ecology" are the most interesting and rewarding reading, along with large parts of his introduction on "The Future of the Ecology Movement." Bookchin has many effective and important criticisms of the authoritarian implications of "deep ecology's" eco-mystical tendencies, as well as of the deeply reactionary ideological biases of "over-population" theorists and adherents to the surprisingly popular (though intellectually impoverished) "sociobiology" cult. But his analyses often break down when his polemics overpower the implications of his own arguments, and especially whenever he invokes his persistent but failed attempts at constructing an objective natural philosophy and morality. While Bookchin can often write eloquently as a critic (when not overly carried away in his denunciations), his ecological and social visions are too often muddled, and usually lack resonance with the aspirations of the best elements of the radical ecology milieu.
-Jason McQuinn
Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media edited by Mark Achbar (Black Rose Books, University of Toronto Press, 340 Nagel Drive, Cheektowaga, NY 14225, 1995) 264pp. $19.99 paper.
If you enjoyed the film (or video), you'll get even more out of the book version of Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media. If you haven't been able to see the film, this book (which includes information on ordering the video) is even more important. It features not only the entire film transcript, but also short excerpts from Chomsky's writings, interviews and correspondence, exchanges with his critics, along with even more historical and biographical material, filmmakers' notes, and over 300 photos. Just as the film does, the book illustrates themes from Chomsky's family life and boyhood, explores his academic career and the development of his fame in the field of linguistics, and examines the origins and flowering of his political activities, lecturing and writings. The inescapable conclusion is that, though he may have his faults, where integrity, commitment and effectiveness are concerned Chomsky is far and away the most important public radical of his generation. There are few people alive who wouldn't benefit by reading a number of Chomsky's books.
-J.M.
The Bus Boycott in South Africa: Lessons of Azikwelwa [2nd Edition] by Dan Mokonyane (Nakong Ya Rena, POB 3671, London, E1 2DX, UK, 1994) 119pp. £5.00 paper.
The Big Sell Out by the Communist Party of South Africa and the African National Congress by Dan Mokonyane (Nakong Ya Rena, POB 3671, London, E1 2DX, UK, 1994) 140pp. £5.00 paper.
The tragedy of apartheid in South Africa continues to play out its deadly logic even after its official abolition. The African National Congress and the Communist Party of South Africa for many years fought to portray themselves as the leaders of the fight against the settler state which had stolen the lands and destroyed the lives of countless indigenous Africans. But political and economic resistance was often out of the control of these organizations, and even fought with methods and goals contrary to their own.
One such resistance struggle was the overwhelmingly successful Bus Boycott of 1957 initiated by the people of Alexandra Township (outside Johannesburg) under the slogan of "Azikwelwa" or "We Shall Not Ride." In The Bus Boycott in South Africa Dan Mokonyane gives his left-Marxist perspective on this struggle as one of the spokesmen for the boycotters belonging to the Movement for a Democracy of Content. His story isn't always easy to follow, but it does provide a glimpse at the spontaneity and intelligence of the mass resistance movements which all the various political gangs fought to control.
In The Big Sell Out Mokonyane provides a wider, even more scathing perspective on the role of the Communist Party of South Africa and the African National Congress in the continuing preservation of white, capitalist rule in the face of continuing sparks of resistance from the masses of indigenous Africans. Although this should be abundantly evident now that even the butcher of Rhodesia, former prime minister Ian Smith, sings the praises of Mandela's betrayal of the African struggle: "My God, I wish we had a Mandela. He is Africa's first statesman."
Despite uneven writing, an often overly-polemical tone, a misplaced belief in the alleged "scientific" nature of Marxism, and sometimes a lack of background which might better orient American readers, this book should open the eyes of those who naively believe the mainstream media as they portray apartheid as a thing of the past, while ignoring the continuing oppression of black Africans by the white elite.
-J.M.
Drunken Boat #2: Art, Rebellion, Anarchy ed. by Max Blechman (Autonomedia, POB 568, Williamsburgh Station, Brooklyn, NY 11211-0568/Left Bank, 1004 Turner Way East Seattle, WA 98112, 1994) 288pp. $12.00 paper.
Drunken Boat is a journal specifically devoted to anarchism and the arts. Novels, short stories, film, video, music, collage, dance, painting, poetry, theater, performance art, aesthetics and the idea of "art" itself—those are some of the subjects discussed in articles that have appeared or will be appearing in this journal. The publishers, Autonomedia and Left Bank Books, are both anarchist collectives, and the editor, Max Blechman, is active in the American and French anarchist movements (For a recent article by Blechman on anarchism in France, check out Free Society: A Journal of Anarchist Thought and Action Vol.2,#4). As such, Drunken Boat is a welcome addition to the burgeoning anarchist press and—let us hope—an important venue for future debate.
