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CHOICE Review

This is a quirky and interesting little book, a reminder that out of the brew of the New Left 1960s the black flag of anarchism reemerged next to the red flag of traditional socialism. German writer Heider traveled across the US interviewing the leading "superstars" among anarcho-syndicalists, eco-communitarian-anarchists, and laissez-faire anarcho-capitalists, a.k.a. libertarians or Randists. The three chapters cover three central, well-known anarchist thinkers (Murray Bookchin, Noam Chomsky in passing, Murray Rothbard) and another less so (Sam Dolgoff), at least to this reviewer. In the rubble of the statist, Stalinist wall and on the barren streets of capitalism, so to speak, Heider's main point is that anarchism is making a comeback as an alternative to both authoritarian communism and capitalism. Heider is partial to the anarcho-syndicalist critique of bureaucracy, technocracy, and centralized states. Her book combines illuminating analysis, journalist interviews with key figures, and a sort of travelogue. Heider's sympathetic analysis of the Janus face of anarchism is cogent, and her book is a most readable reminder not only that anarchism exists on both the right and the left but that it is heir to a complex and honorable tradition. Is the moment "ripe for a leftist anarchist revival"? Is anarchism both the "nightmare and the accomplice of the ruling class"? For those who have long puzzled over the anarchist enigma, this slim volume is a perfect guide, for beginners and advanced anarchists both. H. Steck; SUNY College at Cortland