Synopses & Reviews
Part mad manifesto, part revolutionary love letter, and part freight train adventure story, this personal tale is a twist on the classic punk rock travel narrative that searches for authenticity and connection in the lives of strangers and the solidarity and limitations of underground community. Beginning at the start of the internet age—a time when radical zine culture prefigured social networking sites—these writings paint an illuminated trail through a complex labyrinth of illegal immigrants, anarchist community organizers, radical seed savers, punk rock historians, social justice farmers, mad movement activists, and creative rebel bridge builders. The book takes readers on a journey from the late 1980s gentrification battles in the streets of New York City to the rise of the millennial Global Justice Movement, all the way to the awakening of Occupy Wall Street. Rather than asking fellow activists to watch from sidelines, the book beckons them to join in the story.
Review
"Sascha DuBrul is a madly gifted storyteller. . . . Whether he is writing about seed-saving, or madness, or the history of punk, his is one of the most passionate and relevant voices of these crazy times. So read this book. It will inspire you and make you feel good to be alive." —Ruth Ozeki, author, My Year of Meats and All Over Creation
Review
"Crack open this book at your peril. For this way lies madness . . . divine madness. Witness the concrete visions and subterranean journeys of a 21st-century vagabond, captured here in plain English." —Eric Drooker, author, Howl, and illustrator, Illuminated Poems with Allen Ginsburg
Review
"There's black pride, and gay pride. And if 32-year old Sascha DuBrul has his way, "mad pride" will become equally ubiquitous. That's mad, as in mentally ill. DuBrul's Icarus Project believes that part of the problem with mental illness is the words we use to describe it. Diagnosed bipolar when he was 18, DuBrul says he could have dealt better with his diagnosis if it had been framed differently, not in clinical terms but as a "dangerous gift." Now Sascha and others are going across the country giving workshops to change the language around mental illness." —Weekend America, Public Radio
Review
"How did the New York underground of punk rock music, squatting, and homeless protest give rise to a thriving and innovative peer-run mental health community? Are there creative gifts to be found in the depths of madness? Does the future of Mad Pride lie in the joining of activism with spirituality? Icarus Project co-founder Sascha Altman DuBrul discusses his escape into apocalyptic visions and psychiatric hospitals, and how he was inspired to challenge the identity of bipolar disorder." —Madness Radio
Review
"Despite being derailed at times by bipolar disorder, DuBrul offers a unique perspective on what its like to lose ones mind, yet still manage to make a difference." —Brian Blueskye, Coachella Valley Independent
Review
"Maps to the Other Side feels more like an anthology, a document of writings made by DuBrul over the course of a decade in his life. . . . DuBrul also writes of death, of psychological torment, of lifes shocking tendency to unravel when you least expect it." —Tobias Carroll, Vol. 1 Brooklyn
Review
"A necessary document of a place where several vital scenes overlapped." —Tobias Carroll, Vol 1. Brooklyn
Review
"DuBrul's focus on both aspects—the danger and the gift—gives his book its most powerful moments. These dangers are literally matters of life and death." —T. K. Dalton, latenightlibrary.org
Review
"Take a firsthand ride into a history no one else is talking about, but probably should." —Karen Walasek, Elohi Gadugi Journal
Review
"DuBrul takes the non-conformity and anti-authoritarian sentiments of punk rock past the level of mere social criticism, and into the realm of applied and meaningful social change." —Kelly Pflug-Back, Fifth Estate
Synopsis
In the span of just a decade, over half of the nation's independent bookstores vanished. This revealing documentary tells the stories of three such stores fighting for survival. In Capitola, California, a developer's plans to bring Borders to town prompts a fierce debate over the rights of "big box" retailers to locate in a place famous for its small town charm. In Palo Alto, news of the closing of Printers Inc. Bookstore prompts a local citizen to mortgage his house to try to save it. And in Santa Cruz, when a Borders moves in down the street from the town's oldest bookstore, protests and vandalism ensue. This compelling film follows these stories and raises tough questions about the place of local culture in an increasingly homogenized world.
Synopsis
Part mad manifesto, part revolutionary love letter, part freight train adventure storyMaps to the Other Side is a self-reflective shattered mirror, a twist on the classic punk rock travel narrative that searches for authenticity and connection in the lives of strangers and the solidarity and limitations of underground community. Beginning at the edge of the internet age, a time when radical zine culture prefigured social networking sites, these timely writings paint an illuminated trail through a complex labyrinth of undocumented migrants, anarchist community organizers, brilliant visionary artists, revolutionary seed savers, punk rock historians, social justice farmers, radical mental health activists, and iconoclastic bridge builders. This book is a document of one persons odyssey to transform his experiences navigating the psychiatric system by building community in the face of adversity; a set of maps for how rebels and dreamers can survive and thrive in a crazy world.
About the Author
Jacob is a professional film editor and teacher. His editing credits include Lost in La Mancha (2002), Jimmy Scott: If You Only Knew (2003) and the recently released Tell Me Do You Miss Me (2006). He teaches filmmaking at Wesleyan University, where he is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Film Studies.Producer of Fighter (First Run Films, Weinstein Company), a feature-length documentary which has garnered awards at Newport, Galway, Hamptons and Karlovy Vary International Film Festivals. His short Looking For Sly, has won numerous awards including Best Documentary Short at both the LA International Short Film Festival, and South By Southwest.