EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

EBookClubs

Read Books & Download eBooks Full Online

Book The Social Order of Collective Action

Download or read book The Social Order of Collective Action written by Matthew Kearney and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2020-05-15 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book uses ethnographic observation and extensive interviewing to sociologically analyze the Wisconsin Uprising of 2011, finding lessons for how social order is formed and explaining the social dynamics that shaped one of the largest sustained protests in US history.

Book Working through Collective Wounds

Download or read book Working through Collective Wounds written by Raluca Soreanu and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-03-22 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Working-through Collective Wounds discusses how collectives mourn and create symbols. It challenges ideas of the irrational and destructive crowd, and examines how complicated scenes of working-through traumas take place in the streets and squares of cities, in times of protest. Drawing on insights from the trauma theory of psychoanalyst Sándor Ferenczi and his idea of the ‘confusion of tongues’, the book engages the confusions between different registers of the social that entrap people in the scene of trauma and bind them in alienation and submission. Raluca Soreanu proposes a trauma theory and a theory of recognition that start from a psychoanalytic understanding of fragmented psyches and trace the social life of psychic fragments. The book builds on psychosocial vignettes from the Brazilian uprising of 2013. It will be of great interest to psychoanalysts interested in collective phenomena, psychosocial studies scholars and social theorists working on theories of recognition and theories of trauma.

Book This Is an Uprising

Download or read book This Is an Uprising written by Mark Engler and published by Bold Type Books. This book was released on 2016-02-09 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There is a craft to uprising -- and this craft can change the world From protests around climate change and immigrant rights, to Occupy, the Arab Spring, and #BlackLivesMatter, a new generation is unleashing strategic nonviolent action to shape public debate and force political change. When mass movements erupt onto our television screens, the media consistently portrays them as being spontaneous and unpredictable. Yet, in this book, Mark and Paul Engler look at the hidden art behind such outbursts of protest, examining core principles that have been used to spark and guide moments of transformative unrest. With incisive insights from contemporary activists, as well as fresh revelations about the work of groundbreaking figures such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Gene Sharp, and Frances Fox Piven, the Englers show how people with few resources and little conventional influence are engineering the upheavals that are reshaping contemporary politics. Nonviolence is usually seen simply as a philosophy or moral code. This Is an Uprising shows how it can instead be deployed as a method of political conflict, disruption, and escalation. It argues that if we are always taken by surprise by dramatic outbreaks of revolt, we pass up the chance to truly understand how social transformation happens.

Book Wisconsin Uprising

    Book Details:
  • Author : Michael D. Yates
  • Publisher : NYU Press
  • Release : 2012
  • ISBN : 1583672826
  • Pages : 306 pages

Download or read book Wisconsin Uprising written by Michael D. Yates and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2012 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In early 2011, the nation was stunned to watch Wisconsin's state capitol in Madison come under sudden and unexpected occupation by union members and their allies. The protests to defend collective bargaining rights were militant and practically unheard of in this era of declining union power. Nearly forty years of neoliberalism and the most severe economic crisis since the Great Depression have battered the labor movement, and workers have been largely complacent in the face of stagnant wages, slashed benefits and services, widening unemployment, and growing inequality. That is, until now.

Book The Syrian Uprising

Download or read book The Syrian Uprising written by Raymond Hinnebusch and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-02-02 with total page 436 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most observers did not expect the Arab spring to spread to Syria, for a number of seemingly good reasons. Yet, with amazing rapidity, massive and unprecedented anti-regime mobilization took place, which put the regime very much on the defensive; what began as the Syrian Uprising in March 2011 has evolved into one of the world’s most damaging and protracted conflicts. Despite over six years having passed since the inception of the Syrian Uprising, this phenomenon remains difficult to fully grasp, both in terms of underlying forces and long-term implications. This book presents a snapshot of how the Uprising developed in roughly the first two to three years (2011–2013) and addresses key questions regarding the domestic origins of the Uprising and its early trajectory. Firstly, what were the causes of the conflict, both in terms of structure (contradictions and crisis within the pre-Uprising order) and agency (choices of the actors)? Why did the Uprising not lead to democratization and instead descend into violent civil war with a sectarian dimension? With all 19 chapters addressing an aspect of the Uprising, the book focuses on internal dynamics, whilst a subsequent volume will look at the international dimension of the Uprising. Taking an innovative and interdisciplinary approach that seeks to capture the full complexity of the phenomenon, this book contributes significantly to our understanding of the Syrian conflict, and will therefore be a valuable resource for anyone studying Middle Eastern Politics.

