Book Review: This Land Is My Land by Andy Warner and Sofie Louise Dam

This Land Is My Land: A Graphic History of Big Dreams, Micronations, and Other Self-Made States by Andy Warner and Sofie Louise Dam

This graphic novel takes a quick look at thirty different visionary projects where someone or some group struck out on their own in radical ways. Some sought to create more just and independent communities. Others wanted to memorialize their heritage or to propose an ideal that others should emulate. Others just wanted to satisfy personal interests, like having their own country or making their daughter a genuine princess.

Almost all of the projects are failures but fascinating in their own ways. A few people have taken over or built platforms in international waters so they are independent of their country of origin. Most of these micronations printed money and postage along with issuing noble titles for a modest fee. The nations were also subject to hostile takeovers thanks to their inherent lack of defense. One platform off of Italy was eventually destroyed by the Italian military. The platform's owner (who had fled before the apocalyptic event) quipped that it was the only war that Italy ever won. Other people have tried to establish communities within countries. The stories often follow a pattern--the leader's vision and enthusiasm draws a surprising number of followers who flock to the new community, only to lose interest or revert back to their original nationalism after a few years.

Recommended for a glimpse into the fascinating and bizarre things that people have done throughout the ages (though I feel compelled to admit many of the examples originated from the 1960s and 1970s).