Thank You, Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse

Schneider offers a riveting, yet sometimes frustrating account of Occupy Wall Street's first year in New York. After the foreword by Rebecca Solnit, the book takes readers from the meetings leading up to the occupation of Zuccoti "Liberty" Park on September 17, 2011, to the movement's progress across the country and around the world, up to it's first anniversary. Schneider (God in Proof) draws from first-hand reportage, social media, and other sources to depict the spirit, influences, conflicts, and criticisms of the movement. Choosing to describe the movement as an apocalypse will no doubt turn off some readers, but one of the strongest passages in the book addresses Schneider's faith, and the attempted occupation of property owned by Trinity Church. The tone varies between profoundly earnest and pragmatic, though clearly Schneider stands with the Occupiers. Some of his responses to the criticisms of the movement are less than convincing, but never become dismissive. Still, readers may get the sense that in order to invest in Schneider's passion or disappointments, you needed to have been there. (Sept.)