Book Hungarian Uprising 1956

Download or read book Hungarian Uprising 1956 written by A.J. Kingston and published by A.J. Kingston. This book was released on 2023 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Introducing the "Hungarian Uprising 1956: The Forgotten Revolution" Book Bundle Step back in time and immerse yourself in the tumultuous era of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956 with our captivating book bundle, "Hungarian Uprising 1956: The Forgotten Revolution." This meticulously curated collection brings to life the untold stories, the courageous acts, and the profound impact of one of the most significant but often overlooked revolutions in history. Book 1: "Sparks of Rebellion: The Prelude to the Hungarian Uprising" takes you on a riveting journey through the social, political, and economic landscape of post-World War II Hungary. Uncover the seeds of dissent, the simmering discontent, and the events that ignited the spark of rebellion. This volume sets the stage for the explosive events that would soon unfold. Book 2: "Days of Fury: The Hungarian Uprising Unleashed" thrusts you into the heart of the uprising itself. Experience the intense emotions, the relentless fighting, and the unwavering spirit of the Hungarian people as they took to the streets to challenge Soviet domination. This gripping account brings the fury, the courage, and the sacrifices of the uprising vividly to life. Book 3: "Silent Voices: The Aftermath of the Hungarian Uprising" delves into the harrowing aftermath of the revolution. Explore the repercussions faced by the Hungarian people in the wake of Soviet intervention, the enduring scars left on the nation, and the challenges of rebuilding a shattered society. This volume offers a profound reflection on the human cost and the long-lasting impact of the uprising. Book 4: "Resilient Hearts: Remembering the Hungarian Uprising" pays homage to the indomitable spirit of the Hungarian people and the enduring legacy of the uprising. Discover how the events of 1956 shaped Hungarian identity, inspired future movements for freedom, and left an indelible mark on the collective memory of the nation. This volume explores the importance of remembering the uprising and passing down its lessons to future generations. With this book bundle, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956. From the prelude to the aftermath, from the intense battles to the lasting impact, each volume is meticulously researched and beautifully written, offering a deep dive into this forgotten revolution. Whether you are a history enthusiast, a scholar, or simply curious about this pivotal moment in Hungarian history, the "Hungarian Uprising 1956: The Forgotten Revolution" book bundle is an invaluable addition to your library. It is a chance to uncover the hidden narratives, honor the heroes, and engage with the profound human drama that unfolded during those tumultuous times. Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity to delve into the forgotten revolution that shaped the course of Hungarian history. Order your copy of the "Hungarian Uprising 1956: The Forgotten Revolution" book bundle today and embark on a captivating journey into the heart of a nation's struggle for freedom and independence.

