2011 Reprint of 1944 American Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. Writing in the heat of struggle against the rise of fascism in Germany, France, and Spain in the 1930s, communist leader Leon Trotsky examines the class origins and character of fascist movements. Building on foundations laid by the Communist International in Lenin's time, Trotsky advances a working-class strategy to combat and defeat this malignant danger. Chapters on: Fascism: What Is It? -- How Mussolini Triumphed-- The Fascist Danger Looms in Germany-- An Aesop Fable-- The German Police and Army-- Bourgeoisie, Petty Bourgeoisie, and Proletariat-- The Collapse of Bourgeois Democracy-- Does the Petty Bourgeoisie Fear Revolution?-- The Workers' Militia and Its Opponents-- The Perspective in the United States-- Build the Revolutionary Party.

True or False:
Simon is one of the coolest teachers at
Forest Alternative: True
Simon and Alex are friends: True
Tim is jealous of Alex and Simon: False...
...until Stacy walks into class, flashing her tongue ring, swishing her hair, and spreading rumors -- dirty rumors, the kind that make you second guess who your real friends are, and their intentions. Rumors like Stacy's test and sometimes ruin friendships as strong as those among Tim, Alex, and Simon. Rumors are dangerous, but not always as dangerous or ugly as the truths from which they spring....

From the outside, they're simply a group of urban teenagers. But from the inside, they're some of the most complex people you'll ever meet. There's Eric, fiercely protective of his brother Mickey-but he has a secret that holds together his past and future. Sonia, struggling to live the life of a good Muslim girl in a foreign America. Gingerbread and Keisha, who fall in love despite themselves. Life Is Funny strips away the defenses of one group of teenagers living today, right now-and shows their unbearably real lives.

"First novelist Frank breaks new ground with a realistic, lyrical novel about eleven teens in Brooklyn now . . . Their talk is painful, rough, sexy, funny, fearful, furious, gentle. Each chapter, each vignette within a chapter, builds to its own climax, and the stories weave together to surprise you." (Booklist, starred review)

"An astounding first effort." (Kirkus Reviews, pointer review)