Are You Sure You Know What Anarchy is?
When you think of Anarchy, you may think of chaos, lawlessness, or just a white dude in a ski-mask tossing molotov cocktails. But that’s not what anarchy is. That’s the propaganda. Anarchy is a political philosophy based in the abolition of the state, in horizontal rather than hierarchical power, in mutual aid, and networks of care. When I learned how much I didn’t know about anarchy it blew my mind. Anarchists have been at the core of so much of modern history, and I want to share it with you.
created by Alanna
last updated May, 2026
Comments
I’m not sure if this will fit what you’re looking for here, but I loved Fearless, Deathless, Sleepless so much in part because her perspective and the analysis she’s using are explicitly anarchist. It’s not much of an introductory explanation to anarchism, but it’s a beautiful example of what anarchism looks like applied to nature writing!
i'm so uneducated on anarchism and want to learn more someday, tysm for this list and for your big beautiful brain 🧠
AlannaOP
I don't think this list would exist without all your beautiful comments and support, so THANK YOU RIGHT BACK. 😘😘😘
hug hug hug!! i learn so much from you, Pagebound is so blessed to have you
A few I’d suggest:
- Anarchism and the Black Revolution by Lorenzo Kom'boa Ervin
- The Nation on No Map: Black Anarchism and Abolition by William C. Anderson
- No Spiritual Surrender: Indigenous Anarchy in Defense of the Sacred by Klee Benally
- Black Seed: Not on Any Map: Indigenous Anarchy in an Anti-Political World
AlannaOP
Thank you for these recommendations! I can’t wait to check them out!
Seconding The Nation on No Map
💞 yayyyy! grateful to you for making this! what a nice intro and fantastic description
AlannaOP
Thank you!!🥲 It'll be a work in progress. I've got so many more books I want to read and add, but because there is so much misinformation I want to be sure I'm vetting everything so it can be a helpful resource. ❤️
thank you so much for this list, I love it
'Anarchism and Other Essays' by Emma Goldman is a great read as well
AlannaOP
Oh yes! I had that one but I didn’t read it fast enough and had to give it back to the library! There will definitely Goldman on this list and soon. Unfortunately the one biography of her I read was awful 😅
Seeing this list reminds me of when I was in 4th grade and had to do a report about Emma Goldman, an anarchist from Russia. To understand her and the assignment I was given, I would've had to have understood American capitalism and Russian communism way better than I did at 9 years old, to explain why she didn't want either one. I just remember going back to my teacher over and over again saying that I didn't understand what I was supposed to say about this person whose life I didn't understand, and her looking at me like I was too stupid to understand "Communism = bad."
I think that assignment is a really good example of why so many of us in the United States have such a poor understanding of what anarchism is. I was equipped with Netscape Navigator and a dial-up connection, but I'm supposed to explain to other 9 year olds what anarchism is and why Emma Goldman cared about it? My teacher didn't explain it to me, but expected me to teach it in a report I gave to my class. I think the purpose was to make it seem like something so far beyond grasping intentionally, so you never question it again.
I just got Emma Goldman's book off of Project Gutenberg and I'm going to read it someday so I can finally understand her. And all that to say, maybe see if My Disillusionment in Russia, or some of her essays would be a good fit for your list.
AlannaOP
This makes me so sad for you, and angry at that teacher and an educational system that would make a child feel so isolated and alone to push their agenda, instead of opening up a world of knowledge. Also, sad for the teacher that her only takeaway from reading Goldman was communism=bad. Goldman is such a vibrant figure, who was the embodiment of resistance rooted in joy.
I've got two Goldmans in line for this list, Living my Life and Anarchism and other Essays, but I'll happily add my Life in Russia. I try to only add books to this list that I've personally read, because there is so much misinformation about Anarchy and Anarchism, because I want to make sure the list is accessible (and some texts about political theory can be incredibly dense), and because I want to add additional context in the forums and in my reviews. But if you want to do a buddy read, let me know. I would be ever so happy to.
finished the dispossessed recently, so loved seeing this!
tysm for the list! (: is there a particular book you would recommend for beginners?
AlannaOP
I’ve tried to keep the whole list approachable, but I think a Country of Ghosts is a great fiction option to start (the audiobook is just under 6 hours) and Dean Spade’s Mutual Aid is a good non-fiction starter (about 5 hours).
oooh! I'll add those to my tbr. tysm!! 🩷✨
i've only read a little bit but spade's mutual aid is extremely accessible and informational without feeling like you're being overwhelmed. and the physical book is like a pocket book!
I love this list 💕
Oooo I am bookmarking this one!
Wow I am so excited for the person I will become after reading the books on this list!!!!!
Thank you for putting it together!!! 😁
AlannaOP
Oh me too!! 😅 it’s been so empowering for me learning about this stuff!
Hell yeah love the list and the title. If you're taking suggestions: No Harmless Power by Charlie Allison (biography of Nestor Makhno) After the Revolution by Robert Evans (fiction) Constructing Worlds Otherwise by Raúl Zibechi (nonfiction about current Latin American anarchism -- I haven't read this one yet but I expect it to be good!) On Microfascism by Jack Z. Bratich (nonfiction, extremely dense and depressing, but a relevant application of anarchism to explain social ills) Everything for Everyone by Eman Abdelhadi and M.E. O'Brien (fiction, also haven't read yet but it uses an interview format which I've never encountered for a novel before so I'm excited!)
AlannaOP
Thank you so much for the recommendations! I will check them out!
I can't wait to read up on this subject! Thank you for the list 🧙
I just learned from our college website that Professor Alanna will be conducting a closed-book exam on this subject at the end of the term.
Time to study 👀
AlannaOP
Yesssss. The exam will be closed book because we won’t need books and we’ll all just hang out and chat and have a mutual aid picnic and it will be glorious 🙌
That does sound glorious 🙌
AlannaOP
(Which is to say that Anarchism is a political theory which can make it sound stuffy and boring, but it is also the way a lot of us already live day to day. What’s so radical about it is imagining how we can expand these everyday acts of kindness and care into a wider space in the world to take power away from the monsters❤️ And that can start with things like sharing space and sharing food, and talking about important things together)
AlannaOP
It’s my absolute pleasure ❤️
Saved! 👏👏👏
Oooh love 😝 I'm looking forward to delving into your recs 🙂↕️
This is an incredible resource, thank you so much for sharing!
The Dawn of Everything my beloved! Also can I sugest Anarchy in Action by Colin Ward? I read it a while ago but I remember how beautiful it was
AlannaOP
The Dawn of Everything was truly a life changing read for me. 🥲 I’ll check out your recommendation!
