Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis

From the co-author of Let This Radicalize You, a collection of letters to inspire activists to continue the fight 

Organizers are well seasoned in defeat. We study movement histories, strategize collectively, and gather strength in direct action, knowing that liberation does not arrive overnight, but that the fight is worth it. But what happens when political and personal crises overlap, and the despair becomes overwhelming? Where do we turn when the process of organizing no longer feels like a site of refuge, but isolating, or even tragic? 

Read This When Things Fall Apart is a collection of letters written to organizers in crisis who are struggling with the conflicts, heartbreaks, and catastrophes that activists so often experience. From grief to exhaustion, fractured relationships, state violence and interpersonal violence, the struggle for justice can be tumultuous. Each letter invites the reader to the writer’s particular world in abortion defense, organizing within prison walls, recuperating from state repression after the 2020 uprisings, or as a new parent struggling to find their way in movement spaces, and offers an authentic account of moving through difficult times. 

Personal, reflective, and hopeful, Read This When Things Fall Apart is a new type of book for radicals that harnesses the writers' individual moments of despair into living, breathing wisdom capable of chipping away at the supposed inevitability of fascist life. Restorative like a letter from a trusted friend and invigorating like a story from a mentor, the book is an indispensable companion for all of us navigating the challenging times ahead. 

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Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis

From the co-author of Let This Radicalize You, a collection of letters to inspire activists to continue the fight 

Organizers are well seasoned in defeat. We study movement histories, strategize collectively, and gather strength in direct action, knowing that liberation does not arrive overnight, but that the fight is worth it. But what happens when political and personal crises overlap, and the despair becomes overwhelming? Where do we turn when the process of organizing no longer feels like a site of refuge, but isolating, or even tragic? 

Read This When Things Fall Apart is a collection of letters written to organizers in crisis who are struggling with the conflicts, heartbreaks, and catastrophes that activists so often experience. From grief to exhaustion, fractured relationships, state violence and interpersonal violence, the struggle for justice can be tumultuous. Each letter invites the reader to the writer’s particular world in abortion defense, organizing within prison walls, recuperating from state repression after the 2020 uprisings, or as a new parent struggling to find their way in movement spaces, and offers an authentic account of moving through difficult times. 

Personal, reflective, and hopeful, Read This When Things Fall Apart is a new type of book for radicals that harnesses the writers' individual moments of despair into living, breathing wisdom capable of chipping away at the supposed inevitability of fascist life. Restorative like a letter from a trusted friend and invigorating like a story from a mentor, the book is an indispensable companion for all of us navigating the challenging times ahead. 

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Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis

Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis

Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis

Read This When Things Fall Apart: Letters to Activists in Crisis

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Overview

From the co-author of Let This Radicalize You, a collection of letters to inspire activists to continue the fight 

Organizers are well seasoned in defeat. We study movement histories, strategize collectively, and gather strength in direct action, knowing that liberation does not arrive overnight, but that the fight is worth it. But what happens when political and personal crises overlap, and the despair becomes overwhelming? Where do we turn when the process of organizing no longer feels like a site of refuge, but isolating, or even tragic? 

Read This When Things Fall Apart is a collection of letters written to organizers in crisis who are struggling with the conflicts, heartbreaks, and catastrophes that activists so often experience. From grief to exhaustion, fractured relationships, state violence and interpersonal violence, the struggle for justice can be tumultuous. Each letter invites the reader to the writer’s particular world in abortion defense, organizing within prison walls, recuperating from state repression after the 2020 uprisings, or as a new parent struggling to find their way in movement spaces, and offers an authentic account of moving through difficult times. 

Personal, reflective, and hopeful, Read This When Things Fall Apart is a new type of book for radicals that harnesses the writers' individual moments of despair into living, breathing wisdom capable of chipping away at the supposed inevitability of fascist life. Restorative like a letter from a trusted friend and invigorating like a story from a mentor, the book is an indispensable companion for all of us navigating the challenging times ahead. 


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781849355858
Publisher: AK Press
Publication date: 11/04/2025
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook

About the Author

Kelly Hayes is a Menominee Native author, photographer, organizer, and movement educator. They are the host of Truthout’s podcast, Organizing My Thoughts, and the co-author of Let This Radicalize You with Mariame Kaba. Kelly’s written work can also be found in a variety of publications and anthology collections. Kelly has trained thousands of people around the country in direct action and protest tactics.

Table of Contents

Letter Directory (TOC)

Read This...

If You Feel Like You’re Falling by Kelly Hayes (Introduction)

If You’re New and Trying to Find Your Way by Mariame Kaba

If You’re Witnessing the Unthinkable by Eman Abdelhadi

If You’re Losing and Discouraged by Micah Herskind

If You’ve Lost Someone to Suicide by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

If You Are Struggling with Your Mental Health by Aaron Goggans

If You Are Organizing Outside the Law by Brit “Red” Schulte

If You’ve Been Assaulted, I Believe You by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

If You're a Parent Feeling Isolated by Atena Danner

If You Are Panicking About Collapse by Chris Begley

If You Want to Defeat Fascism by Shane Burley

If You Are Overwhelmed by Attacks on Reproductive Autonomy by Renee Bracey Sherman

If Injustice Has Alienated You From Your Community by Maya Schenwar

If You Are a Discouraged Incarcerated Organizer by Stephen Wilson

If You Are Heartbroken by Ashon Crawley

If You Want to Fight Big Tech by Brian Merchant

If You’re Hurting and Want to Find Your People by Ash Williams

If You’re Disabled and Trying to Figure Things Out by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha and Jane Shi

If You Are Fighting Deportations and You’re Afraid or Discouraged by Aly Wane 

If You Are Struggling With Grief by Tanuja Devi Jagernauth

 If You’re Wounded and Want to Quit by Kelly Hayes (Conclusion)

Relating to the Origin, by Atena Danner

Acknowledgements


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