Everything for Everyone: An Oral History of the New York Commune, 2052–2072

A refreshing change from the depressing dystopian science fiction which seems to be de rigeur these days. And ironically, that makes it more like actual science fiction than the "realistic" SF that just brings me down.

Framed as a series of oral history interviews of survivors of the end of capitalism by the authors about the emergence of a post-capitalist society, or cooperating societies, it's a surprisingly hopeful read, even though there are elements that may seem rather alien to the modern reader. Particularly straight older readers like me!

But the idea of a world of communes without money or wages, where people feed and care for each other simply because they're human beings, is incredibly refreshing. It makes me want to read more.

There are a couple of points that did strike me as odd, though. One was the almost total lack of any mention of New England. The oral histories focus on New York, but the near-total lack of any sort of role for New England seemed a bit odd to this New Englander. It's as if the whole region had been scraped off the map! Other areas were mentioned, such as New Jersey and New Orleans. But not one word about anywhere in New England except Maine, and that was very limited. I couldn't help but wonder why.

Another odd point was the near-universality of trans-hood (if that's the right word for it). Virtually everyone interviewed was trans to one degree or another, and I can't recall a single cis person. In fact it was specified that the incidence of transsexualism had been constantly rising since the initial crisis point and failure of capitalism.

This was explicitly tied into huge technological advances in the field, including the option for any gender to gestate offspring. Although initially done via surgical alterations, it was specified later that gene therapy could also accomplish complete regendering - a process which was apparently a relatively casual choice.

This is the point where I'm guessing many readers of this review will find me hopelessly old-fashioned and sexist and contemptible, I suspect. I don't find the notion of gender change particularly disgusting; Robert A. Heinlein was writing about that sort of thing in the '80s, as I recall - albeit in a frequently creepy way. The oft-neglected Justin F. Leiber (son of the great SF author Fritz Leiber) covered the same subject far more professionally in Beyond Rejection (1980). I just find it strains my suspension of disbelief to buy the notion that the majority of the human race would effectively abandon the whole notion of gender within a period of 50 to 80 years.

Maybe I'm wrong. We'll see. That said, I would gladly adjust to any number of changes in order to live in a world where we survive the end of capitalism and fascism. And "Everything For Everyone" presents a vision of such a world in a way that gives me hope.

I'll definitely read it again.

Collection of hopeful interviews from life 'after the insurrection' and the end of capitalism. It's very much a wish-fulfilment fantasy book. Fun in-between read.

This was super fun. I thought the oral history format was a really clever format choice, like looking into a giant construction site through little windows cut in the scaffolding and only kind of being able to grasp the depth of the pit. I kept thinking about KSR's New York 2140 and how it couldve been the same world almost, but with more grittiness and trauma and explanations about how we get from here to fully automated gay luxury space communism. I'm pretty sure I have big political differences with the authors, but I seriously enjoyed it nonetheless. I'd really appreciate seeing more of this kind of fantastic dreaming from those who want a drastically different world.

A thoughtful consideration of a possible future that redefines how we interact with each other and the world outside of capitalism. I was worried that the political entreaty would outweigh the story, but it's been an enjoyable read.

This book was really awesome, I was most looking forward to this book for 2022. It did not disappoint.

being familiar with ME O'Brien's writing previously I was expecting an anti-state communist, luxury space communism environment with big trans vibes and it didn't disappoint. Probably more than half the interviews featured trans/agender/non-binary people and gender and it's practical abolition was a current throughout the book.

I also really appreciated the way they dealt with trauma, revolutions and capitalist crisis as violent and traumatic experiences and how people were living and building a new world while dealing with people broken people.

I thought it was thoughtful, choosing NYC as the setting and trying to modestly explore the global revolution but always linking it back to nyc so the project didn't get away from itself.

I had never read anything from Eman Abdelhadi before, but felt like you could really see bits of both the authors through their interviews and in the characters they are interviewing.

It's really a great book, at moments touching me and making me want to cry or laugh and taking me away to a vision of the world where the commodity form, capitalism and the state have been abolished almost the world over (sorry Australia, all the reactionaries, capitalism and fascists bunkered down there).