|
Minrad posted:after watching Ken Burns (fantastic) documentaries on The West, the American Civil War and the Vietnam War I'm in the mood to do a lot of reading of 60s-90s American History and how we ended up here check out We Will Shoot Back: Armed Resistance in the Mississippi Freedom Movement by Akinyele Umoja for a distinctive look at the Civil Rights struggle during that period. also Blood in the Water by Ann Thompson is about the Attica massacre & provides some excellent context for the rise of 'Law and Order' politics. And this one is cliche but Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972 is a great read.
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2018 22:50
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 11:02 |
|
|
Currently reading Against The Double Blackmail by Slavoj Zizek. It’s my first Zizek book and I quite enjoy how he flits between quite lofty ideas and then to simple examples, because I am a simple smoothbrain that can’t read for too long without getting a headache. Probably going to give Violence a go next although I feel like I’ve absorbed all the points he’s going to make in that book just by watching him in YouTube videos. Do people here like Zizek? What did you think of Against The double Blackmail if you read it?
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 03:00
|
|
|
Minrad posted:after watching Ken Burns (fantastic) documentaries on The West, the American Civil War and the Vietnam War I'm in the mood to do a lot of reading of 60s-90s American History and how we ended up here Black Against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party will make you start thinking "oh just shoot that loving cop already gently caress" while you read it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 03:10
|
|
|
hey CSPAM book thread The Birthday of the World by Ursula K Le Guin is on deep discount today and is going for two smackers, it's one of my favorite short story collections of all time by my favorite writer of all time. I highly recommend it. Best story imho is The Matter of Seggri which will be like a brass knuckle gut punch to any cis white boi like me https://www.amazon.com/The-Birthday-World-Ursula-Guin-ebook/
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 17:31
|
|
|
Helsing posted:Kotkin's biography of Stalin is extremely good and kind of makes me think of Nixonland insofar as it is an ostensible biography that also works as a history of the era. Highly recommended. Recently finished the first volume of this "Paradoxes of Power" and while it is meticulously researched (so far as I can tell given I don't read Russian, and given there are some staunchly right wing sources in the bibliography) and it sort of amazes me that so many tankies love this book. The argument here, once the book moves past the prerevolutionary period, is extremely unsympathetic to bolshevism and works on the largely unexamined premise that markets would have been a faster and more effective form of development than the five year plans... an argument that may well be true (though the author doesn't really try to prove this he just takes it for granted other than some perfunctory references to statistics on falling output and an unconvincing comparison to fascist Italy) but which doesn't reflect terrible well on Stalin and essentially suggests his obsession with control and his devious nature caused collectivization to happen, killing millions needlessly and without any improvement in output or economic performance. I suppose, however, that the tankie crowd appreciated that Stalin is presented as the most authentic heir to Lenin and that Trotsky comes off quite poorly in this book as an inexplicably popular humbler careening from one fatal mistake to the next. Stalin is also presented as a rational (albeit secretive and controlling) leader with powerful organizational talents and a strong command of Marxist theory who triumphs in large part by actually winning the key arguments on theory (even as he stacks the politburo with supporters and demonstrates the skillset of a classical Tammany Hall style machine politician). Kotkin also gives a convincing account of why reactionary and right wing movements were hamstrung in Russia by the hopeless backwardness of the tsarist government and its feudal vision of politics. The right couldn't form a mass political constituency to support the government because the ideal tsarist subject was supposed to be totally apolitical, so pro government authoritarian parties were always contradictory entities, creating a regime lacking any strong social base and ceding all political organizing to the left. We also get a good account of how the bolsheviks triumphed against the odds and their own expectations, and why groups like the social revolutionaries failed that test. Similarly, during the 20s we get some sense of why Stalin triumphed over rival Bolshevik pretenders. So overall this book is worth reading but once you get past the October revolution the authors biased become a lot more apparent. I kind of appreciate that since a largely unsympathetic portrayal has many advantages and I'm no fan of Stalin, but by the end I found myself wanting to read something that wasn't penned by a fellow at the Hoover Institute.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 18:51
|
|
|
