Imprint
- Wildfire
- Wildfire
- Wildfire
- Wildfire
If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution: 'as good as journalism gets'
Vincent Bevins
21st century, Revolutions, uprisings, rebellions, Globalization, Political science & theory, Political activism
-
Imprint
Wildfire
- Trade Paperback Dec 27, 2023 | 9781035412280 | RRP $34.99 Buy Now
- Hardback Feb 13, 2024 | 9781035412273 | RRP $59.99 Buy Now
- e-Book Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412297 | RRP $15.99 Buy Now
- Audiobook Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412303 | RRP $44.99 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00 -
Imprint
Wildfire
- Trade Paperback Dec 27, 2023 | 9781035412280 | RRP $34.99 Buy Now
- Hardback Feb 13, 2024 | 9781035412273 | RRP $59.99 Buy Now
- e-Book Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412297 | RRP $15.99 Buy Now
- Audiobook Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412303 | RRP $44.99 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00 -
Imprint
Wildfire
- Trade Paperback Dec 27, 2023 | 9781035412280 | RRP $34.99 Buy Now
- Hardback Feb 13, 2024 | 9781035412273 | RRP $59.99 Buy Now
- e-Book Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412297 | RRP $15.99 Buy Now
- Audiobook Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412303 | RRP $44.99 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00 -
Imprint
Wildfire
- Trade Paperback Dec 27, 2023 | 9781035412280 | RRP $34.99 Buy Now
- Hardback Feb 13, 2024 | 9781035412273 | RRP $59.99 Buy Now
- e-Book Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412297 | RRP $15.99 Buy Now
- Audiobook Oct 3, 2023 | 9781035412303 | RRP $44.99 Buy Now
Play Sample0:00
The story of the recent uprisings from around the world that sought to change society - and what comes next
This book is phenomenal ... It's about as good as journalism gets ...The highest praise I can give If We Burn is to say that it would be criminally negligent not to read it if you'd like to change the world. - ROB DELANEY
Bevins's clear-eyed, sympathetic account of the unfulfilled promise of these protests leaves his reader with a bold vision of the future. - MERVE EMRE
A stunning history of now. - GREG GRANDIN
From 2010 to 2020, more people took part in protests than at any other point in human history. Why has success been so elusive?
From the so-called Arab Spring to Gezi Park in Turkey, from Ukraine's Euromaidan to student rebellions in Chile and Hong Kong, the second decade of the twenty-first century was propelled by explosive mass demonstrations. But few people got what they wanted. In too many cases, the protests led to the opposite of what they asked for.
If We Burn is a stirring work of global history built around that strange but fundamental paradox. Acclaimed journalist Vincent Bevins interviewed hundreds of people around the world, and weaves their insights and recollections into a fast-paced, gripping narrative. We follow his own troubling experiences in Brazil, where a protest movement ignited by leftists and anarchists led to an extreme-right government that torched the Amazon.
In the mass protest decade, humanity demonstrated a deep desire for change, and brave individuals started something that has been left unfinished. In this ground-breaking study of an extraordinary chain of events, protesters and major actors offer urgent lessons for those who wish to understand geopolitics today, and create a better world tomorrow.
More books by Vincent Bevins
Praise for If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and the Missing Revolution: 'as good as journalism gets'
-
Vincent Bevins' compelling new book, If We Burn, is a wondrous work of mystery writing, an effort to solve the riddle: why has a decade of large-scale rolling revolts produced no revolution, no significant structural reform? I can't think of any journalist other than Bevins who would dare to ask such a question, or be capable of weaving together seemingly discrete global events into a stunning history of now. Have we planted seeds for a better future or have the gears of change frozen for good? Bevins lets the people he talked to, those on the street, answer.
-
I was not expecting this, but I think If We Burn is even better than The Jakarta Method.
-
This is a wondrous work of mystery writing, an effort to solve the riddle: Why has a decade of large-scale rolling revolts produced no revolution, no significant structural reform? I can't think of any journalist other than Bevins who would dare to ask such a question, or be capable of weaving together seemingly discrete global events into a stunning history of now. Have we planted seeds for a better future, or have the gears of change frozen for good? Bevins lets the people he talked to, those on the street, answer.
-
In this remarkably assured and sweeping history of the present, Vincent Bevins asks some of the most urgent questions for contemporary life: How can a multitude of ardent, angry, and hopeful people harness their energies for profound political change? And what happens if they fail? If We Burn travels the world in search of an answer and, along the way, introduces us to the activists, hackers, punks, martyrs, and the millions of ordinary people whose spontaneous acts of bravery spurred the mass protests of the last decade. Bevins's clear-eyed, sympathetic account of the unfulfilled promise of these protests leaves his reader with a bold vision of the future - one in which his book's lessons are used to transform an uprising into a true revolution.
-
An illuminating postmortem on a decade of false dawns. - Publisher's Weekly
-
Ambitious, diligently researched, and provocative, If We Burn will transform the way you think. Bevins's detailed, comparative reporting offers a riveting look at the contradictions, unexpected consequences, and lessons of mass protests.
-
This book is phenomenal. A thrilling, blow by blow (and often live on-the-ground) analysis of how the various people-led movements and revolutions over the last decade succeeded or failed. Incalculably useful to anyone who'd like to make substantive, enduring changes to their town, country or even the world. It's an incredible follow up to The Jakarta Method - which focused on the development of the CIA and the seismic and often horrific global consequences - and sees Bevins applying his near-heroic methods of investigation to more recent events. It's about as good as journalism gets and Bevins is uniquely positioned to get the goods, just due to the sheer amount of time he spends in the places he writes about, fostering relationships and suffering from unquenchable curiosity. I cannot think of a book that so soberly and forensically analysed the very recent past and looked at what went right and what went terribly wrong. The highest praise I can give If We Burn is to say that it would be criminally negligent not to read it if you'd like to change the world. And why wouldn't you?
-
This book is outstanding.
-
- Mother Jones
-
The best book I read this year.
Find a book you’ll love, get our Word Up newsletter
.png?auto=compress&w=150&h=60&fit=crop&fm=jpg)
.png?auto=compress&w=150&h=60&fit=crop&fm=jpg)
Hachette Australia acknowledges and pays our respects to the past, present and future Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our head office is located on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.
