Happy Pub Day to BREAKING ICE!
Today is OFFICIAL publication day for Breaking ICE: Community Defense Against State Terror and MAGA Fascism, just about 8 months after the book was first conceived. First week sales matter greatly for best-seller lists, etc. So, if you haven't already, please do order a copy of the book.
READ MY SUBSTACK ESSAY ABOUT THE BOOK'S ORIGINS:
I put together the manuscript of Breaking ICE during the worst period of my life. At a time when the United States is undergoing its greatest contemporary challenges to democracy and equality, I too find myself in the midst of a topsy turvy world.
In fairness, I did expect 2026 to be a year of great personal turmoil. My oldest child—I’ll call her N—would find out if and where she got accepted into university, and would be leaving the nest. I braced myself for the coming emotional upheaval.
But nothing prepared for what actually came next. On January 4, 2026, the day I turned 51, my older sister Sameera experienced an unexpected and catastrophic heart attack. The next day I flew out to Calgary where she lived, and spent the night in her hospital room as she lay hooked up to tubes that kept her artificially alive. I whispered tearful entreaties into her ear to please wake up. The next day, they pulled the plug and I bade my childhood companion a final goodbye.
I returned home to Los Angeles, gutted and hollowed out. In between great bouts of grief, during which I forced myself to cover the murders of Keith Porter, Renee Goode, and Alex Pretti at the hands of ICE agents—after all I am a journalist—my long-time editor Greg Ruggiero approached me to put together a book of interviews with people fighting ICE terror.
Plot twist: It would have to be fast tracked to meet the moment, and would publish by the end of the summer.
I also discussed my book on The Zero Hour where I am senior correspondent. Host Richard R J Eskow, who is a good friend and colleague, asked insightful questions about the work of community defense in these dark fascist times. Watch the interview below:
These are dark times we live in. And yet, there is light and joy and hope because people haven't given up. They haven't rolled over and embraced inevitability. Instead, they have refused to cooperate, refused to be dehumanized and destroyed. Now, the challenge lies in how to sustain the work of defending one another and building the world we want to live in and thrive in.
I am so grateful for the communities I am embedded in. And that includes each and every one of YOU!
🥰 🥰 🥰 So, thank you.
Find out more about my book tour, press coverage and more here:
Rising Up With Sonali