“The time will come when our silence will be more powerful than the voices you strangle today.”
—August Spies
August Spies was hanged in 1886 for helping lead the fight for the eight-hour day in Chicago. Haymarket Books takes inspiration from those, like Spies, who courageously fight for a better world, no matter the consequences. We honor the countless working-class rebels throughout US history and seek to keep alive these radical traditions for a new generation of dissenters today.
In that spirit we offer a reading list for working-class rebels that includes books about our collective history of struggle and the current state of workers’ resistance.
In 2026, we’re celebrating 25 years of publishing “Books for Changing the World.” In those 25 years, we’ve helped build critical space and infrastructure for radical ideas and movements on the left to grow. That work of institution-building and popular political education has never been more necessary or more urgent. We need your help to continue to do this work.