Our Members Be Unlimited:
a comic about workers and their unions

£20.00 GBP

Our Members Be Unlimited:
a comic about workers and their unions

Overview

An original and visually powerful exploration of unionism.

In our current political climate, people are looking for answers — and alternatives. The promise of unions is that their ‘members be unlimited’: that they don’t belong to the rich, the powerful, or special interests, but to all workers.

How did the idea of unionism arise? Where has it flourished? And what are its challenges in the 21st century? From Britain to Bangladesh, from the first union of the 18th century to today, from solidarity in Walmart China to his own experiences in an Amazon warehouse in Melbourne, comics journalist Sam Wallman explores the urge to come together and cooperate that arises again and again in workers and workplaces everywhere.

With a dynamic and distinctive art style, and writing that’s both thoughtful and down to earth, Our Members Be Unlimited serves as an entry point for young people or those new to these notions of collective action, but also as an invigorating read to those already engaged in the struggle for better working conditions — and a better world.

Details

Format
Paperback
Size
230mm x 190mm
Extent
256 pages
ISBN
9781925713053
RRP
GBP£20.00
Pub date
13 October 2022
Rights held
World

Awards

  • Winner of the 2023 ABDA Award for Best Designed Fully Illustrated Book Under $50
  • Shortlisted for the 2022 ALIA Notable Australian Graphic Novels for Adults
  • Shortlisted for the 2023 The University of Queensland Non-Fiction Book Award
  • Shortlisted for the 2023 Victorian Premier’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction
  • Shortlisted for the 2023 The Small Press Network Book of the Year Award
  • Commended for the 2023 The AGDA Design Awards

Praise

‘Sam Wallman’s comic is history and argument, it is celebration and reflection, and with every turn of its beautiful, vivid pages it is a reminder of the galvanising power of radical solidarity and of radical love. This book is a gift, it’s exhilarating.’

Christos Tsiolkas, author of The Slap

‘In a narrative that moves from trade-union history to his own efforts organising in an Amazon warehouse, Sam Wallman draws honest, unsentimental portraits of the working class that was and the working class that is. Most of all, he shares a vision of the working class that could be, depicting the everyday decency of ordinary people as the only hope for a world in crisis. Funny, tender, and wise, this book both delights and inspires.’

Jeff Sparrow, author of Crimes Against Nature
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About the Author

Sam Wallman is a comics journalist and cartoonist based in Melbourne, Australia. His drawings have been published in The Guardian, The New York Times, The Age, the ABC, and SBS.

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