Revolution

A great book, well narrated!

I enjoyed this book immensely. The main focus of the book is revolution, as the title would suggest, but Brand manages to breathe life into this potentially dry subject with anecdotes and personal insights.

The crazy thing is that I disagreed with about 90% of Brand's opinions in this book, but he writes, and narrates, with such passion and vigor that you can't help but be swept along in his wit and charm. Sometimes his use of obscure vocabulary gets annoying, but there's so much heart and hilarity to make up for this.

I don't agree with his opinions on religion, society, his reverence for certain people, and loathing for others; but I learnt to embrace this fact. Who wants to listen to something that they agree wholeheartedly with?? I want to hear people's opinions that I don't share so I can have my opinions challenged. I don't want to live in an echo chamber where everything I hear just reinforces my beliefs.

I felt, (and I don't know if this is true), that Brand recorded this audiobook in several sessions. I assume this is always the case, otherwise you'd have to sit reading for an very long time. I say this because in some sections, Brand seems to have less enthusiasm that during other sections. This is a minor gripe, but I thought I should give what little criticism I have for this audiobook.

If you like Russell Brand, and maybe even if you don't, this book gives you a lot of things to think about - Is our society fair and just? Should certain sections of society be better looked after? Could we all be happier if the government were completely overhauled? These and many other questions are considered with deft prose and deep compassion and honesty. I wholeheartedly recommend this audiobook.

14 of 14 people found this review helpful

insightful, fast-paced, entertaining, caring

whilst I would say I was aligned with a lot of Russell's own views already, this gave considerable food for thought with a very entertaining journey.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Thoroughly enjoyable!

I thought this was a wonderfully fun and poetic way of informing the gemeral public.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Good issues filled with that Brand Humour. But not a bedtime story!

A must have for any 'Brand' fan. Narrated by the man himself in his own way, the book covers many issues, including his own frustration with problems of inequalities in society, coupled with memories of his own life and struggles with fame and its meaning, all told in a roller coaster voice of anger, sadness and comedy. This is a long book, and at times a loud one too, so although not a bedtime story, still a great one.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Brilliant

If you could sum up Revolution in three words, what would they be?

Gripping, daring, funny,

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Brand the competent storyteller, he has a sad, funny and interesting story to tell.

Which character – as performed by Russell Brand – was your favourite?

Mr. Churchill and Mr. Tolle, just to mention a few .

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh many times but it also made me feel sad because it basically tells the truth.

Any additional comments?

I bought this book by chance, it popped up on the front-page of Audible. Normally I prefer detective novels or writers like Pat Conroy or Karen Blixen so this type of book is new to me.
Anyhow I am really glad I bought it because it is worth every penny and worth every minute spend listening.

25 of 31 people found this review helpful

It does your head in - in a good way, sort of!!!

What did you like about this audiobook?

Yes, but I'm not sure what I took from it that I didn't already feel deep inside. Did it confirm my thoughts of the world in which we live as pawns in a game of corporate chess? YES. Did it inspire me to join the Revolution? Hmmm. Russell is a committed individual to this cause, but he's not the first nor the last whose words inspire if only for a short period. People are sheep and they need leaders to turn words in to action to motivate them to follow.

Russell wants us to abandon the political options (non options) available to us and make a statement of none compliance. Starting by not voting. I can see that as an viable option, which is a statement in itself if it is viewed as a vote of no confidence as opposed to apathy. However, we need a cause and a person to follow to make it real e.g. Some one like Seattle City Councillor Kshama Sawant who led an election victory centred on her campaign that raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour minimum. We can't Russell all do this on our own, community needs leaders to affect meaningful change. Someone with the right principles on show, and action that delivers them will get my backing and yes even my vote.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Yes. He's informative, motivational and entertaining in one package. And, more than anything is genuine.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Yes. He's informative, motivational and entertaining in one package. And, more than anything is genuine.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

I haven't but I imagine Revolution is not like anything he's written previously. The message is clearly made. Sad to say I cannot see the political landscape changing any time soon and Russell's words will be as relevant in ten years as they are today.

Do you have any additional comments?

I haven't felt this passionate about the social fabric of our world since I was a CND member in the 1970s. Thanks for reawakening my true self. I wish him well.

16 of 20 people found this review helpful

man attacks corporations, man gets slated by media

Would you consider the audio edition of Revolution to be better than the print version?

i would imagine so, given that russell himself is reading it!?

What was one of the most memorable moments of Revolution?

despite the fact that i have been deeply interested in politics all my life, it was his inclusion and description of the vast amounts of money that 0.01% of the population have that really made me realize that we live in a masked dictatorship purely for their benefit.