Book The Revolution Will Not Be Funded

Download or read book The Revolution Will Not Be Funded written by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence INCITE! and published by Duke University Press. This book was released on 2017-03-02 with total page 277 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A trillion-dollar industry, the US non-profit sector is one of the world's largest economies. From art museums and university hospitals to think tanks and church charities, over 1.5 million organizations of staggering diversity share the tax-exempt 501(c)(3) designation, if little else. Many social justice organizations have joined this world, often blunting political goals to satisfy government and foundation mandates. But even as funding shrinks, many activists often find it difficult to imagine movement-building outside the non-profit model. The Revolution Will Not Be Funded gathers essays by radical activists, educators, and non-profit staff from around the globe who critically rethink the long-term consequences of what they call the "non-profit industrial complex." Drawing on their own experiences, the contributors track the history of non-profits and provide strategies to transform and work outside them. Urgent and visionary, The Revolution Will Not Be Funded presents a biting critique of the quietly devastating role the non-profit industrial complex plays in managing dissent. Contributors. Christine E. Ahn, Robert L. Allen, Alisa Bierria, Nicole Burrowes, Communities Against Rape and Abuse (CARA), William Cordery, Morgan Cousins, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Stephanie Guilloud, Adjoa Florência Jones de Almeida, Tiffany Lethabo King, Paul Kivel, Soniya Munshi, Ewuare Osayande, Amara H. Pérez, Project South: Institute for the Elimination of Poverty and Genocide, Dylan Rodríguez, Paula X. Rojas, Ana Clarissa Rojas Durazo, Sisters in Action for Power, Andrea Smith, Eric Tang, Madonna Thunder Hawk, Ije Ude, Craig Willse

Book Beautiful Rising

Download or read book Beautiful Rising written by Andrew Boyd and published by . This book was released on 2018-01-20 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the struggle for freedom and justice, organizers and activists have often turned to art, creativity, and humor. In this follow-up to the bestselling Beautiful Trouble: A Toolbox for Revolution, Beautiful Rising showcases some of the most innovative tactics used in struggles against autocracy and austerity across the Global South. Based on face-to-face jam sessions held in Yangon, Amman, Harare, Dhaka, Kampala, and Oaxaca, Beautiful Rising includes stories of the Ugandan organizers who smuggled two yellow-painted pigs into parliament to protest corruption; the Burmese students' 360-mile-long march against undemocratic and overly centralized education reforms; the Lebanese "honk at parliament" campaign against politicians who had clung to power long after their term had expired; and much more.

Book Art and Tradition in a Time of Uprisings

Download or read book Art and Tradition in a Time of Uprisings written by Gabriel Levine and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2020-03-24 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining radical reinventions of traditional practices, ranging from a queer reclamation of the Jewish festival of Purim to an Indigenous remixing of musical traditions. Supposedly outmoded modes of doing and making—from music and religious rituals to crafting and cooking—are flourishing, both artistically and politically, in the digital age. In this book, Gabriel Levine examines collective projects that reclaim and reinvent tradition in contemporary North America, both within and beyond the frames of art. Levine argues that, in a time of political reaction and mass uprisings, the subversion of the traditional is galvanizing artists, activists, musicians, and people in everyday life. He shows that this takes place in strikingly different ways for Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in settler colonies. Paradoxically, experimenting with practices that have been abandoned or suppressed can offer powerful resources for creation and struggle in the present. Levine shows that, in projects that span “the discontinuum of tradition,” strange encounters take place across the lines of class, Indigeneity, race, and generations. These encounters spark alliance and appropriation, desire and misunderstanding, creative (mis)translation and radical revisionism. He describes the yearly Purim Extravaganza, which gathers queer, leftist, and Yiddishist New Yorkers in a profane reappropriation of the springtime Jewish festival; the Ottawa-based Indigenous DJ collective A Tribe Called Red, who combine traditional powwow drumming and singing with electronic dance music; and the revival of home fermentation practices—considering it from microbiological, philosophical, aesthetic, and political angles. Projects that take back the vernacular in this way, Levine argues, not only develop innovative forms of practice for a time of uprisings; they can also work toward collectively reclaiming, remaking, and repairing a damaged world.

