Why We Fight: Essays on Fascism, Resistance, and Surviving the Apocalypse

"Burley's meticulously observed, fluidly written collection is a must-read for anyone interested in the far-right's evolution during the Trump era, and its opposition. A collection that delves into the howling abyss and emerges with aplomb." --Talia Lavin, Culture Warlords: My Journey Into the Dark Web of White Supremacy

"Shane Burley's on-the-scene observations about the toxic presence of the Alt Right and other forms of far-right extremism have always been filled with keen insights, informed deeply by the realities he has witnessed and experienced. That same wisdom is also extraordinarily prescient about the challenges we all face in dealing with these realities, which remain very much with us going forward well past the Trump years. These essays are essential reading." --David Niewert, author of Red Pill, Blue Pill: How to Counteract the Conspiracy Theories That Are Killing Us

Why We Fight is a collection of essays written in the midst of the largest resurgence of the far-right in fifty years, and the explosion of antifascist, antiracist, and revolutionary organizing that has risen to fight it. The essays unpack the moment we live in, confronting the apocalyptic feelings brought on by nationalism, climate collapse, and the crisis of capitalism, but also delivering the clear message that a new world is possible through the struggles communities are leveraging today. Burley reminds us what we're fighting for not simply what we're fighting against.

Shane Burley is a writer and filmmaker based in Portland, Oregon. His essays, criticism and journalism has been featured in places like Jacobin, Al Jazeera, NBC News, Truthout, In These Times, Bandcamp, Salvage, Commune, The Baffler, Upping the Anti, Full Stop, and the Oregon Historical Quarterly. He is the author of Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It (AK Press, 2017) and has contributed to a number of anthologies and journals. His commentary on the far-right has been featured in places such as The Guardian, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast, PBS, and many others.

Natasha Lennard is a Contributing Writer for the Intercept, and her work has appeared regularly in the New York Times, Nation, Esquire, Vice, Salon, and the New Inquiry, among others. She teaches Critical Journalism at the New School for Social Research and is most recently the author of Being Numerous: Essays on Non-Fascist Life.