Book description
It was the Autumn of 1969, and Italy exploded. Across the north of the country, factory workers stormed out on strike, demanding better pay and working conditions. The slogan "We Want Everything" rang through the streets. Italy's "Hot Autumn" had begun.
In Nanni Balestrini's fictionalized account of the uprising, aâŚ
Why read it?
1 author picked We Want Everything as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Workers ignoring the authority of foremen, organizing disruptive checker-board strikesâonly those whose names started with a certain letter put down tools, but enough to bring work to a haltâforming alliances with rebellious students and battling the police in the streets: thatâs the story of Italy around 1968, the place of some of the most radical and imaginative protests in the post-war era.
What workers demanded was as simple as it was radical: we want everything. Nanni Balestriniâs novel by the same title memorializes these struggles. It achieves what few sober historical accounts can: vividly capturing the dull monotony of laborâŚ
From Joachim's list on The best books about protesting in post-war Europe: histories for hope and inspiration.
If you love We Want Everything...
December on 5C4
Magical realism meets the magic of Christmas in this mix of Jewish, New Testament, and Santa storiesâall reenacted in an urban psychiatric hospital!
On locked ward 5C4, Josh, a patient with many similarities to Jesus, is hospitalized concurrently with Nick, a patient with many similarities to Santa. The two argueâŚ
Want books like We Want Everything?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like We Want Everything.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
181
readers submitted
so far, will you?
đ If you like We Want Everything, you might also like...
Sexy Selfie Nation
The problem is not with the actions young women take but with the toxic, sexist conditions they are responding to.
Tanenbaum found, based on six years of interviews with young people ages 14-30, that young women are navigating a culture littered with gendered dress codes, revenge porn, and sexually explicitâŚ
In This Together
In This Together explores how we can harness our social networks to make a real impact fighting the climate crisis. Against notions of the lone environmental crusader, Marianne E. Krasny shows us the power of "network climate action"âthe idea that our own ordinary acts can influence and inspire those closeâŚ
