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Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of the Earth

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People in and around mainstream environmentalism have spent the last year mentally masturbating about whether or not environmentalism is dead. Igniting a Revolution is a thoughtful, noisy, cantankerous, and courageous collection that should serve as a conceptual prophylactic that ends that debate once and for all. During a time of Green Scare when federal authorities are infiltrating activist groups everywhere, decrying "ecoterrorism" in the hollow halls of government, and carting earth and animal liberationists off to prision as quickly as possible, Best & Nocella (along with the AK collective) have edited/produced a roof raising howl of tremendous defiance and disgust. Only time will tell if the book is prophetic and ecologically mindful revolutionary forces materialize to play a role in transforming society such that a verdant peace grows out of the shorted-out circuitry of the mega-war-machine. In the meantime, however, the diverse range of essays included herein should be more than capable of setting fire to readers' imaginations as they generate ideas of how a more just, peaceful, and beautiful world might be achieved. A must read I would think for anyone with even the slightest concern for the state of the planet...

In a time when apathy is no longer a luxury we can afford; this book delves into the deep social-environmental issues that involve us all. This book has an underlying message that hyper-individualism is not at all in our best interest, we should be practicing social responsibility for even the slightest hope of a sustainable planet.

Much of the environmental struggle reminds me of the idea that the means of resistance is not determined by the oppressed; rather the oppressor.

Are the "eco-terrorists" fighting fair? Well, how about their opponents; big business with seemingly endless financial resources and legal sway?

This book is a great read and a real motivator.

This book will change the face of environmentalism and induct a whole new generation into the struggle for a return to nature and earth liberation. Blessed be those who fight against the forces of earth's destruction. Long live the mother earth our war in her name never ending. A rebirth of uncompromising militant resistance is overdue for our alternative is the assured fact that our children will inherit a dead world. This book will feed the fires of rage and serve as a catalyst for others to attack those that prey on the earth making it an important piece of literary work within the earth and animal liberation movements. The authors Best and Noccela have out done themselves Prepare for war.

this collection of essays is inspiring and useful in thinking new thoughts and performing actions to protect what you care about. it should be translated into every human language so that it may be read by those who can read and read to everyone who cannot.

The book is an excellent, historical accounting of the deep earth movement in the 70's and 80's. Beginning with the gut kick of the government's crackdown that destroyed the earlier and more radically violent parts of the movement, the book then chronicles the rise of the new, non-centralized, and more first peoples oriented voices in defense of ecology since the 1990's. Good reading for anyone wanting to know what happened to the Southwestern anglo-American voices in the deep earth movements; and the rise of other ethnic, other approach organizations that continue today.

This important new book, Igniting A Revolution Voices In Defense Of Mother Earth is a series of essays from the above ground radical environmental and animal liberation movement.

The book is divided into seven parts. Part One is on the History and Nature of Revolutionary Environmentalism. Part Two is based on the Sustainability and the Politics of Consumption. Part Three. Religion and Spirituality. Part 4. Primitivism and The Critique of Civilisation. Part 5. Repression and Resistance Part 6. Direct Action and Beyond. Part 7 Social Movements and Alliance Politics.

The voices are diverse. This is a source book we truly need to strengthen our resolve in readiness for the future of the revolutionary ecological movement, the anti-backlash campaigns and to turn the tide against activists being continually scapegoated by the tri - dominant cultures' "big guns", the political right, corporations and the state.

This book is written by and for earth liberationists, animal liberationists, Black liberationists, Native Americans, ecofeminists, political prisoners, primitivists, saboteurs, grassroots activists and militant academics and those who will join the resistance movement and fight for Mother Earth.

Derrick Jensen, Rosalie Little Thunder, Jeff Luers, Leslie James Pickering, Kanahus Pellkey, Josh Harper, Anthony Rayson, Craig "Critter" Marshall, Marilyn Buck but to name just a few are some of the voices in the book. Committed, passionate and talented writers and activists infuse the movement with their encouragement, thoughts and insight. And there are a river of stories to be told too.

There are plenty of stories to be told too. Some will move you, challenge you, shock, anger and educate you. Most importantly, hopefully they will inspire you to action. These voices are against brute force and injustice.
Igniting A Revolution includes the voices of activists such as the individual activist Jeff "Free" Luers who is currently serving 22 years and 8 months in prison for property damage. As he says in the book, there just came a time when enough is enough. "When it came to dealing with the state and greedy corporations, the word "please" was no longer in my vocabulary." Luers also talks about his own encounters with interspecies communication something that is emerging and being identified more and more for hard-core earth and animal activists.

pattrice jones, is another activist who wrote "Stomping With The Elephants Feminist Principles for Radical Solidarity" for the book. jone's analysis on How do you break a wild animal? makes for absorbing reading. She brings to the table a terribly tragic situation that interconnects, not alienates, sexism, speciesism and environmental exploitation while mirroring simultaneously "different symptoms of the same injury".

Increasingly now as a positive phenomenon we are seeing direct action reinventing the social justice activist's landscape. The cornerstone of the movement has a wisdom to impact to build decentralizsed coalitions using nonhierarchical models. There's no use denying it. Direct action creates a powerful, successful and life-changing action in the face of enormous odds. One action can change the political landscape and radicalise a new generation if done correctly.