Book Towards Collective Liberation

Download or read book Towards Collective Liberation written by Chris Crass and published by PM Press. This book was released on 2013-05-01 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Towards Collective Liberation: Anti-Racist Organizing, Feminist Praxis, and Movement Building Strategy is for activists engaging with dynamic questions of how to create and support effective movements for visionary systemic change. Chris Crass’s collection of essays and interviews presents us with powerful lessons for transformative organizing through offering a firsthand look at the challenges and the opportunities of anti-racist work in white communities, feminist work with men, and bringing women of color feminism into the heart of social movements. Drawing on two decades of personal activist experience and case studies of anti-racist social justice organizations, Crass insightfully explores ways of transforming divisions of race, class, and gender into catalysts for powerful vision, strategy, and movement building in the United States today. Over the last two decades, activists in the United States have been experimenting with new politics and organizational approaches that stem from a fusion of radical political traditions and liberation struggles. Drawing inspiration from women of color feminism, justice struggles in communities of color, anarchist and socialist movements, the broad upsurges of the 1960s and 70s, and social movements in the Global South, a new generation of activists has sought to understand the past while building a movement for today’s world. Towards Collective Liberation contributes to this project by examining two primary dynamic trends in these efforts: the anarchist movement of the 1990s and 2000s, through which tens of thousands of activists were introduced to radical politics, direct action organizing, democratic decision making, and the profound challenges of taking on systems of oppression, privilege, and power in society at large and in the movement itself; and white anti-racist organizing efforts from the 2000s to the present as part of a larger strategy to build broad-based, effective multiracial movements in the United States. Crass’s collection begins with an overview of the anarchist tradition as it relates to contemporary activism and an in-depth look at Food Not Bombs, one of the leading anarchist groups in the revitalized radical Left in the 1990s. The second and third sections of the book combine stories and lessons from Crass’s experiences of working as an anti-racist and feminist organizer, combining insights from the Civil Rights Movement, women of color feminism, and anarchism to address questions of leadership, organization building, and revolutionary strategy. In section four, Crass discusses how contemporary organizations have responded to the need for white activists to lead anti-racist efforts in white communities and how these efforts have contributed to multiracial alliances in building a broad-based movement for collective liberation. Offering rich case studies of successful organizing, and grounded, thoughtful key lessons for movement building, Toward Collective Liberation is a must-read for anyone working for a better world.

Book Uprising  How to Build a Brand  and Change the World  By Sparking Cultural Movements

Download or read book Uprising How to Build a Brand and Change the World By Sparking Cultural Movements written by Scott Goodson and published by McGraw Hill Professional. This book was released on 2012-02-24 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The secret to movement marketing? Your customers want to make a difference “Scott Goodson and his StrawberryFrog colleagues have found the secret to plugging into Purpose with a capital P: find out what moves people to action, then create a way to support and enhance that movement with your product, service, or craft. I call that a winning strategy.” —Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and A Whole New Mind “Want to change your customers’ buying habits? Want to change the world? Stop marketing, read this book, roll up your sleeves, and start a movement.” —Sally Hogshead, author of Fascinate and creator of HowToFascinate.com “Essential stuff. One of the smartest thinkers on branding on one of the most important developments in that critical intersection between culture and marketing.” —Adam Morgan, author of Eating the Big Fish and The Pirate Inside “A well-researched and insightful book that will hopefully spark a movement against traditional, stodgy marketing. A must-read for the new generation of marketers who will be defining tomorrow’s marketing landscape.” —Boutros Boutros, Senior Vice President, Emirates Airline About the Book: Movement marketing is changing the world. It’s the new way forward for anyone trying to win customers’ loyalty, influence public opinion, and even change the world. In Uprising, Scott Goodson, founder and CEO of StrawberryFrog, the world’s first cultural movement agency, shows how your idea or organization can successfully ride this wave of cultural movements to authentically connect to the lives and passions of people everywhere. We are in the midst of a profound cultural transformation in which technology is making it easier than ever for anyone to share ideas, goals, and interests. Working with companies and brands ranging from SmartCar to Pampers to Jim Beam to India’s Mahindra Group, StrawberryFrog and Goodson have led a paradigm focal shift away from one-on-one selling to sharing. Using client case studies and contributions from a global team of movement marketing forerunners—among them, political guru Mark McKinnon; Lee Clow, creative chief at TBWA/Chiat/Day; Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki; and Marty Cooke, who helped make yellow LIVESTRONG bracelets synonymous with the fight against cancer—Goodson details why and how individuals and companies are embracing the movement phenomenon. He then applies these insights to practical steps that you can take right now to reach people through what matters most to them, including: Stop talking about yourself—let the movement control your message Home in on the core objectives of your concept or brand—and align these values with what people are for (or against) “Light the spark”—create a culture within your organization that can embrace and drive a movement Leverage your assets—content, events, expertise, connecting platforms—to give people tools to spread your gospel Adjust concepts to travel across borders and link people across cultural boundaries The examples and guidance in this book will prepare you to find, connect to, and even lead the next big movement. What happens next is up to you. Get up. Go out. And create a brand Uprising of your own.

