The Art of Disruption by Magid Magid
Last updated: 5 October 2026
The Art of Disruption is Magid Magid's manifesto for changing things from the outside: ten rules he lives by, each told through the story behind it. He arrived in Sheffield as a child refugee from Somaliland, became the city's youngest Lord Mayor at 28 and then sat as a Green MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber.
The hardback is out of stock new. The ebook is £11.99 and the audiobook is still on sale, both through Bookshop.org and Amazon UK, on 5 October 2026.
The Amazon and Bookshop.org links on this page are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Get the ebook or audiobook on Bookshop.org
What The Art of Disruption is about
In 2018 Magid made a poster for a Sheffield music festival listing the ten commandments he tries to live by. It went viral. The book takes each commandment in turn and tells the story behind it: what drove him, what stood in his way and what keeps him hopeful.
It is part memoir and part handbook. The memoir covers growing up as a refugee in Sheffield, getting into local politics and the year as Lord Mayor, when he swapped the usual formality for his own style. The handbook part is aimed at anyone who wants to push for change in their workplace, community or politics without waiting for permission.
About Magid Magid
Magid was born in Burao, Somaliland, and came to the UK as a child refugee in 1994. He was Lord Mayor of Sheffield from May 2018 to May 2019, aged 28. In July 2019 he was elected as a Green Party MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber, and he served until the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020.
The book was shortlisted for best non-fiction book by a parliamentarian at the Parliamentary Book Awards 2021.
Which edition to buy
The hardback came out from Blink Publishing on 3 September 2020 at 288 pages. On 5 October 2026 it was out of stock at Bookshop.org, and Amazon UK only had second-hand copies. There is no paperback on sale. So the real choice is ebook or audiobook:
- Ebook: £11.99 on Bookshop.org and as a Kindle edition on Amazon UK.
- Audiobook: £7.49 on Audible, or one credit on Bookshop.org audiobooks.
If you want a print copy, other sellers on Amazon UK list second-hand hardbacks, and stock and condition vary.
Kindle edition on Amazon UK, £11.99
Who it suits
It suits anyone who cares about how local politics works, and readers who like a memoir with a practical point. It also makes a good gift for someone who has just started campaigning, volunteering or standing for something at work. For more reading on race and fairness in Britain, see So You Want to Talk About Race.
Limits
The book is built around one person's story, so the advice is shaped by his own path through Sheffield and Brussels rather than a step-by-step guide to campaigning. It was written in 2020, so it stops before anything he has done since leaving the European Parliament.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Art of Disruption still in print?
The hardback is out of stock new and there is no paperback. The ebook and audiobook are both still on sale.
How much is The Art of Disruption?
The ebook is £11.99 on Bookshop.org and Amazon UK, and the audiobook is £7.49 on Audible, checked on 5 October 2026.
Who wrote The Art of Disruption?
Magid Magid, the former Lord Mayor of Sheffield and Green MEP for Yorkshire and the Humber.
What are the ten commandments in the book?
They are the ten rules from Magid's 2018 festival poster, and each chapter tells the story behind one of them.
Official sources
- The Art of Disruption on Bookshop.org UK, with the publisher's description
- Magid Magid on Wikipedia
Prices and availability are correct at the time of the last update and can change.
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