Clandestine Occupations: An Imaginary History

(Paperback)

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Radical activist Luba Gold goes underground to support the Puerto Rican independence movement. When Luba's collective is targeted by an FBI sting, she escapes with her baby but leaves behind an envelope to be safeguarded by a friend. When the FBI come looking for Luba, the friend must decide whether to cooperate in the search. Ten years later, when Luba emerges from hiding, she discovers that the FBI sting was orchestrated by an activist friend who became an FBI informant. In the changed era of the 1990s, Luba must decide whether to forgive her betrayer.

Reviews

"Clandestine Occupations is a triumph of passion and force. A number of memoirs and other nonfiction works by revolutionaries from the 1970s and '80s, including one by Block herself, have given us partial pictures of what a committed life, sometimes lived underground, was like. But there are times when only fiction can really take us there. A marvelous novel that moves beyond all preconceived categories."
--Margaret Randall, author of Che on My Mind

"Diana Block creates a vivid and engaging tapestry of how political passion interweaves with the intricacies of personal relationships. Clandestine Occupations takes us into the thoughts and feelings of six different women as each, in her own way, grapples with choices about how to live and act in a world rife with oppression but also brightened by rays of humanity and hope."
--David Gilbert, political prisoner, author of Love and Struggle

"Through this fascinating novel, Diana Block brings to life stories about radical history that will educate and engage today's activists. Her portrayal of a woman in solitary confinement rings true to experience, offering a raw view of the struggle for resilience under daunting circumstances. Through flights of imagination, the novel gives us hope for political transformations in the future."
--Sarah Shourd, author of A Sliver of Light: Three Americans Imprisoned in Iran

"Diana Block once again challenges our understanding of the ethical essence of revolution. Beyond political theory and practice, the moral dilemmas and turmoils are constant and consistent. Where does your loyalty lie, how does your dedication confront obstacles These are the questions found in these pages as Diana searches for a just balance in human relationships and politics. Clandestine Occupations captures and occupies the heart and spirit, teaching us what it means to be genuine and sincere in revolutionary life and love."
--Jalil Muntaqim, political prisoner, author We Are Our Own Liberators: Selected Prison Writings

Author Bio

Diana Block was a founding member of San Franciso Women Against Rape and the Prairie Fire Organizing Committee. She spent 13 years living underground with a political collective committed to supporting the Puerto Rican independence and Black liberation movements. She is the author of Arm the Spirit: A Story from Underground and Back, writes for left-wing journals, and is a member of the editorial collective of the Fire Inside newsletter, which has been giving voice to women and transgender prisoners since 1996. She lives in San Francisco.