A little rebellion now and then can be good for one's constitution. Maybe one day you'll find yourself mad about something or other, and you'll want to take your fight to the Man. Before you do, remember that other people have tried it before, and there are plenty of lessons to learn.
Thomas Paine and the Promise of America tells the story of the American Revolution's greatest loudmouth, the writer of such renowned and controversial works as Common Sense and The Rights of Man. What's fascinating is that Paine's story only really begins with his death. The book spends most of its time contemplating his influence on all of American history.
Ten Days That Shook the World is a firsthand account of the 1917 Russian Revolution told by a sympathetic American journalist. If you thought that revolutions were simple, this book will prove you wrong. It takes dozens of pages just to explain all the different factions in play, and the narrative itself is a mess of political maneuvers, public statements, street action, committee meetings and the sudden triumph of the Bolsheviks. It turns out you can't just storm the palace. Revolutions take work.
Students for A Democratic Society takes one of the more famously rebellious groups from the 1960s and gives it a graphic novel all its own. Partly written by famed curmudgeon Harvey Pekar, it starts off with a quick history of the SDS and continues with a series of compelling personal stories.
So before you start your own revolution, remember that there are plenty of examples to learn from.
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