Demand The Impossible!

Bill Ayers is a social justice activist, teacher, Distinguished Professor of Education (retired) at the University of Illinois at Chicago, and author of two memoirs, Fugitive Days and Public Enemy.

"Demand the Impossible is more than a book, more than a manifesto. It is a torch. Bill Ayers’ vision for a humane future is incendiary—fire that incinerates old logics and illuminates new paths. If we do not end the violence of militarism, materialism, caging, dispossession, debt, want, ignorance, and global warming, our very survival is impossible. Read aloud."—Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Freedom Dreams"With the beautiful idealism of a young radical and the sage wisdom of an elder, Bill Ayers is making trouble again, and we should all be grateful. In Demand the Impossible Ayers troubles the waters of staid political practices, insisting that we close our eyes for a moment and think creatively about what a better world might look like, and then open our eyes wide and organize boldly to make that world a reality. This is an elegant and provocative manifesto for our time, one that honors the social justice organizing currently in motion."—Barbara Ransby, author of Ella Baker and the Black Freedom Movement"Bill Ayers has produced a portrait of two worlds. One is a dystopia, recognizable as the world in which we live, the other a world that capitalism describes as a fantasy---a world reconstructed around values that place the advancement of humanity and the sanctity of the planet above the accumulation of wealth and power. The two portraits stand in dramatic contrast and make Demand the Impossible both illuminating and compelling. This manifesto is radical less in its rhetoric than in its daring to actually go to the roots of the barbarism of the capitalist system. Demand the Impossible is to be read and then shared widely. It can serve as a motivator for those of us engaged in the long battle for justice and social transformation."—Bill Fletcher, Jr, author of Solidarity Divided"In his many years of practicing and theorizing pedagogy, Bill Ayers has proven himself a master teacher. Now, Demand the Impossible is a brilliant and accessible distillation of techniques and knowledge crafted into a powerful manifesto for our times, expanding the horizon of our expectations."—Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, author of An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States"Bill Ayers is the philosopher of the revolutionary spirit. These are despondent times, and yet, as Bill muses - history can surprise us. In preparation for that surprise, Bill has written a smart and inspirational manifesto."—Vijay Prashad, author of The Poorer Nations"Bill Ayers’ Demand the Impossible is a strong shot of inspiration for anyone searching for deep social transformation. It is a heartfelt, upbeat manifesto in favor of activism as an antidote to despair. Chock-full of personal stories, real facts and concrete examples packaged in exquisite writing, Demand the Impossible will open your mind to possibilities you never thought existed. Ayers will get you off your seat and into the street, fist raised, heart full, reaching for the spectacular."—Medea Benjamin, co-founder of Code Pink and author of Drone Warfare: Killing by Remote ControlDemand the Impossible is just what the world needs right now, a manifesto that challenges us to imagine bigger, love harder, create more expansively, and struggle toward a liberatory future in spite of our deepest doubts. Bill Ayers wakes us up and shows us that even the most entrenched, most permanent-seeming institutions—the military, the prison, the police, capitalism itself—are no match for the creativity and determination of the “universal family” and the “better angels of ourselves.” Demand the Impossible is a call to abandon the illusory American Dream wholesale, and, in its place, to unleash our own collective, revolutionary dreams into the universe. I dare you to not be inspired by this book.—Maya Schenwar, editor of Truthout and author of Locked Down, Locked Out"This is a deeply refreshing book, reminding us of why the core principles of socialist and anarchist thought—peace, justice, freedom, equality—are grounded, not in utopian fantasy, but in the joyous work of the creative imagination in everyday life. In large ways (an end to the military-industrial complex and the U.S. prison system) and small (the rebirth of community and public life in neighborhoods) Ayers offers a program that is long on ideals and even longer on actually existing programs, groups, movements, and individuals working toward a humane future. By turns alarming in its realistic assessment of the madness and stupidity of the present global system, and inspiring in its down to earth proposals for alternative human futures, this is a must-read for discouraged progressives everywhere. It is a book that could be a clear and present danger to Western civilization as we know it—and in the very best way."—W. J. T. Mitchell, editor of Critical Inquiry and author of Seeing Through Race and Cloning Terror"Every once in a while a book comes along that not only changes the way one thinks, but opens a new space for imagining and then acting to create a better world with commitment, courage, and a heightened sense of ethical and social responsibility. Demand the Impossible is one of those books, and it ranks right at the top of the list. Ayers has a gift—he not only writes like a poet but he never fails to deal with rigorous and important ideas in an accessible and moving style. Touching on a range of issues extending from police violence and racism to ecological destruction, Ayers raises all the right questions and connects the dots that provide a tapestry for energizing the radical imagination. This may be one of the best books written in that tradition. Powerful, insightful, prodding, challenging, and most of all hopeful—if you want to understand the problems facing a society tipping into the abyss of authoritarianism, this book is a must-read, a kind of master text for those of us figuring out how to change a world that seems at time beyond our reach."—Henry Giroux, author of Theory and Resistance in Education and The Violence of Organized Forgetting"Demand The Impossible provides the imperative we need now. As public consciousness and despair heighten in our various locales, we must be willing to engage lessons from the past and present while building a future that is reflective of our commitment to justice.  If we're serious about this, we know there is no choice: all we got is US!"—David Stovall,  author of Born Out of Struggle"Demand the Impossible! is an ambitious, manifesto-like work rooted in the realities of the contemporary USA. It is divided into eight sections, each of which address a major issue, such as health care, prisons, education and the military machine. Ayers adopts a common approach in each case: a swift, hard-hitting identification of a major problem, and then a detailed sketch of an alternative. One of the strengths of the work is Ayers's consistent rooting of his alternative in 'real', functioning radical projects." –Anarchist Studies

• 1. Disarm! End War2. Abolition! Close the prisons3. Shoulders to the Wheel! Rethink the meaning of work4. Jubilee! Cancel the debt5. Stop the Cops! End police occupation of poor and working class communities6. Free Healthcare for All! Basic human rights for all people7. Teach Freedom! Education and activism united8. Love your Mother! Save the planet and all living things9. Beginning Again--An American Dream: Building a People's Movement and Making History