Description
From the co-author of Let This Radicalize You, a collection of letters to inspire activists to continue the fight
Organizers are well seasoned in defeat. We study movement histories, strategize collectively, and gather strength in direct action, knowing that liberation does not arrive overnight, but that the fight is worth it. But what happens when political and personal crises overlap, and the despair becomes overwhelming? Where do we turn when the process of organizing no longer feels like a site of refuge, but isolating, or even tragic?
Read This When Things Fall Apart is a collection of letters written to organizers in crisis who are struggling with the conflicts, heartbreaks, and catastrophes that activists so often experience. From grief to exhaustion, fractured relationships, state violence and interpersonal violence, the struggle for justice can be tumultuous. Each letter invites the reader to the writer’s particular world in abortion defense, organizing within prison walls, recuperating from state repression after the 2020 uprisings, or as a new parent struggling to find their way in movement spaces, and offers an authentic account of moving through difficult times.
Personal, reflective, and hopeful, Read This When Things Fall Apart is a new type of book for radicals that harnesses the writers' individual moments of despair into living, breathing wisdom capable of chipping away at the supposed inevitability of fascist life. Restorative like a letter from a trusted friend and invigorating like a story from a mentor, the book is an indispensable companion for all of us navigating the challenging times ahead.
Product Details
| Publisher | AK Press |
| Publish Date | November 04, 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Type |  Ebook |
| EAN/UPC | 9781849355858 |
Reviews
"Read this When Things Fall Apart is a balm of these dark times. This is the book I wish I'd had as a young organizer. It is a necessary text that sent me through the full kaleidoscope of emotions—spanning rage, laughter, and sadness—but more importantly, helped ground me in times of crisis and unrelenting brutality." —Robyn Maynard, co-author of Rehearsals for Living
“If you need an antidote to despair, this book is for you. It’s a repository of fortifying collective wisdom, a tonic for our troubled times. The letters Kelly Hayes has collected offer vital insights amid the darkness, shrewd strategic advice for aspiring change-makers, and a reminder none of us are in the fight alone.” —Astra Taylor, co-author of Solidarity: The Past, Present, and Future of a World-Changing Idea
“For years I've had a saying: resist the pleasures of doom. It can feel perversely good to tell ourselves that the situation is so bad we simply can't do anything, to throw up our hands and give up. This book is an antidote to the pleasures of doom—it offers the deeper, more sustaining pleasure of solidarity, in beautiful specificity, from committed organizers in a variety of movements. They have felt despair, stared into the void of defeat, and they share concrete advice about the ways we can keep going when all feels hopeless. This book is a profound act of care.” —Sarah Jaffe, author of From the Ashes: Grief and Revolution in a World on Fire
“Read this When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis is a signpost for activists who feel unsettled about themselves and the future. The contributors offer their truths and wisdom with raw vulnerability. Read this When Things Fall Apart is a resource for anyone who believes hope will guide us through the darkest of times.” —Alice Wong, editor of Disability Intimacy: Essays on Love, Care, and Desire
"These letters are like seeds in a pomegranate—gorgeous gems full of nourishment, nestled together, shaped by one another, juicy, sweet and alive. The intimacy and urgency of these wise messages, written by people who have given so much to our movements and seen so much, is just what we need right now, in harrowing times, to help new people cross the threshold to collective action and to bolster the spirits of all who continue to press on, against difficult odds. I cannot wait to give this book to my students and the people I've been working with for decades. We all need what is in here." —Dean Spade, author of Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (and the Next)
“These letters of love have emerged from Kelly’s wide community of friends, organizers and kindred spirits. They represent the best of our humanity, teaching us what we need to know, as we struggle to be healthy, happy and free.” —Lisa Fithian, author of Shut It Down: Stories from a Fierce, Loving Resistance
“A glorious and generous offering, right on time for new and seasoned organizers alike. I picked it up in a moment of flagging hope and put it down feeling profoundly fortified in the unshakeable truth that courage is collective—and creative—and that building and strengthening communities of care and resistance is our most critical assignment in this moment. A collection of poignant reminders that we can never give up on ourselves, each other, or the endless possibilities for liberatory futures that lie in uncertainty and beautiful struggle.” —Andrea J. Ritchie, author of Practicing New Worlds: Abolition and Emergent Strategies and co-author of No More Police: A Case for Abolition
“In this time of monsters burying us in grief and despair, this extraordinary collection is a steady hand with advice, analysis and affirmation. Each generous and generative letter centers our love for ourselves and our people as methodology. This book is a compelling reminder that we need each other as comrades and community, that we all have gifts to contribute to movements, and that—through uncertainty and one million experiments—we will win.” —Harsha Walia, author of Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism
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