It's kinda funny the degree to which Bookchin praises the exact lifestylism which we now associate him with disavowing. I guess watching this counterculture get re-absorbed by bourgeois society must've been exactly what pushed him in that direction. Just a guess, I need to actually read later stuff.

There's a lot of brilliant attempts in here to sort traditional socialist dogma into two piles: the genuine theoretical core worth keeping and the reactions to specific historical moments which have nevertheless been uncritically accepted. This is a worthwhile read for any leftist, anyone invested in social revolution, or anyone interested in a somewhat more modern look at the revolutions and attempts at true democracy of the past.

Look, don't read this and take it to heart too much. Recognize that it came from a time where youth movements might have become something, when it seemed like a new revolutionary group entirely separate from the class system could be formed from outcasts all over the social ladder rejecting the norms and expectations of their time. Let yourself slip into that mindset and that optimism, and you'll come out of this with something worthwhile. You'll at least probably have a better understanding of how previously revolutionary forms of organization like leftist parties and unions have become kinds of capitalist internal self-regulation which keep capitalism from reaching a tipping point and angering the people enough to spring us to action.

You'll end up understanding why even in times like right now in 2020 when everyone is rightfully pissed off, there doesn't seem to be any fuel for that spark to catch.