Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37536 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 283 pages

Customer Reviews

No Retreat-
I originally only read this book on the strength of someone else's recommendation. I'd been warned that it was both very laddish and violent, and being female with pacifist tendencies I had misgivings that I may not be the intended target audience. But armed with this knowledge I thought I'd give it a whirl and I've got to say I was surprised and fascinated by its contents.

I'm not a huge fan of the hoolie-fan genre and whilst there are certain elements of that in the book it's also much more than that. Somehow despite numerous graphic accounts of twenty-five years worth of brawls, the violence does not seem wholly gratuitous, maybe because when it's being doled out against fascists it seems so much more deserved.

Living in the North West the book seemed especially pertinent, prior to reading this book I knew only the scantest details about the activities of the relevant organisations, and was naively unaware that much of this was occurring on my own doorstep, and of how ordinary working class fishmongers and plasterers could make a difference, so it proved to be something of an educational eye opener.

Despite my lack of knowledge the book was certainly accessible and it's fast pace and sharp, punchy style meant that I couldn't put it down. Given the nature of the material I hardly expected the book to have a comedic bent but at times I did find myself laughing aloud, so every credit to it's authors for achieving this...

No Retreat:
Having read many 'hoolie' books, I started reading No Retreat with a certain amount of scepticism. This new genre looks to promote and tittilate us with tales of mindless violence where the only winners are the author's 'lads'. No Retreat certainly does not fall into this trap. Whilst it does describe scenes of graphic violence, it puts the behaviour of anti-fascist organisations in a context that, to many people was justifiable in combating fascism on our streets. The style of writing that both authors adopt is exciting and stimulating.

Having limited my reading on this subject to the books written by the far-right, this was a refreshing insight into how two ordinary members of our society took a stand to defend what they passionately believed in.

A great read and historically accurate
This book is a great read, as a member of Manchester AFA
in the early to mid 1990s, I was introduced to Manchester
AFA by members of my family who played
important roles in the organization so I feel I
can with some authority verify that the book if anything
understated their success in beating the nazis off the
streets...

I feel that both authors personalities come across
well in their writing, and that the book, unlike
some of the football hooligan type of book to come
out of late, tries not to revel in gung ho BS and
does indeed tell it like it was during those times.

There were times that AFA were outnumbered by the
enemy such as the battle of Waterloo but managed to
beat them by their belief and the fact they were
inaudated with a large lunatic fringe (Gary the Axe
should and could write his own book!)

Steve Tilzeys account of the wars with the NF
in the 1970s was facsinating and having prior
knowledge of the battles with the BNP in East

Lancashire in the 1990s Dave Hann tells his story
in an accurate and humourous way.

You want a fat free account of a true account for
a change and want to be entertained at the same time
then you can't do better than this book.