A Riotously Fun Guide to Raising Hell (Nonviolently, Of Course)

Ever thought about overthrowing a dictatorship but didn’t want to, you know, get arrested or disappear into the abyss of state-sponsored oblivion? Enter Blueprint for Revolution: How to Use Rice Pudding, Lego Men, and Other Nonviolent Techniques to Galvanize Communities, Overthrow Dictators, or Simply Change the World, a book that somehow makes toppling oppressive regimes sound…fun? Read on, I’ll explain.

Author Srdja Popovic—activist, prankster, and all-around professional troublemaker—lays out a guide to nonviolent resistance that’s as practical as it is entertaining. This isn’t a dry, theoretical manifesto filled with abstract ideas that only work in hypothetical utopias. No, Popovic explains how real-life revolutions went down, with step-by-step strategies that are equal parts brilliant and absurd (rice pudding as a weapon of mass disruption, as example).

The beauty of Blueprint for Revolution is how it breaks down activism in a way that’s not only accessible but (wtf?) fun. Popovic takes something as serious as fighting tyranny and injects it with the kind of humor and energy that makes you feel like you could personally take down a corrupt regime before lunch. He’s not preaching from a pedestal or spewing academic jargon—he’s telling war stories from the front lines of some of the biggest social movements in modern history, and doing it with the kind of charm that makes you want to grab a sign and hit the streets immediately.

And the tactics? They’re fucking solid. Pranks, humor, and strategic absurdity—because as it turns out, nothing infuriates a fascist dictator quite like being laughed at. Popovic recounts how the Serbian resistance movement Otpor! used a literal barrel with Milošević’s face on it to give people a safe way to express dissent (kick the barrel, make a statement, walk away—no arrests necessary). He highlights how tiny acts of defiance, when done right, can snowball into full-blown revolutions. The book is filled with examples of real-world movements, from the Arab Spring to Ukraine’s Orange Revolution, proving that nonviolent activism isn’t just some idealistic fantasy—it actually works.

But what really makes this book stand out is how it applies to everyday life. Sure, you might not be leading a coup against a dictator (or maybe you are—yes, let’s assume you are, it is 2025 after all), but the lessons here are just as relevant if you’re fighting for local policy change, trying to improve your workplace, or just tired of watching Conservatives burn democracy down without knowing what to do about it. Blueprint for Revolution is a manual for anyone who’s ever looked at a broken system and thought, “Someone should do something about this.” Popovic’s answer? That someone is you. And no, you don’t need an army—you just need creativity, persistence, and maybe a well-placed prank or two.

Final verdict: Read it, take notes, pass it along to friends and family, and get ready to annoy the hell out of anyone abusing power.