Days of War, Nights of Love: Crimethink For Beginners

by CrimethInc.

Beautifully designed A-Z of the totality of revolutionary youth politics. Sort of a Situ-inspired Steal This Book for everyday life, love, and how to live it. Heavily illustrated with photos, cartoons, posters, and other useful accoutrements for the new millenium. Believe the hype, and check out why this is already an underground bestseller.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Philosophy, Activism, Anarchism, Sociology, History

180 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

From the official website:
Crimethought is not any ideology or value system or lifestyle, but rather a way of challenging all ideologies and value systems and lifestyles—and, for the advanced agent, a way of making all ideologies, value systems, and lifestyles challenging.

Reviews

[Burkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

i havent read it in a while, its funny to me, the folks who foam at the mouth, hating on the crimethinc. kids, and the fan club who take this book as gospel. the funniest thing about the whole thing is that i doubt the authors even give this book the creedence that either of those groups do. i gave 5 stars for what this book was for me years ago, its supposed to be over the top. they forget that this is art. this is poetry. this is supposed to be extreme, it is suposed to oppose the status quo, this is not gospel, it is satire and prose. it is supposed to shock and cause thought. lighten up, and stop judging this book by the other people who take this book too seriously.

[Cary Aurand · Rating 5 out of 5]

you have to read this book like you're reading nietzsche, for it follows that same aphoristic tradition. they purposely goad you and say things that are over the top in order to get you to question what they're saying. nietzsche didn't literally intend for you to tie women to wagons and whip them. this book is beautiful and poetic and ironic and inspiring. but you can't just read it as a bible for anarchists. it demands that you engage it at every turn, not just read it. like nietzsche said, "another century of readers and spirit itself will stink."

[fiver · Rating 1 out of 5]

oh god. is there negative stars? i wish. these are the same people who made a map of portland dumpsters and soon every secret riche was stealing food out of the mouths of homeless people who relied on those dumpsters for survival instead of credibility. i watched people starve as a social worker downtown. i HATE this book and this collective. it's underdeveloped, life-stylist, thinly-veiled individualism of the most destructive kind. i cannot say enough bad things about it.

[Jakey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate this book. Sure it's easy and fun to be homeless and eat out of dumpsters when you always have your mom to fall back on, visit, and store your hardcore records for you. fuck you crimethink.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first time I read this book was years and years ago. It passed me in the library and I was curious to see how I might think of it now. Far less now than before.

First, I will say that I like the book for it's sense of purpose and it's energy. The authors, by all means, seem very serious about practical (well, so to speak) changes both personal and beyond.

However, this is truly a very hypocritical book. Morals, they say, don't exist and individuals should create their own ethical systems (provided, naturally, that no moral-like-tenets of western anarchism are breached.) The anti-Christian rhetoric is piled on thick and narrow-sighted (one of the authors suspiciously claims to be Sufi too?) The call for co-operative, mutual economy is likewise tarnished by boast after boast of how they or others "cheated the system." Lots of ideas on how to steal; relatively none on how to produce in the absence of evil corporations. The first example I came across of anarchist economy, "it's kind of like throwing a party with your friends, and one person brings the music, the other the food..." True vision, folks.

In short, a book that asks a lot of good questions, and offers a lot of dumb answers.

[Josephine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, will ruin your life. Seriously. Did Fight Club or 1984 get under your skin, make you feel longing or rebelious? This book, will push you over. It will make you uncomfortable. It will make you question your direction, your motives, your purpose, & your happiness. And, with any luck, you'll argue with this book. Don't just take what it says as gospel. Take what you want from it, what you need. Take some parts seriously & take others as a joke. Take the ideas in it as far as you want or just think about them.

A must read. Seriously. Please do, & tell me what you think. I know I live my life a little more differently as more & more of what's written in here sinks in, yet there are other bits that I would probably never, ever embrace. I love that in a book.