What about Russell Brand’s performance did you like?

it was his voice, he speaks with a slightly forced eloquence and tendency to lapse into poetry, but i think that is quite unique and creative.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

it made me laugh at times, it confirmed just how bad this planet is. it made me consider more spiritual endeavors, such as meditation.

Any additional comments?

because he attacks the system of psychopathic nihilism, and by extension the media that facilitates this, he has been hit with a counter attack by the media, claiming his book is bad, and that he is bad for writing it. they claim that he is just profiteering from espousing social commentary, but he donates all the profit from this book to charity. ultimately i think that what this books confirms is that there is a psychopathic elite who have almost omnipotent power over this planet and have no intention of giving that up, or of preventing it's destruction and the intense suffering of everyone else. brand provides countless alternate systems of governance, but doesn't really address how we the people could get into a situation where we can make these changes. this is because it is practically impossible. the rich hold all the keys and whenever change appears possible they swoop down and extinguish it. this probably means that the planet or at least 'civilization' will be destroyed in the next 50 or so years. however this book does provide solutions to our personal problems via meditation etc, and what is more, if this book reaches the minds of people who didn't already know most of the information as i did, then it should wake them up to the truth, which is a good thing. also, he is putting his head above the parapet and at least trying, which is commendable. i would recommend this book for anyone who doesn't know what is going on in the world re psychopathic governance due to the brainwashing of the media, and if anyone who already knows this wants to read it then fair enough.

24 of 31 people found this review helpful

How life could and should be, by Russell Brand

Would you listen to Revolution again? Why?

Unhappy? Read this. If you still can't work it out then give up, order another pizza and watch XFactor.

What other book might you compare Revolution to, and why?

"The Way" by Edward Goldsmith

What about Russell Brand’s performance did you like?

Russell breaks down some very difficult concepts about globalisation and capitalism straight from other great writers and thinkers, like Naom Chomsky, Helena Norberg-Hodge ...and 'Dave,' and makes their theories easy for beginners. Most importantly, he makes it funny.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Should be compulsory reading in schools.

16 of 22 people found this review helpful

As funny as it is relevant

Russell Brand is a comedian. He is also an excellent post modern raconteur and is not shy to name drop at every opportunity and many of his stories start with words such as "when I was a drug addict" or "when I was an alcoholic" or "when I was an atheist" and because, at the end of the day he possesses s a roguish Essex boy charm that you cannot help but like, he gets away with it. And getting away with it is what Russell Brand seems to have done for most of his career. Here he tells how he wants to eschew wealth and fame to live a simpler life and gives his thoughts on everything from organised religion to organised politics. It is typically erudite and articulate and he quotes Noam Chomsky and George Orwell and calls for a fairer society in which a bus full of oligarchs do not have the equivalent wealth of the 3.5 billion poorest people on the planet. He argues that we do not have democracy and that politicians should be our servants rather than our masters. I suspect that most people would agree with this and Russell Brand is witty enough to put forward he views with a glint in his eye and a tongue in his cheek and calls for greater freedoms. This will, of course, never happen as, at the end of the day, most of us are too lazy to do anything about it. "This is all a bit rich", you might think coming from a rich star who wears sparkly trousers and lives in a fancy house, and you would probably be right. But this is entertainment at the end of the day and it put a smile on my face anyway. When I heard that the profits from this book are going towards helping community projects in low income areas it did make me think, perhaps really does believe in this after all.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

A masterpiece in half-baked ideas

Though there are many flaws throughout the book, I'd like to focus on one key contradiction that runs through the entire book. Brand does a good job of pointing out the hollowness of the materialistic dream, and how it can not bring happiness. Yet his main desire is to crush the evil richies throughout the world to give their wealth to everyone else. Wealth redistribution is an inherently materialistic policy. By Brand's own reasoning, wouldn't this only serve to make their lives more hollow? I can find no answer to this question, or even the merest hint that he's considered it.

Anyone who knows even a trivial amount about science or economics will find his musings infuriatingly ignorant. However, he clearly has looked into various types of spirituality with more rigor. Whilst I don't agree with his ideas on consciousness, energy etc, at least he has an idea which he sees as "the answer". So then, why doesn't he talk about spreading the word of this spirituality, so that enlightened populations might make the right choices for how to live? In truth, because although his new-found spirituality is nice, what really motivates him is the destruction - for better or for worse.

To anyone considering this audiobook: the first hour is genuinely worth a listen, but after that he fails to advance any real form of new idea. Don't expect to have any form of inspiration, regardless of what your political views are

11 of 17 people found this review helpful