This is a pleasant little book! From traffic lights to the SAT, from the assembly line to the retirement home, Scott traces where overregulation and hierarchy has constrained the human spirit. And he shows us where alternatives have flowered, rooted in spontaneity, in local vernaculars, in democracy.

James Scott is not an anarchist (hence only two cheers, not three) but he has a refreshing feel for the spirit of anarchy. This book is no comprehensive theoretical tome, but a sprightly dance through history and modern culture to show where an "anarchist squint" might make our world a little bit fuller.