Counter Institution is a history of three re-purposed buildings in the Lower East Side -- Peace Pentagon, ABC No Rio, and El Bohio -- that have been used by activists as their headquarters to launch various actions over the past forty years. The author shows that these collectively organized spaces provide a venue for political participation and are a vital part of the civic infrastructure of the city. At a time where many such self-organized "activist" buildings are imperiled by the finance-driven real-estate market that is New York City, Bagchee takes stock and provides visibility to these...