This Land is My Land: A Graphic History of Big Dreams, Micronations, and Other Self-Made States

Tired of your country letting you down with bad politics? Wondering if it’s time to leave for the nearest border with universal healthcare? Don’t take the easy way out-start your own utopia instead! This Land is My Land is a graphic history which collects the stories of thirty self-made places around the world built with a dream of utopia: whether an ideal community, a safe haven, an inspiring structure, or even a better-run country. From the Gay and Lesbian Kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands to the Indian rock garden of Nek Chand, the micronation of Sealand to the pirate-founded, antislavery community on the coast of Madagascar, these creators struck out against the laws of their homelands, the approval of their peers, or even the laws of nature itself to shape the world around them.

Written by New York Times bestselling author Andy Warner and illustrated by The Nib contributor Sofie Louise Dam, these fascinating anecdotes are told with a strong dash of humour and a highly readable visual style, in a compelling and prescient look at stories of rebellion, vision, and luck, as eccentric as they are empowering reflections of the universal desire to build something better. Utopia may not last forever, but for those who seek it, perfection is worth the risk. The original premise of the book was published as a short segment of comics on The Nib in October 2016 and the story was picked up by BoingBoing, gaining thousands of page views in the days before the 2016 election. The book refreshes and expands on the initial webcomic, while still capturing the strong sense of humour and fascination of the original.