Book Kurdistan in Iraq

Download or read book Kurdistan in Iraq written by Aram Rafaat and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-05-11 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Kurdish-Iraqi conflict lies in the fact that Kurdistan is a nation-without-a-state and Iraq is a non-nation state, each possessing a nationhood project differing from and opposing the other. Iraqi-Kurdistan is an outward looking entity seeking external patronage. Though external patronage has played a pivotal role in the evolution of the Kurdish quasi-state, a lack of positive patronage has prevented it from achieving independence. This book looks at how the Kurdish and Iraqi quests for nationhood have led to the transformation of Iraqi Kurdistan into an unrecognised quasi-state, and the devolution of the Iraqi state into a recognised quasi-state. This is done by examining the protracted Iraqi-Kurdish conflict and by analysing the contradictions and incompatibilities between the two different nationalisms: Iraqi and Kurdish. The author explains that Kurds as a nation without a state have their own nationhood project which is in opposition to the Iraqi nationhood project. Each has its own identity, loyalty and sovereignty. The book answers the question as to how the Kurdish quest for nationhood has been treated by successive Iraqi regimes. Furthermore, it fills in the literary gaps which exist in relation to the Iraqi-Kurdish conflict by specifying and categorising the cardinal conditions that drive ethnic and nationalist conflicts which lead to the creation of separatist entities. Drawing upon a vast amount of untapped Kurdish and Arabic primary sources, the book draws on prominent theories on nation-states and quasi-states. It will particularly appeal to students and scholars of international relations, political theory and Middle Eastern Studies.

Book The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium

Download or read book The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium written by Martin Gurri and published by Stripe Press. This book was released on 2018-12-04 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How insurgencies—enabled by digital devices and a vast information sphere—have mobilized millions of ordinary people around the world. In the words of economist and scholar Arnold Kling, Martin Gurri saw it coming. Technology has categorically reversed the information balance of power between the public and the elites who manage the great hierarchical institutions of the industrial age: government, political parties, the media. The Revolt of the Public tells the story of how insurgencies, enabled by digital devices and a vast information sphere, have mobilized millions of ordinary people around the world. Originally published in 2014, The Revolt of the Public is now available in an updated edition, which includes an extensive analysis of Donald Trump’s improbable rise to the presidency and the electoral triumphs of Brexit. The book concludes with a speculative look forward, pondering whether the current elite class can bring about a reformation of the democratic process and whether new organizing principles, adapted to a digital world, can arise out of the present political turbulence.

Book Resist

    Book Details:
  • Author : Julia Bell
  • Publisher : Comma Press
  • Release : 2019-10-17
  • ISBN : 1912697084
  • Pages : 476 pages

Download or read book Resist written by Julia Bell and published by Comma Press. This book was released on 2019-10-17 with total page 476 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At a time that feels unprecedented in British politics – with unlawful prorogations of parliament, casual race-baiting by senior politicians, and a climate crisis that continues to be ignored – it’s easy to think these are uncharted waters for us, as a democracy. But Britain has seen political crises and far-right extremism before, just as it has witnessed regressive, heavy-handed governments. Much worse has been done, or allowed to be done, in the name of the people and eventually, those same people have called it out, stood up, resisted. In this new collection of fictions and essays, spanning two millennia of British protest, authors, historians and activists re-imagine twenty acts of defiance: campaigns to change unjust laws, protests against unlawful acts, uprisings successful and unsuccessful – from Boudica to Blair Peach, from the Battle of Cable Street to the tragedy of Grenfell Tower. Britain might not be famous for its revolutionary spirit, but its people know when to draw the line, and say very clearly, ‘¡No pasarán!’ This project has been supported by the Barry Amiel and Norman Melburn Trust and the Lipman-Miliband Trust, as well as Arts Council England. Part of Comma's 'History-into-Fiction' series.

