An idiosyncratic collection of political and cultural essays arguing—half seriously, half mischievously—that smaller, fractured, localised societies may be more humane than large, centralised ones. 

Zwerin ranges across nationalism, labour, culture, music, and power, writing with a wit that undercuts dogma without abandoning conviction. Published in the mid-1970s, the book anticipates later debates about decentralisation, autonomy, and the limits of liberal universalism. It's sceptical of empires, wary of grand solutions, and attentive to how people actually live.

Still readable, still awkward in the right ways.