Reviews

Freedom, 6/08/05

If you want to read about Bakunin in Berlin, Proudhon in Paris or anarchists in revolutionary Russia or Spain you'll have no trouble finding an informative text. If you want a book on the activities of British anarchists you'll have a problem finding anything useful. Most anarchist authors prefer romanticising revolutionary struggles abroad than recording and analysing the everyday anarchism around them. Colin Ward has long proved an honourable exception and now Martin Gilbert, Mark Newns, Peter Good, John Evans and Doreen Frampton have together compiled a chronicle of their everyday lives and conflicts as anarchists engaged in social work.

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Community Care, 1/3/05

David O'Driscoll, assistant director, Respond, writes:

"It seems to me that social work is now dominated by a more practical-based philosophy; long-gone are the heydays of radical social work. This book is an attempt to ignite the flames of political social work once again.

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Total Liberty, Vol.4, No. 4

Richard Alexander reviewed this book, remarking on a lack of theory. This criticism neither acknowledges our idea of "power-shedding" - closing the gap between client and worker - nor does it accept the dearth of radical social work literature in the past 25 years

We make no apology: the book's "blurb" states that "it….has little theory. Rather, it consists of despatches from the front line". In reality, little social work time is spent in thinking about intellectual blueprints. At best you try to do the right thing at the right time. Professional social work is an activity of the here-and-now, just as so much anarchist activity stems from immediacy. A main tenant of anarchism is that we askew pre-set theories. These idea deficits often work to the detriment of both anarchists and social workers; but it is very unfair to pick on this one book to make such comments.

Richard also suggests that this publication fails to speak with the client's voice. The illustrations do part of this task. A picture may "speak a thousand words" but not for this reviewer. All contributors using direct quotes and the passion in Mark A. Newns' writing, fail to let Richard hear those who give voice to the voiceless.

Based on empirical observations of 20 -30 years ago our book suggests how spaces for creative social work were found. In doing so it offers ideas that will be useable in less oppressive times.

Martin S. Gilbert