Book Only the People Can Save the People

Download or read book Only the People Can Save the People written by Donald V. Kingsbury and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 2018-04-25 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the egalitarian, creative, and inclusive practice of radical democracy in contemporary Venezuela. In a global historical moment of growing mobilizations against inequality, corruption, and exclusion, Only the People Can Save the People illustrates the necessity and challenges of more egalitarian approaches to collective life from one of the most tumultuous and compelling experiments in radical democracy. Donald V. Kingsbury examines twenty-first-century Venezuelan politics from the perspective of constituent power—the egalitarian, creative, and inclusive practice of radical democracy. In the aftermath of neoliberal structural adjustment, Venezuelan politics have been increasingly reconfigured according to principles of autogestión (self-management), social movement autonomy, protagonistic and participatory democracy, and anti-capitalism. However, inherited and intensifying challenges arising from Venezuela’s status as a petrostate, the class and racial divisions that define its society, and the difficulties of defining what Hugo Chávez termed “socialism for the twenty-first century” have resulted in a tumultuous process of social change. Informed by ethnography, contemporary and comparative political thought, and global political economy, Only the People Can Save the People demonstrates how constituent power is shaping collective identity, political conflict, and infrastructural space in contemporary Latin America. Donald V. Kingsbury is Lecturer in Political Science and Latin American Studies at the University of Toronto.

Book New Media and Revolution

Download or read book New Media and Revolution written by Billie Jeanne Brownlee and published by McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP. This book was released on 2020-07-16 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Arab Spring did not arise out of nowhere. It was the physical manifestation of more than a decade of new media diffusion, use, and experimentation that empowered ordinary people during their everyday lives. In this book, Billie Jeanne Brownlee offers a refreshing insight into the way new media can facilitate a culture of resistance and dissent in authoritarian states. Investigating the root causes of the Syrian uprising of 2011, New Media and Revolution shows how acts of online resistance prepared the ground for better-organised street mobilisation. The book interprets the uprising not as the start of Syria's social mobilisation but as a shift from online to offline contestation, and from localised and hidden practices of digital dissent to tangible mass street protests. Brownlee goes beyond the common dichotomy that frames new media as either a deus ex machina or a means of expression to demonstrate that, in Syria, media was a nontraditional institution that enabled resistance to digitally manifest and gestate below, within, and parallel to formal institutions of power. To refute the idea that the population of Syria was largely apathetic and apolitical prior to the uprising, Brownlee explains that social media and technology created camouflaged geographies and spaces where individuals could protest without being detected. Challenging the myth of authoritarian stability, New Media and Revolution uncovers the dynamics of grassroots resistance blossoming under the radar of ordinary politics.

Book Friends For Robots

    Book Details:
  • Author : Merc Fenn Wolfmoor
  • Publisher : Robot Dinosaur Press
  • Release : 2021-12-21
  • ISBN : 1949936309
  • Pages : 184 pages

Download or read book Friends For Robots written by Merc Fenn Wolfmoor and published by Robot Dinosaur Press. This book was released on 2021-12-21 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this upbeat, positive collection of SFF short stories from Merc Fenn Wolfmoor, author of So You Want to Be A Robot, you'll find hope, humor, friendship—and of course, robots. Have you heard the one about... ...a neural network who wants humans to drink more water? ...a person stranded on Mars with only an obsolete robotic toy? ...a cyborg caught in a time loop with a frightened ship? ...a self-aware mech who doesn't want to be a weapon anymore? ...an AI sent into the deepest part of the ocean—and finds a god? You'll also meet entrepreneurial barbarians, an astronaut making first contact, a boy who might have (accidentally) started Armageddon, magical birds, a bot who wants to tell jokes, and more. Whether you're a robot or not, come make some new friends. :)