Wow! The Anarchist’s Cookbook has been the most intriguing reading in this class by far. The most interesting aspect, to me, is the fact that the author, William Powell, was only around the age of 17 when he wrote this novel with his extensive knowledge of anarchism, drugs, and crime. I’m so curious as to how and by what means Powell came to acquire this extensive, forbidden knowledge at such a young age. Despite his young age, however, he does not write this book with the same naivety or immaturity that one might associate with adolescence- instead, in his foreword, he explains that his purpose is not to incite violence or revolution, but to give power back to the people. While the information in this book undoubtedly did incite violence in the ignorant and immature, Powell makes his intentions clear in the beginning that violence is not his intention in writing The Anarchist’s Cookbook. While one might question what Powell’s chapter focusing on drugs has to do with anarchism, he explains himself that the country “is going through two revolutions: On one hand there is a political struggle, and on the other we are witnessing a cultural renaissance.” He argues that the use of drugs is attributed to the birth of a new culture that is being revolutionized in America. The most arguably controversial topic discussed in this novel is Powell’s instructing the reader how to create multiple types of bombs: TNT, dynamite, detonators, etc. This chapter in the book has said to have incited the most violence, one of the most famous instances being the Columbine high school shooting in 1999. Because of this, while Powell’s intentions might have been innocent, or at least non-violent, the content in the book was detailed and dangerous enough to wreak havoc when in the wrong hands.