Why are we passionate about this?

We have backgrounds in writing, activism, and being messed up, so making The Sad Bastard Cookbook together made sense. Our inspiration was partly realizing that most of the recipes purporting to be “good for mental health” require a laundry list of unusual ingredients and a drawer full of spoons, and partly meeting someone who didn't know about cooking eggs in instant ramen. So we crowdsourced recipes from our community, added our naturally witty, radically progressive commentary, and roped in Marten Norr as illustrator. The ebook's free—we know that dealing with poverty, overwork, mental health issues, physical disability, and exhaustion is hard enough without scraping up money for your emotional-support cookbook.


We wrote

The Sad Bastard Cookbook: Food You Can Make So You Don't Die

By Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen, Marten Norr (illustrator),

Book cover of The Sad Bastard Cookbook: Food You Can Make So You Don't Die

What is our book about?

Life is hard. Some days are at the absolute limit of what we can manage. Some days are worse than…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books we picked & why

Book cover of Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook

Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen Why did I love this book?

Not to be confused with the more famous Anarchist Cookbook, or the other Anarchist Cookbook, this one does contain a few things that might be considered “recipes” in the broadest sense of the word.

At somewhere between 400-600 pages (depending on the edition), it can also double as a brick to throw during a riot. It contains a wealth of “recipes,” from the very practical (setting up a Food Not Bombs, legal support, and media relations) to the oddly specific (making your own musical instruments and turning your bicycle into a record player).

Perhaps one of the most useful features is the “Accounts,” which describe real world successful—and unsuccessful—actions by the writers, along with analyses of what these activists did well and what they might improve upon for next time. 

By CrimethInc,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Recipes for Disaster as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Beautifully designed A-Z of the totality of revolutionary politics. This brand new CrimethInc book is the action guide - the direct action guide. From affinity groups to wheatpasting, coalition building, hijacking events, mental health, pie-throwing, shoplifting, stenciling, supporting survivors of domestic violence, surviving a felony trial, torches, and whole bunch more. Incredible design, and lots of graphics give it that hip situ feel. Loads to read, to think about, and to do. At 650 pages, you could always throw the damn book at a suitable target. What are you waiting for?


Book cover of How to Blow Up a Pipeline

Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen Why did I love this book?

So you’ve screwed up the planet.

Well, you didn’t screw up the planet—generations of greedy corporations and complicit politicians did. But now you’re stuck on a rapidly heating earth with climate chaos, floods, drought, wildfire, and increasingly draconian responses to the migrant crisis.

While the environmentalist movement has historically pursued a strategy of absolute non-violence, Malm argues for increased militancy when the stakes are nothing less than apocalyptic. A passionate manifesto in favour of sabotage, Malm’s book is a clear-eyed critique of both pacifism and despair.

It’s not exactly a how-to guide, but it contains very smart top-level strategies for both collective action and individual motivation.

By Andreas Malm,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked How to Blow Up a Pipeline as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The science on climate change has been clear for a very long time now. Yet despite decades of appeals, mass street protests, petition campaigns, and peaceful demonstrations, we are still facing a booming fossil fuel industry, rising seas, rising emission levels, and a rising temperature. With the stakes so high, why haven't we moved beyond peaceful protest?

In this lyrical manifesto, noted climate scholar (and saboteur of SUV tires and coal mines) Andreas Malm makes an impassioned call for the climate movement to escalate its tactics in the face of ecological collapse. We need, he argues, to force fossil fuel…


Book cover of A Steampunk's Guide to the Apocalypse

Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen Why did I love this book?

An entertaining and edifying guide to survival in what some wise souls amongst us refer to as the Crumbles, during which post-industrial civilization becomes less and less sustainable.

Should you need to construct a solar still or defend your abode from ruffians, this short missive will provide the necessary knowledge and instructions. As longtime fans of Killjoy’s fiction and podcasting, we entirely enjoyed this creative and humourous exploration of many things DIY.

By Margaret Killjoy,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked A Steampunk's Guide to the Apocalypse as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A courageous future lies ahead of us. We wave goodbye, on no uncertain terms, to the invisible workings of the cyberian world. Our future lies in an honest technology, a technology that is within our reach, a technology that will not abandon us, a technology that requires not the dark oils of subterranean caverns.Consider this book to be your boon companion during the trying times that lie ahead. No single tome—no matter how voluminous—could be complete, of course, but this little handbook should aid in keeping you fed, watered, clothed, and protected from the myriad hazards of weather, human, and…


Book cover of Riot Medicine

Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen Why did I love this book?

A practical, easy-to-read, free guide to solidarity, collective action, and keeping people alive during protests, Riot Medicine is a valuable addition to any library and a necessary book for activists.

Available in multiple formats, from a zine refresher on first aid to a textbook reference for medic collectives, this wealth of comprehensive knowledge can save lives as we confront the worst of what the state throws at us.

By Hakan Geijer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Riot Medicine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Stolen Sharpie Revolution: A DIY Zine Resource

Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen Why did I love this book?

I (Rachel) first encountered this tiny book at a 2002 anarchist ‘zine fair as a twentysomething punk and has been recommending it to everyone I meet ever since.

While the age of social media has given us new tools for communicating our ideas about politics, culture, and identity with friends and strangers alike, what if the power goes down, or your platform is taken over by an unhinged billionaire and collapses?

There’s nothing more DIY, cheap, or practical than a ‘zine for getting your voice heard, and Wrekk’s book tells you how to make one. It’s also updated regularly, so even as technology and distribution channels change, over two decades after its initial publication, it remains as relevant as ever.

By Alex Wrekk,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stolen Sharpie Revolution as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Since 2002, Stolen Sharpie Revolution: a DIY Resource for Zines and Zine Culture has been the go-to guide for all things zine related. This little red book is stuffed with information about zines. Things you may know, stuff you don't know and even stuff you didn't know you didn't know! Stolen Sharpie Revolution contains a cornucopia of information about zines and zine culture for everyone from the zine newbie to the experienced zinester to the academic researcher.


Explore my book 😀

The Sad Bastard Cookbook: Food You Can Make So You Don't Die

By Zilla Novikov and Rachel A. Rosen, Marten Norr (illustrator),

Book cover of The Sad Bastard Cookbook: Food You Can Make So You Don't Die

What is our book about?

Life is hard. Some days are at the absolute limit of what we can manage. Some days are worse than that. Eating—picking a meal, making it, putting it into your face hole — can feel like an insurmountable challenge. We wrote this cookbook to share our coping strategies. It has recipes to make when you've worked a 16-hour day, when you can't stop crying, and you don't know why, when you accidentally woke up an Eldritch abomination at the bottom of the ocean. But most of all, this cookbook exists to help Sad Bastards like us feel a little less alone at mealtimes.

Book cover of Recipes for Disaster: An Anarchist Cookbook
Book cover of How to Blow Up a Pipeline
Book cover of A Steampunk's Guide to the Apocalypse

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