The Drunken Boat is a work in process and there are a few short-comings. We are never told who the contributors are: are they anarchists, historians of anarchism, artists, editors? What else have they published and what projects are they currently involved in? And why is there no invitation to write and respond to past articles ie: no space for letters and exchanges? Drunken Boat, after all, claims to be a working journal dedicated to furthering "art, rebellion, anarchy." Responses cannot be neglected.
Short-comings aside, this issue contains some interesting articles. On the theoretical front, Max Blechman makes a stab at defining an "anarchist aesthetic" (arguably an impossible task; certainly an issue that merits further discussion). Richard Kostelanetz writes on "Avant-Garde Anarchism" and Hakim Bey discusses how we may overcome conditions of alienation in "Immediatism."
Drunken Boat #2 also features worthwhile contributions to the history of art and anarchism. Paul Avrich, the foremost historian of American anarchism, investigates Joseph Conrad's sources for the "anarchist professor" character in his famous turn-of-the-century novel, The Secret Agent (1907). Anarchist Alex Trotter, co-editor of Anarchy, traces the intersections of decadence and individualism in modern European thought. Art historian Pat Frank has pieced together a history of American anarchism and the arts in San Francisco ("San Francisco 1952: Painters, Poets, Anarchism"), and we get an overview of Dada artist Man Ray's involvement (1911-1919) in New York City's anarchist movement from art historian Francis Naumann. Historian Richard Sonn presents his argument (developed more fully in his book, Anarchism and Cultural Politics in Fin de Siècle France) that 19th-century European anarchists transformed the arts and cultural activity generally into a site of contestation and rebellion. Arthur Mitzman (professor of Modern History at the University of Amsterdam) contributes a fascinating article on anarchism, psychoanalysis and the German Expressionist movement between 1910-1920, and art historian Rose-Carol Long writes on the turn-of-the-century Russian abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky ("Occultism, Anarchism and Abstraction: Kandinsky's Art of the Future"). Long was the first art historian to (rightly) assert that Kandinsky's ground-break experiments in abstract painting cannot be understood apart from his anarchism, so it is fitting that her article should be reprinted here. Sonn's article is also noteworthy since it bridges the gap between history and practice, pointing to successful strategies of opposition which, in my opinion, remain viable.
Apart from this, artists are not neglected. There are interviews, poetry, stories and artist's statements by, among others, Mary Conte, André Breton, Freddie Baer, James Koehnline, and Gary Snyder. Illustrations and photos are numerous. In addition I should mention that the issue is a kind of commemoration: Max Blechman's interview with anarchist musician John Cage took place just prior to Cage's death in 1992 and recently deceased anarchist historian George Woodcock's articles ("Herbert Read: Contradictions and Consistences"/ "Skoal to Drunken Boat"), to the best of my knowledge, are the last writings by Woodcock to appear in an anarchist journal. Is Drunken Boat #2 worth having? It most definitely is.
-Allan Antliff
Half a Revolution: Contemporary Fiction by Russian Women edited by Masha Gessen (Cleis Press, POB 8933, Pittsburgh, PA 15221, 1995) 269pp. $12.95 paper.
The first collection of new women's fiction to appear in English translation since the end of the Soviet Union, Half a Revolution is a pathbreaking book giving an international voice to writers who heretofore have hardly had a voice even in Russia. Portraits of life where the quest for an apartment can be a driving force in peoples' lives, where lesbianism is almost unmentionable, where people complain but ultimately bow to bureaucratic decisions, where husbands are all too frequently abusive, and where people have to try to make sense of events in a changing world lurching in no clear direction.
-J.M.
Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment Rufus C. Camphausen (Park Street Press, Inner Traditions International, One Park St., Rochester, VT 05767, 1997) 128pp. [8"x10" format] $19.95 paper.
For better or worse, body adornment is no longer limited to pierced ears, dyed hair, lipstick, dentures & plastic surgery, even in small town, USA. In a world in which bureaucracy and commodity-exchange have wiped out much of the personal and social meaning from life, the allure of tribal community is reasserting itself.
The Return of the Tribal is the first book I've seen which attempts to look at all types of body adornment, from tribal to urban, from piercing to body painting, from scarification to tattoos, and from genital mutilation to structural modifications of the ears, legs & neck. And it does so with a cornucopia of full-color photos presented alongside a very readable text. This may well be the best book of its kind currently available.
