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 January, 2026
Comments
finished the dispossessed recently, so loved seeing this!
AlannaOP
I feel like, the Dispossessed is the spark that starts so many on a path to Anarchy. 😅 It certainly was for me!
'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 😅
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
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
💞 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
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!
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!
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!
