“The Radical Book Collective (RBC) is an initiative founded by Bhakti Shringarpure, Editor-in-Chief of Warscapes magazine, and Suchitra Vijayan author of Midnight’s Borders. As stated on the website, the project ‘responds to the need for an alternative, inclusive and non-commercial approach to books and reading.’

The profit-driven model of mainstream literary culture and big publishing, which favors award-winning books and bestsellers, has excluded books that, despite having considerable merit, are different. Some of these books are ‘unapologetically political.’ Others explore unfamiliar worlds and experiences. The Radical Books Collective creates the space for readers to experience the irreverence of engaging with these kinds of books that break the mold. Every month, ‘publishers, bookstores, authors, booklovers and bookworms everywhere’ meet to talk about a recently published ‘radical book.’ These meetings often includes a chat with the author.

Anyone can join the book club for a nominal fee. Follow this link for more information.”

“The beauty and the force of Decolonize Hipsters is the way Pierrot folds and unfolds the pleats of historical moments to tell a story of race in the Atlantic world…. The genius of this book is not just in Pierrot’s analysis but in his delivery of it… Pierrot’s humor is the kind that refuses to soft pedal for anyone’s comfort. He reveals this kind of accommodation to be part of the problem in the first place: the hipster’s recourse to snark and irony is an insidious dodge… Pierrot’s accounting of the consequences of hipsterdom on present day politics is damning. The cult of individuality and commitment to burnishing one’s quirkiness is exposed for what it is: depoliticization, consumerism, complicity… In the end, though, Pierrot offers a path forward—the possibility of breaking the cycle of colonization, appropriation, and theft. He brings a genuine spirit of hopefulness imbued with a generosity that cannot but feel a bit heartbreaking.”

Read the review here.

“The beauty and the force of Decolonize Hipsters is the way Pierrot folds and unfolds the pleats of historical moments to tell a story of race in the Atlantic world…. The genius of this book is not just in Pierrot’s analysis but in his delivery of it… Pierrot’s humor is the kind that refuses to soft pedal for anyone’s comfort. He reveals this kind of accommodation to be part of the problem in the first place: the hipster’s recourse to snark and irony is an insidious dodge… Pierrot’s accounting of the consequences of hipsterdom on present day politics is damning. The cult of individuality and commitment to burnishing one’s quirkiness is exposed for what it is: depoliticization, consumerism, complicity… In the end, though, Pierrot offers a path forward—the possibility of breaking the cycle of colonization, appropriation, and theft. He brings a genuine spirit of hopefulness imbued with a generosity that cannot but feel a bit heartbreaking.”

Read the full review here.