Enjoyable and inspiring
4 stars
I'm not sure if this quite qualifies as a biography as so much is left out. In particular, Bookchin's marriages and children feature only fleetingly. It does, however, provide a terrific account of his political and intellectual development, the creation of the ISE, his involvement with the German Greens, and his many, many books and other writings. Exciting to see the role of autodidacticism in his life, plus funny (and revealing) to see an account of Sanders as mayor of Burlington. Once Biehl actually becomes part of his life, the book takes on a different (and, for me, a rather less comfortable) tone, and the latter years of his life seem to consist of a descent into isolation and recriminations. Definitely worth a read if you want an overview of Bookchin's work and development, and some coverage of radical politics more generally in the US. I finished the book with …
I'm not sure if this quite qualifies as a biography as so much is left out. In particular, Bookchin's marriages and children feature only fleetingly. It does, however, provide a terrific account of his political and intellectual development, the creation of the ISE, his involvement with the German Greens, and his many, many books and other writings. Exciting to see the role of autodidacticism in his life, plus funny (and revealing) to see an account of Sanders as mayor of Burlington. Once Biehl actually becomes part of his life, the book takes on a different (and, for me, a rather less comfortable) tone, and the latter years of his life seem to consist of a descent into isolation and recriminations. Definitely worth a read if you want an overview of Bookchin's work and development, and some coverage of radical politics more generally in the US. I finished the book with a list of 'future reading' that's two sides of A4, and that's not including his own books!