Above all, The Return of the Tribal emphasizes a call for tolerance, as the author restates in his conclusion titled "The Irrational Temptation of Passing Judgment": "What we all need in order to live together on this small planet, and what we need to express, is something as seemingly simple as respect: respect for each other's tastes, choices, wants and needs. This includes respect for each other's visions of beauty, each other's ways to be sexually active, and each other's manners of body adornment, whether invisible or visible."
-J.M.
Sirens: Symbols of Seduction by Meri Lao (Park Street Press, Inner Traditions International, One Park St, Rochester, VT 05767, 1998) 186pp. $40.00 hardcover.
Sirens: Symbols of Seduction is a new translation from the Italian of Meri Lao's well-crafted celebration of the seductive allure of sirens and mermaids. Beginning with the famous evasion of the Sirens' lure by Ulysses and his ship's crew in The Odyssey, Lao conducts a detailed historical tour of the subject through literature, art and science (Caimans, Manatees, Dugongs, etc.) up through the present day, including recent mermaid films, ads and toys. She even includes a quotation from an unimpressed Christopher Columbus' sighting from the Nina on his return voyage from the "New World" to Spain in 1493, in which the ship's log notes that "they were not as beautiful as they are described as being." Ultimately, Lao reveals that the seductive power of the sirens, which once lay in their subversiveness, has now been captured by a mass culture enchanting us in the service of commerce, and by the mechanical voices which warn us of ever recurrent disasters.
-J.M.
The I Ching of Management by William E. Sadler (Humanics Trade, 1482 Mecaslin St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, 1996) 148pp. $16.95 paper.
In the last decade the debasement of Eastern philosophical and religious traditions through the marketing of "management" self-help and how-to books has become a North American industry unto itself. The I Ching of Management is a transparent attempt to cash in on a lucrative publishing genre whose popularity has proven surprisingly durable despite its descent into near self-parody. Serious readers would, of course, be better off simply consulting one of the better translations of the original I Ching or the Tao Te Ching.
-J.M.
The Magic of Zen by Inez D. Stein (Humanics Trade, 1482 Mecaslin St. NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, 1996) 154pp. $16.95 paper.
This is a sort of pidgin introduction to Zen and magic which will likely seriously confuse rather than enlighten those unfamiliar with authentic Buddhist and magickal traditions. It's greatly overpriced considering the thin and rather superficial content, but that probably won't hurt sales!
-J.M.
All the Rules have Changed by Ted Rall (Rip Off Press, POB 4686, Auburn, CA 95604, 1995) 96pp. $10.95 8½x11 paper.
If you've paid attention to the last couple issues of this magazine you've undoubtedly noticed that some of the best comics come from the pen of Ted Rall. When he sent me the comics I've been running lately, he also sent me a copy of his second book, All the Rules have Changed. It's my loss that I didn't get around to reading and reviewing it until now. This is a great collection of stuff—from cynical to radical, from witty to nasty, but all coming down hard on corporate America and the layers of illusion it promotes and sells as reality. Rall's is a topsy turvy world in the worthy tradition of the Ranters, antinomians and Luddites of other eras. Check out some more of his work appearing in this issue of Alternative Press Review and see if you don't agree!
-J.M.
Less Les for a Quidnunc by Sam Bowne (Brunswick Publishing Corp., POB 555, Lawrenceville, VA 23868) 152pp. $8.00 paper (+ $4.50 shipping).
This mystery novel is a bit amateurish in its narrative and unsurprising in conception, but can be an enjoyable read nonetheless. Because both the amateur "detective" in the story as well as the author of the novel are retired, older readers may tend to get more out of this book, while younger ones may be likely to find it rather staid and very possibly boring.
-J.M.
The B2 Generation by Robert Townsend (Pfeiffer & Co., 8517 Production Avenue, San Diego, CA 92121-2280, 1994) 192pp. $16.95 hardcover.
Robert Townsend, author of past NY Times "bestseller" Up The Organization (and past corporate head of American Express and Avis) is back with a manual for "saving the next generation" which he designates as the "Beavis & Butt-Head generation." With a combination of simplistic organizational & motivational theory along with a dash of Eastern philosophy and a fictional video game, Townsend thinks he can influence kids to find a way to comfortably fit into the contemporary social debacle of corporate downsizing & unemployment, massive alienation from mainstream institutions, and ever-increasing levels of political & cultural attacks on workers, the poor & the homeless. He hasn't got a clue that capitalism includes both the opportunities he lauds for the few and, more importantly, closed doors and locked cells for the many.
-J.M.
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