Each person who speaks in this book has their own experiences to impart of how direct action, for them, established the connection between realisation and action. Not surprisingly, each voice in this book is an assessment of the effect of the devastation caused by corporate and state opposition both as a direct and indirect assault on the world in a globalist arena, and their assessments are sobering.

There is a task ahead to build a movement so to create a new economy and a healthy environment. One that protects human, non-human and planetary rights. There are many smaller campaigns ahead of each one of us involved in the struggle and we deserve to learn the truth of what we are up against.

The voices in Igniting A Revolution Voices In Defence Of Mother Earth are direct, creative and accessible. Even though there is no consensus on what constitutes "success", this isn't a criticism as activists are nevertheless defining a new moment in grassroots organising. The essential elements of this moment is of a effective, decentralised, multivocal radicalism based upon direct action.


Today's voices combined with those that went before us reflect the seriousness and magnitude of the conflict. This is not a game. Nor is it a dance. Fear not the mountain in front of us.

In the final analysis, the outcome of revolutionary environmentalism will prove more critical than any ever fought by the human race. No less than the survival of all sentient life on the planet will depend on it. This inturn, in one way or another, involves each of us, every day of our lives. Society is creating ecocide and our actions can't reverse past destruction. But our actions today might just be able to stop the past from becoming the future.

Igniting a Revolution Voices In Defence of Mother Earth is well written, informative and interesting. It makes a valuable contribution to the understanding of the revolutionary environmental movement. Every university library in the country should acquire a copy.

I was impressed with the chapter by Charlotte Laws on Jainism. I have spent years searching for information on this elusive religion and found very little. Jainism has much to offer the environmental movement, both radical and mainstream. As a novice Jain, this chapter made me think about my own habits and realize I need to make some major changes. I can lend a hand to the environment and animals and plan to do so from now on.

This book was a fun and easy read. Without a doubt this book will benefit all environmental studies classes, social movements, and anyone concerned about the future of this Planet. With more than 50 authors from around the world and a forward from Dr. Bron Taylor this book goes beyond any environmental book yet. It holds true to social ecology, environmental justice, and alliance politics. This book is filled with historical examinations, philosophical positions, narratives, poems, and theories of environmental protection. To top it off the editors Best and Nocella introduce a new term "revolutionary environmentalism," which stresses the importances of building alliances with such groups as Black liberationists to the Queer movement. RE also stresses the importances of property destruction and armed struggle as a method of environmental liberation and defense. I strongly encourage all to buy this book.

I've been a member of the friends of AK press for about six years. Every month or so I get a package filled with books, videos and CDs. It is a cool deal, for twenty bucks a month you get everything AK press produces plus stickers and random zines.

Today I opened an AK press package and found a book with my writing in it. It was pretty cool. Igniting a revolution: voices in defense of the earth is a pretty intense anthology with a nice rant from King Maxwell. It was cool enough to be in an AK press book, but this book is filled with some serious radical stars and takes up where most of the other radical ecology books of the nineties finished.

The alliance-orientented big tent approach is worn on most of our sleeves. Queers, radical labor peeps, "take back the land" indigenous activists, eco-feminists, animal liberationists, anti-civilization roughnecks - y'all are included in here. This ain't your Dave Foreman radical ecology.

Despite being in the book, I had no idea who else was going to be included. Poems from anti-imperialist political prisoner Marilyn Buck help to set the tone of the text as open but SERIOUS. A few poetic words are included on being imprisoned by Little Chairman Fred Hampton - POCC. The book includes a nice essay from Robert Jensen who seems to agree with the 100-mile diet as a revolutionary ecological tactic and a piece by Derek Jensen on his own direct action. Adam Weismann, a dedicated NY activist who is serious about freegan scavenging and helps to articulate a feral city-based life style in his chapter. L. Kimmerer offers a strong argument about faith and liberation.

I'm kind of excited that there is a fervent discussion on the contribution of the anti-civilization movements to earth liberation activities. John Zerzan drops a brief tribute to liberation. Imprisoned activists Rob Los Ricos and "Critter" Marshall get seriously hardcore on folks while Jeff "Free" Luers tells his story of radical activism.

Igniting a revolution has a great section on repression with words from a dozen folks who've done time for earth, native, and anti-imperialist actions. Sara Olson, the symbionese liberation army underground activist who was captured in 1999 calls for Armageddon. Rik Scarce writes about the repression of authors and activists. Anne Hansen also provides a chapter reflecting on her own contributions to earth liberation and the continued value of direct action.

The two highlights of the book in my opinion are former Black Panther and former BLA activist Ashanti Alston's essay on the cross-fertilization between militants called "Mojo Workin'" - an awesome dialogue. The other piece which brought me to tears was pattrice jones' "stomping with the elephants" which documents how humans can learn from animals about liberation. Both should be required reading, and soon will be in my classes . . .

Closing with a poem from BLA coordinator Jalil Muntaqim on Katrina, the book stands as an incredible testament to the power and diversity of the struggles for the earth. There is no other text like this - certainly nothing as diverse or as militant.

The book is awesome and worth your attention. Support AK Press, get your learn on and buy one now!

I have read this book twice and find something amazing everytime I read it. With so many authors talking about so many amazing and important topics, this book is perfect for anyone interested in social change, - from feminism to veganism. This book is a must read!