The Anarchist

Finally a book that gives voice to one of the most often overlooked and misunderstood heroes of our history! In 1901 the young anarchist Leon Czolgosz shot and killed the President of the United States, William McKinley. When asked why, his reply was I done my duty. This novel features a fictional medical student interning at New York’s Auburn State Prison where Czolgosz is held while awaiting his date with the newly debuted electric chair. The student engages Czolgosz in a series of discussions in order to understand the life, motivations, and political philosophy of the quiet, enigmatic assasin. The world of Anarchism and class struggle comes to upstate New York at the turn of the century through the voices of young students, old feminists (Emma Goldman) and Czolgosz. Coleman has really done his research. Without a doubt the best new book in the fiction section this year.