[Damien · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the Spring of 2001, all the college age anarchists acted like this was THE book that was going to herald anarchism into the 21st Century. By the time I got around to reading it- about 6 months later- all of those same anarchists HATED it!
It thought it was cute. I mean, I thought it was juvenile in that it was written as though it was intended to show high school kids that there were better ways to rebel against society than to emulate Marilyn Manson.
It is ironic that many of the people that hate this book, and CrimethInc in general, are those who were trying to live the very lifestyle it promoted. Most critics seemed to ignore the fact that the book is CrimethInc for beginners. B-E-G-I-N-N-E-R-S. And not even Anarchism for Beginners. One "anarchist" said it would be fine if they weren't promoting anarchism, since CrimethInc is inconsistent with Proudhon and Kropotkin. Another interesting thing about the critics of this book is that I watched these same people over the years and most of them have given up and given into the society they once protested.
Classic Anarchism is fine for some one who is fortunate enough to get a college education, and has the time to debate the revolution over beer. I mean, really, what young Americans raised by working class families, the poor, and minorities care about what it was like in 19th Century Russia?
For beginners in any kind of subversive counterculture, you got to start with something. It would be great if there were other books with the seal of approval from the cliques of the anarchist elite that are available for people other than the followers of the cliques of the anarchist elite.
So, the book is not that great and I am often annoyed by self-described CrimethInc kids, but very few of those college students have any thing better to offer people like me, who was raised by a poor single parent of color.

[Marion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Agreed with most of the criticisms of this book presented here, boiling down to the idea that voluntary temporary homelessness as fulfilling rebellion is only realistic for suburban white boys, and otherwise immensely politically problematic.

5 stars, regardless, because when I was 17, this book did more to my life than any other book ever. Explosion after explosion in my head put everything I took for granted into question, made me ask questions about capitalism, work, relationships, beauty standards, the state... What a powerful book this was. I hadn't thought about Crimethinc in years and years when I just stumbled across it on someone's Goodreads page, but now when I look at my daily life - the questions I still ask, the books I read, the work I do, the relationships I build - I can see its influence everywhere. My life would not be nearly as amazing if I hadn't read this book, with its second-hand Nietzschean awareness of human finitude, its radical questions, and its big ideas.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Say what you will about this book but some years ago, after I finished it at 3 AM, it made me bicycle for 7 hours, deep into the high-end suburbs of Atlanta, to the "order more copies" address on the back where I was invited in to have an awkward conversation with the anonymous author's mother: It is urgent and contagious and charismatic. It is grandiose. Yes. It is smart, and maybe too easy and too harsh, yes, maybe a little narrow, but it is raging and it exults in the inevitability of hypocrisy, and names the poetry and the life of the individual as the single agent of any plausible revolution.

This is fucking literature kids, and you ought to be honest enough to admit that the reason you hate it is because the acolytes are like all acolytes and the author(s) have the sack to be the actors of their own (well-considered) ideals.

[Kaelan Ratcliffe ▪ كايِلان راتكِليف · Rating 5 out of 5]

An example of how Crimethinc works based on the book. Page 1.

Plagiarized © 2001, 2011 by CrimethInc. Free Press Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper by unionized printers in Canada.

English language (and all applications thereof) used without permission from its inventors, writers, or copywriters. No rights reserved. All parts of this book may be reproduced and transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, especially including photocopying if it is done at the expense of some unsuspecting corporation. Other recommended methods include broadcasting readings over pirate radio, reprinting tracts in unwary newspapers, and just signing your own name to this and publishing it as your own work. Any claim relating to copyright' infringement, advocation of illegal activities, defamation of character, incitement to riot, treason, etc. should be addressed directly to your Congressperson as a military rather than civil issue.

Oh yeah . . . intended “for entertainment purposes only, ” you fucking sheep.

[Josh Fish · Rating 3 out of 5]

An anti-capitalist manifesto with an argument riddled with contradictions and false narratives but mostly overly simplified. Still, this book repeats the point over and over that it is best to live in a society where we all put each other ahead of anything else. And that is a place I want to live.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book as hyperbole. While reading, try not to think about rich kids trying to slum it in dumpsters. Ignore the crimethinc haters. Form your own opinion.

[Nat Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

borrow your mother's suv to go shoplifting, and/or use your cellphone as an excuse if you get caught walking out the door! umm, so anarchism is only accessible for those who afford it? dumpster diving is hott, steal food from folks who have been "dumpster diving" before it was a term, before it was in and a great lifestyle choice!
I'm confused...
Crimethinc isn't crimethinc without classism, racism and exploitation.
Let me also clarify that this review refers to Days of War AND Recipes for Disaster (which includes the above mentioned how to shoplift section. Either way the attitude still applies. I wish I was privileged enough to be an ex-worker.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Anarchism is important. This book is not. This book seems to only be for people whose families can afford for their anarchist kid who refuses to work, which applies to very few of us who are profoundly affected (negatively) by capitalism. If you are new to anarchism, look elsewhere for an introduction, this book has unrealistic views about how to go about it, and seems to erase class issues as anything but self-inflicted.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of people I respect are baggin' on this, but I think at the time this was important for me to read. If you're not really used to thinking about radical alternatives to our way of life, then this is kind of a kick in the face of your previously held normative beliefs. When they have a chapter telling you to forget about history, that it doesn't help anything, or that watching a movie is a bourgeois distraction, it at least makes you consider those things as possibilities, even if they turn out to be wrong.

