Brittlestar, the Stratford-based internet star, uses cats and humour to tackle fascism in new book

What do cats have to do with fascism? A social media star from Stratford, Ont. explains the connection to CTV’s Jeff Pickel.

Stewart Reynolds is known for making people laugh on the internet, but now he’s sharing his unique Canadian commentary with book readers.

Reynolds, better known as Brittlestar, is content producer based out of Stratford, Ont. and his funny videos have wracked up millions of views online.

His new book, “Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism,” offers a unique perspective on political resistance through feline behavior.

“It’s the first thing that came to mind because cats are jerks,” Reynolds explained. “Cats are fluffy little resistance machines, and I thought it would be really funny to see how cats would deal with fascists.”

He said the idea started as a joke, that gained momentum the more he thought about it.

“When I looked at the state of the world and the creeping authoritarianism and bad stuff that’s happening in the world in general, I thought, well, this might be a good way for me to use my platform to help in that area.”

Consistent with his online videos, Reynolds wanted to use humour to confront difficult topics.

“Through comedy you can talk to people in a non-combative way, non-confrontational, it’s a spoonful of sugar… It’s a way to talk about things that are normally uncomfortable or normally wouldn’t be that pleasant to talk about,” he said.

The book was originally self-published, but then Grand Central Publishing picked it up.

“Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism” has already made bestseller lists in Canada and the United States.