Jeff Richardson • over 1 year ago

Before I knew what I believed, I was still on AOL discovering music, burning mix CDs and sometimes cassette tapes, watching movies that made the world feel bigger, and talking late into the night with friends who seemed to know more than me. One of those friends told me about The Boy Who Cried Iraq. I tracked it down, printed it out, and folded it into my backpack like it was something precious. I read that paper over and over. I read it at lunch, between classes, whenever the teacher paused long enough. It felt raw, unfiltered, and maybe even a little dangerous. But it said things I hadn’t heard anywhere else. Around the same time, I found Rock Against Bush and realized that music could challenge power just as sharply. Then came The Fog of War, and suddenly documentaries weren’t just something you watched in school they were something you felt. This collection pulls together the essays, songs, and films that cracked something open in me. Some are angry. Some are careful. Some you can’t even find anymore. But they all helped me realize I didn’t have to accept the version of the world I was being handed. So why am I sharing it now? I don’t know... maybe because it feels relevant again. Maybe because it matters. And this is our space now. So I wanted to share.