A Rule is to Break: A Child's Guide to Anarchy

A Rule Is To Break: A Child's Guide to Anarchy is a perfectly wonderful picture book about the spirit of anarchism and its utterly fitting dovetail with the joy of childhood. The book is full of excellent advice, wonderfully illustrated.

Along with the pages reproduced in this post, there's such goodies as "Give stuff away for free," "Speak your mind," and "Listen to the tiniest voice."

Also: "Build it, don't buy it" and "Stay up all night." There's nothing about setting fire to cars or joining the black bloc -- just sound advice about being happy, generous and caring for your community.

The book has become something of a Tea Party bogeyman, which is dumb and would be a tragedy if it wasn't for the fact that the ensuing publicity will likely turn it into a bestseller. I'm sure none of the criticism can have come from people who've actually read the book -- rather, they're likely reacting to the blurb from Bill Ayers, which says "a children’s book on anarchy seems somehow just right: an instinctive, intuitive sense of fairness, community, and interdependence sits naturally enough with a desire for participatory democracy, feminism, queer-rights, environmental balance, self-determination, and peace and global justice."

A Rule Is To Break: A Child's Guide to Anarchy

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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The Snowden Principle

http://www.youtube.com/user/Freethinkersanon Christopher

Needs more double negatives.
- http://splicedcomma.wordpress.com/ comma splice
  
  Don’t Do What Donny Don’t Does
ZikZak

There’s nothing about setting fire to cars or joining the black bloc

Maybe not directly, but it’s a slippery slope when kids start thinking for themselves! At first it’s “why should i take a bath?” but pretty soon it’s “why should I sit by and watch my future be gutted by corrupt oligarchs?”. Teach conformity, it’s the only way to be safe! Today’s unconventional thinker is tomorrow’s revolutionary outlaw!
- lile
  
  Or tomorrow’s Einstein.
IronEdithKidd

Bill Ayers’ review used almost all of the words that piss off tea party-types. Plus, he’s Bill Ayers. Just the name tosses a certain subset of wingnuttery into a fit of apoplexy.
- http://billmcgonigle.com bill_mcgonigle
  
  Defending Bill Ayers is not a winning move. He’s exactly the kind of person who gives peaceful anarchists a bad name.
  
  That aside, trying to take back ‘anarchy’ is a waste of effort. As Chris alluded to above, defined who you are, not who you’re not.
  - IronEdithKidd
    
    Any defense of Mr. Ayers is purely a construct of your own interpretation. I am amused anytime the far rightwing talking heads blow gaskets. That is all.
  - jicksta
    
    The vast majority of anarchists are Libertarian Socialists. Libertarian Socialists have just as much they’re “for” as any other political philosophy. It’d be worth their effort informing others about their philosophy so misinformed people stop pretending old strawmen arguments have any relevance.
  - http://twitter.com/#!/SocraticMrMeth Streptococcus pyogenes
    
    how can any anarchist give any of the rest a “bad name”? seeking acceptance from those who will only legitimise something backed up by a rent-fuelled hierarchy of armed thugs seems like a losing proposition.
    
    and so? we break.
http://whimsicalacious.tumblr.com/ Patrick McGorrill

I’m worried that this won’t do much to instill anarchist traditions like forming rules by extensive discussions or ideological hair splitting.
I doubt they show even one armchair!
Chris Johnson

“The” black bloc? Are we sure we know what a black bloc is?
- http://burntheflag.ca Jardine
  
  Cops mostly.
  - Chris Johnson
    
    That seems to me a pacifist fantasy, which allows them to paint those more militant than they as cops. Almost certainly there will be cops, but you don’t need a majority to be a provocateur.
  - Guest
    
    a claim as catchy as delusional.
terminationshok

This book is so sweet. I’m going to get one for the Noisebridge library.
jhertzli

Anarcho-capitalism? Teaching kids that regulation is bad?
http://profiles.google.com/michbar Michael Barton

For the love of God, please stop using Tea Party as a synonym for authoritarian Country Club Republican.
http://twitter.com/#!/SocraticMrMeth Streptococcus pyogenes

buying this for my kids. we’re learning anarchy together. I’m going to learn a LOT.
http://twitter.com/king_clumsy Luke Homer

A friend of mine gave Birth This week. I’m buying it for her new baby to read when she’s older :)
sockdoll

Rules are made to be broken.
http://quartzcity.myopenid.com/ Chris Barrus

Was a big fan of John and Jana’s Very Vicky comics way back. Happy to see them still creating cool books!