[Anton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Homelessness and dumpster-diving as a movement, served up from the upper-class. Those who have a rich family to fall back on. This book claims that: "if you're not having fun being homeless, you're not doing it right." That attitude pervades in this book, and leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

To be fair, this book, and it's predecessor which was a zine, make a lot of valid and interesting points. However, the reality of the glorification of living outside of society leaves one very important stone unturned... if you're not working towards anything, if you're simply living off the garbage of the rest of society, you're inherently not going to be able to create a sustainable and long-lasting infrastructure or community. You can't build simply by taking.

It's a noble effort at times though, and I would probably recommend it for someone who feels that perhaps the 9-5 grind is just not for them, and that society as a whole doesn't always have the answers..

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave this five stars even though I think it could only get three in reality. There are five of 'em up there because I think that it's good that someone put all of these articles in one spot for the kids. I'm glad that the resource is available. But at the same time, I hope the kids go out and find the full-length texts that much of this book came from. Despite having already read and/or owned most of what's in the book, I bought it anyway because the pleasing format reminded me a lot of McLuhan and Fiore's "Medium Is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects."

Is Crimethinc a good thing? I don't know. Will it collectivize and galvanize the young anarchists? Probably not. But this book makes a good starting point as a manual to take your life back from 'the man'.

[Nova · Rating 5 out of 5]

some great, uplifting, 'fuck-the-man' essays. self help for baby anarchists.

[Doc · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers a decent motivation for or inspiration for those who want to break outside the system. I'd say the audience is for younger idealists.

The fault I had with this book was that I was hoping for more than a 'love story for anarchists.'

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to imagine the ideal world this book presents, but then it's hard to imagine any ideal. When we decide to take reality head on, however, I think it's hard not to agree that life could be something better than what it is. I feel as if by being born, I woke up and everybody is playing Monopoly. That is only a fun game when you're winning though. I don't want to be playing Monopoly, I want to be playing a game that everyone can enjoy.

The problem is that there are some people who are losing at the game who have been convinced by those who are winning that this is the best game to be playing. I think that's where a lot of the hate for this book comes from. We have so much invested in the game we're already playing and have been so conditioned to think of it as the best option that any suggestion of the contrary rattles our sense of self. I believe this rattling is a good thing, but some people just can't deal with it. Some of our egos are so fragile that we believe that if the system is no good, that must mean we're no good.

Nothing could be further from the truth. When you can break free of the hamster wheel and be a person again; be a human being. That's when you really start living. That's when you can see the value in others and sharing and community. That's when you'll really start learning things and also stand in awe of existence. But it takes an open mind and courage to see these things for what they are. This book is not the end all be all of anarchism, direct action, or living a free life. It is just to get your toes wet. It is to get you thinking about all of our "normal" activities with some critical thought.

[Ran Prieur · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to keep in mind that this is motivational writing, and if you're the target audience, it's just about the best motivational writing you'll ever see. But it should not be taken too seriously as advice.

And my response to the people who complain that the actions in this book are only available to relatively affluent white people: Not only is it okay to use race and class advantages to live on the fringes of society -- ideally that's what ALL race and class advantages would be used for.

[Cody Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

I seriously suspect CrimethInc was a front for conservative forces to get lefty kids into thinking that inaction, disengagement and cynicism were the great engines of social revolution as opposed to organizing, believing in things, and compromise. Seriously, where did they get their money? Their message was destructive towards any cause. Kids, if you want to start the revolution, read Lenin. It you want to understand anarchism, read James Scott. If you want to feel revolutionary by not wearing deodorant and eating out of dumpsters, read this book.

[Maya Halko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I spent my whole time with this book arguing and being irritated by it, and I loved it. If anything, it taught me to keep questioning the things that we hear, and to form my own opinions. It came at the right time in my life and was given to me by someone I deeply respect and admire for the amount of passion they have. Incredibly thought provoking, despite not agreeing with parts of it.

[Hans Otterson]

A handbook on how to be human. The less said about it, the better. The more done about it, the better.

[Evelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much has been said and dismissed of Days of War, Nights of Love since it was released ten years ago, so I'll mostly stick with the positive stuff that can easily be gleaned from this book if one reads it with an open mind. The layout of the book is very much adopted from the traditional cut and paste style that should put you in the mood for what you're about to read because it's purposefully done like an independent zine (lots of illustration/art/quotes/that sort of thing). It's not the kind of book that you would really sit down and read from cover to cover, it definitely falls into that 'dip in and out of' category for me.

Subject matter wise, it picks themed words to form an A-Z (A is for Anarchy and so forth) and touches upon the usual suspects that you'd expect to find: capitalism, culture, freedom, gender, history, identity, media etc. The material for the subjects are all from anarchist point of views so this serves as an interesting introduction to various anarchist ways of thinking for those new to it. Veterans of the subject can still find interesting little tit bits here and there, throughout the book, and the section on 'Work' which features testimonials from various Crimethinc people, is especially good.

This is the first book I've read from the Crimethinc collective, and although the material can be terribly repetitive at times, there are a lot of little gems in here. Plus, any book that encourages people to take control of their own lives and find a way to really 'live' instead of just existing, is always going to get an extra star from me.

[Tom Darrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is crazy, extreme, idealist and off the wall. It proposes ideas like eating food out of grocery store dumpsters rather than buying food and, therefore, buying into "the system". Another good one is taking a receipt for a CD out of a trash can outside of a record store, going in, finding that CD and "returning it" for money.

No sane person could ever expect to take these anarchist ideas seriously. There are two reasons I rate the book so highly, however,... 1) it's not written like any other book... simply the look of it. It's part biography, part self-help, part anarchist's cookbook, part graphic novel. Crazy fonts, upsidedown pages, etc. Hopefully this book will encourage other groundbreaking writing styles. 2) Even though the ideas in this book are crazy, they are based on an element of truth. I think we can all agree that America is a very consumer-driven society and that nature is hurting people in many ways. I'm not suggesting we move to a cabin in the Montana wilderness and send pipebombs to people in the mail... but they do make some relevant points (although in an extreme way)that are worth discussing... and this book certainly encourages debate and discussion.

[Marcus K · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book. I agree that crimethinc operates with little to no class analysis, and their political view in general is fairly short sighted. The other books the collective put out are pretty painful, both in terms of editing and political content. This one, however, is pretty damn inspirational. Its written in a way thats accessible to their target audience (which, I assume, is young punk rockers who need political direction). It presents an easy to read situationist perspective, and its just plain fun. For these reasons (if nothing else) I'd say the book has some redeeming factors. Of course, don't go reading it expecting anything more than a nihilist inspired rant against society. If a fairly inspiring rant is what you're looking for, though, then you're in the right place.

[Justin Stepney · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read and re-read this constantly. i am always reading it. it really helped me think many of the thoughts i think now. set up like the abcs of anarchy i believe it was called 'back in the day' hahahaha..it's chapters go like such 'a is for anarchy'..'d is for death & domestication'..etc.etc.etc. i can flip to any page and read a little and be empowered for the day - literally. i've used the pictures for many a concert flyer. have plans for using some for shirts. i mean good grief, this book brings joy in so many different ways, even besides reading it. i truly think everyone should read it @ LEAST once. will always remain my favorite book, for what it really means to me and i hope anyone else who reads it, in the scheme of things.

[Kiernan Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first got this book, it was really exciting! I was like yes!, a new point of view to look from! ( Not adopt, just look through )
I began reading, and the book was very dense. I liked what I was reading at first, but then, as I got further through I realized half of this book was total bullshit. Crimethink assumes that every human in the world is the same. Their ideas would work, if everyone was the same. But they aren't so these ideas are dumb! If I was a person who was very impressionable and I read this book, I'd be dumpster picking in a week, and probably starving in 2. It's a bit ridiculous.
And may I comment on the plagiarism section especially. Plagiarism is bad, has always been bad, and will forever be bad. Stop telling people it's ok.

Ugh, filthy bigots.

[Jimmy Cline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked it. Then again, this was back when I used to think that Adbusters was profound, so...

This was also before I truly accepted my status as a nihilistic wage-slave. It suggests more work than is necessary for anyone who is under the delusion that they're really bucking "the system" by going out of their way to avoid working. Especially after having lived in Portland for some time now, the epithet "trust fund hippie" does come to mind. Still, it's basically the non-fiction, anarchist equivalent of Catcher in the Rye. If that means anything.