Little Red Barns

Hiding the Truth, from Farm to Fable

Will Potter

$44.95

Paperback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

City Lights Books
10 September 2025

Political activism; Agriculture & related industries; Industrial arbitration & negotiation

Little Red Barns is a groundbreaking investigation of factory farms and the unprecedented measures being taken to hide their impact - on animals, public health, and the environment - from the public.

Will Potter had planned to write a book about a troubling form of censorship, namely, a host of new ""ag-gag"" laws that criminalize photographers and journalists as terrorists for their efforts to expose abuses on factory farms. But his work soon expanded into a much larger investigation of a nexus of political corruption and corporate power that works to silence protest and to obscure reality with propaganda. What emerges is a chilling account of the secret campaigns of weaponized storytelling being used to prevent us from seeing the ecological, public health, and authoritarian threats that these farms represent.

Potter's journalistic practice of bearing witness took him to places he had never expected, from factory farms to fascist groups, from whistleblowing to censorship laws, political corruption and propaganda campaigns, and the book is an immersive, engaging personal account of the ups and downs of his journey. A well-woven tale of investigative reporting, archival research, photography, and memoir, Little Red Barns is about how the biggest industries on the planet hide from the public and secretly campaign to silence protest. The little red barns are a case study, and a warning for anyone concerned about the right to protest and hold corporations accountable.

By: Will Potter
Imprint: City Lights Books
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 146mm, Width: 215mm,
ISBN: 9780872869141
ISBN 10: 0872869148
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 10 September 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Will Potter is a thought leader and award-winning investigative journalist who focuses on social justice and environmental movements, and attacks on civil liberties post-9/11. He was the first investigative journalist to be named a TED Senior Fellow and has been invited to address governmental bodies about his reporting, including the U.S. Congress, Australian Parliament, and Council of Europe. Will's first book, Green Is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, exposed the criminalization of nonviolent protest groups by the FBI, and was awarded a Kirkus Star for ""remarkable merit."" It has been described in Counter Terrorism Unit surveillance documents as ""compelling and well-written."" He lives in Littleton, Colorado.

Reviews for Little Red Barns: Hiding the Truth, from Farm to Fable

"Praise for Will Potter's Green Is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege: ""A shocking exposé of judicial overreach.""—Kirkus, Starred Review ""Documents the scare tactics used by the government, often in concert with large corporations, against even patently non-violent activist groups, which they dub 'animal rights extremists and eco-terrorists.'""—Mother Jones Magazine ""Potter warns that the U.S. government is using post-9/11 anti-terrorism resources to target environmentalists and animal right activists (in some cases for doing nothing but speaking up).""—Publishers Weekly"