I visited the commie bookstore in town today and I picked up a copy of Manufacturing Consent because it seemed appropriate for the current times. I also got a copy of Motorcycle Diaries.
On the way home I also passed a Falun Gong stand. They were doing some dance.
What are you reading?
Just now getting to Blackshirts and Reds, got to Chapter 6 today. His criticisms of the Soviet Union are making me believe that China and Deng Xiaoping were correct, so perhaps I need to read some Deng next, lol.
It’s a good book. His examples of this ga that went wrong have been really helpful in conversations for me.
Yes actually, it’s a sobering reminder that communism isn’t a utopia, and that there’s a lot more to people’s needs after the basics have been covered.
I do think he might have been a little too harsh on Stalin though, the man tried to quit four times (and they wouldn’t let him! some dictator lol) and was at the head of a socialist state that was constantly under siege from capitalist and reactionary forces in and out. Mistakes were made but that’s just cause nothing is perfect, if the USSR really had a major flaw it was that it was unable to understand the needs of the people and learn from their mistakes.
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The autobiography of Malcolm X is so damn good. I read it a few years ago, and re-read it when they released the audiobook with Lawrence Fishburne as narrator.
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I’m about halfway through and when I kind of lost interest. I should get back into it.
“the east is still red” by carlos martinez
Slowly going through das kapital with the theory reading group
Marx for Cats by Leigh Claire La Berge
I saw that at the store as well. It’s on my list now.
Interesting… I guess I should read this.
I have finally gotten around to reading Settlers and I’ve also slowly working through Losurdo’s Liberalism and Fanon’s Wretched of the Earth. I find Fanon particularly hard to read which makes getting through it quite slow.
I also like easier to read fiction, especially when my head is too full or cloudy for theory. Recently finished Decoded by Mai Jia and am about halfway through Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko, both of which are enjoyable.
For serious stuff I’m currently rereading Super Imperialism by Michael Hudson cause my brain hates remembering stuff now. Also started a bit of Arab Spring, Libyan Winter by Vijay Prashad.
Also finally gotten back into reading fiction and have polished off about seven Sarah J Maas books in the past couple months, guilty pleasure
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Really really liking the world building of the opening chapters. I’m thoroughly enjoying it!
Motorcycle Diaries is a good one!
It is. Che is a funny guy.
Tell me about it!
Killing Hope by William Blum, and Dark Alliance by Gary Webb. Lot of overlap between them lol. But both are very good so far, the second one is incredibly entertaining, like better than any HBO show about narcotraficantes.
Reading This Soviet World, and it’s absolutely fantastic.
What is it about?
It’s an account of USSR by an American journalist back in 1930s. It’s just really full of optimism, and she does a great job showing how Soviet democracy worked.
Dang, now I want to read that! Although it will probably break my heart
I originally found out about it on here incidentally https://lemmygrad.ml/post/2909935
And yeah, it’s equal parts incredibly inspiring and depressing to read because you get to see what was lost.
I’m in the middle of Against Empire by Parenti. It’s good, but I enjoyed Blackshirts and Reds more. Parenti is a great writer, and he is easy to understand, so I will continue to read his stuff. As for novels, I ordered 2001: A Space Odyssey not too long ago and will try to read it sometimes. I have manufacturing consent sitting on my bookshelf, plus some others from Chomsky I haven’t read yet. I bought them during a short anarchist phase I had and grew out of very quickly after reading Lenin’s stuff. Often, I buy books and end up never reading them. Uhh I should stop doing that and download them illegally instead.
Soviet Russia Today. I’ve started from the first issue.
This post and the comments
Loaurdo’s book on Stalin
This is what I am currently reading.