Penguin rushes out Extinction Rebellion book after protests

Penguin Books is rushing out an anthology by environmental protest group Extinction Rebellion who brought parts of London to a standstill this month.

This is Not a Drill: An Extinction Rebellion Handbook, originally slated for release later in the year, will now be published on 3rd June. Editor Tom Penn told the Guardian: “We thought, ‘This is an emergency, and we have to react like it’s an emergency.’”

It comprises 30 original essays from contributors including ex-Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, environmental lawyer Farhana Yamin, former President of the Maldives Mohamed Nasheed, psychotherapist Susie Orbach, activist Vandana Shiva, Caroline Lucas and Clive Lewis. Activists at the centre of the movement will also feature.

The book is split into two with the first half, "Tell the Truth", detailing the facts on climate breakdown, and dispatches from ecological crises unfolding in places like California to the Himalayas.

Its second half, "Act Now", will share practical instructions on how to rebel including organising a roadblock, facing arrest and cooking for 1,000 protesters.

Activist William Skeaping told the Guardian: “This is not just about a climate emergency, it’s also ecological – habitat loss, the loss of biodiversity, that’s what’s going to kill us first. This book is about what we can all begin to do, and because it’s not by just one author, it’s the crowdsourced knowledge of our movement.”