Decenni di turbolenze politiche, sociali ed economiche sullo sfondo dell'amore tra Antonio Discordia, giovane studente universitario, e Cinka, ragazza rom con la passione per il violino. Ciascuno, scoprendo l'altro, ripenserà la propria vita trovandosi a combattere i tabù sociali e culturali. Nel dialogo tra due mondi distanti ma simili si sviluppano le vicende che ci riportano al movimento anarchico e antifascista dalla fine dell'Ottocento fino ai giorni nostri. Attraverso quattro generazioni della famiglia Discordia, 'Cazzarola!' mette in scena una saga di resistenza anarchica e antifascista: contro le persecuzioni del popolo rom, contro la guerra ai rifugiati, contro la xenofobia montante dell'Italia di ieri e dell'Europa di oggi.

A gripping novel that is at once political, historical, and romantic, Cazzarola! spans 130 years in the life of the Discordias, a fictionalized family of Italian anarchists. It details the family's heroic, multigenerational resistance to fascism in Italy and their ongoing involvement in the anarchist movement. From early 20th-century factory strikes and occupations, armed anarchist militias, and attempts on Mussolini's life, to postwar student and labor protest, and confronting the newest wave of contemporary neofascist violence sweeping Europe, the Discordias navigate the decades of political, economic, and social turmoil. Against this historical backdrop, Antonio falls in love with Cinka, a proud but poverty-stricken Romani refugee from the “unwanted people,” without a country or home, forced to flee again and again searching for peace. Theirs becomes a life-changing and forbidden relationship. Both are forced to reevaluate their lives and contend with cultural taboos, xenophobia, and the violent persecution of Romani refugees in Italy today.

The largest ever civil disobedience movement in Canadian history rocked Quebec in 2012 when hundreds of thousands of post-secondary students staged a province-wide strike against increased tuition fees. Quebec's "Printemps Erable" (Maple Spring) then morphed into a massive social uprising that transcended purely education concerns. On the table: cutbacks and privatization of social services, environmental issues, freedom of assembly and expression, and the ongoing corporatization of the educational system and the public commons.



As one of the "Professors against the hike" from Concordia University, Norman wrote these pieces in the spirit of love and rage between marching with students and banging a pot. His poems talk about brutal police repression, the nightly, festive "casserole" marches, and question why thousands of people were arrested for standing up for their rights. The thirty-four pieces are a personal testimony to the power and passion of this movement and to the remarkable selfless courage, solidarity and creativity of the students. They fought for everyone. They raised the bar for us all.



The book also contains new original, compelling art by Montreal artists Judith Brisson, Caro Caron, Philippe Caron, Mathieu Chartrand, Raphaëlle Dubois Beauchamp, Chloé Germain-Thérien, Tournesol Plante, Keenan Poloncsak, Artact QC, Marie-Pascale Rokas and L'École de la Montagne Rouge.