Tankies like it because it contextualizes his decision-making and situates Soviet actions within the broad sweep of European history and broader geopolitical realities instead of saying STALIN BAD or whining about bureaucracy. And yes because it's squarely aimed at the Trotskyite line on post-revolution Soviet history as you pointed out. Volume II is more pointedly anti-bolshevik than Volume I since Kotkin is horrified at forced collectivization and of course the purges (but mainly forced collectivization). And yea Kotkin is 100% a conservative, or I suppose a conservative-liberal.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 19:05
|
|
|
Since most of the ardent bolshevik supporters I've met in real life have tended to be Trots Kotkin definitely does a good job of undermining or at least critiquing their version of events and as you pointed out he always emphasizes the context of these decisions and doesn't resort to lazy psychologizing about Stalin's endless list for power or sociopathy. The stalin of Kotkin's book is devious and clever but his actions make sense in the context of his beliefs and you get a sense of how he was actually much more personable and warm than the arrogant high handed Trotsky or even the relentlessly focused an intense Lenin. Of the three you'd probably enjoy drinking with Stalin the most (just keep him away from any teenage daughters you have). If anyone has any good recommendations for books on the USSR in the 1920s and during the collectivization period especially I would love to hear them.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 19:24
|
|
|
My reading has focused more on the Stalin era but maybe one of these will pique your interest: Women, the State and Revolution: Soviet Family Policy and Social Life, 1917-1936 by Wendy Goldman Everyday Stalinism. Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times: Soviet Russia in the 1930s by Sheila Fitzpatrick (sorry it's the 30s not the 20s but still real good) Magnetic Mountain: Stalinism as Civilization by Stephen Kotkin
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2018 19:31
|
|
|
couldn't find any dorothy day at the library so i got richard morgan instead. same thing, right?
|
|
#
?
Aug 1, 2018 18:04
|
|
|
GalacticAcid posted:My reading has focused more on the Stalin era but maybe one of these will pique your interest: Thanks for the recommendations!
|
|
#
?
Aug 2, 2018 21:19
|
|
|
The Omarosa book comes out in 4 days and I'm debating on whether to get it. It's probably going to be trash but this administration makes me crave drama.
|
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 05:33
|
|
|
Cable news will pull all the juicy excerpts for our hilarity, save your money.
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 06:51
|
|
|
skaboomizzy posted:Cable news will pull all the juicy excerpts for our hilarity, save your money. And even if they don't, @katereadsbks will
|
|
#
?
Aug 11, 2018 16:40
|
|
|
what's the best biography of John Brown to read? I've got Midnight Rising but want my first to be entirely about the man because everything I've read about him is cool as hell, and I really want all the details of his meeting with Douglass
|
|
#
?
Aug 12, 2018 21:49
|
|
|
Epic High Five posted:what's the best biography of John Brown to read? I've got Midnight Rising but want my first to be entirely about the man because everything I've read about him is cool as hell, and I really want all the details of his meeting with Douglass web du bois wrote a really good one a long time ago. he does a very good job of not only covering his entire life, but also placing his life in historical context. he has an extremely detailed section on that last meeting with douglass. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_(biography) links to the public domain online text at the bottom of the page (there is also a public domain audiobook).
|
|
#
?
Aug 13, 2018 07:16
|
|
|
Now that we have the "talking about the n word tape tape" that Omarosa gave CBS I might actually get the book and post the fun parts.
|
|
|
#
?
Aug 14, 2018 19:37
|
|
|
finished woken furies. is harlans' world a deliberate reference to the harlan county war?
|
|
#
?
Aug 16, 2018 00:00
|
|
|
almost done with The Dark Forest, followup to The Three Body Problem, and it's been fun and entertaining but the twist at the end was insanely obvious and a lot of the twists were as well interesting exploration of things tho which is why I did a deeper dive in the trilogy
|
|
#
?
Aug 19, 2018 22:49
|
|
|
Currently working through Iain M. Banks' Culture series. Really enjoyed the first two books, but the third, Use of Weapons has me stalled at the beginning a little bit. Too much of a tonal shift from the second book for me, I might have to come back to it in a week or so. But now I really really want Fully Automated Gay Space Luxury Communism to become real. Also, I just had the thought that a Boots Reilly-directed rendition of Farnham's Freehold would be amazing.
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 00:03
|
|
|
Epic High Five posted:almost done with The Dark Forest, followup to The Three Body Problem, and it's been fun and entertaining but the twist at the end was insanely obvious and a lot of the twists were as well Would u reccommend those books because I know someone tjat really likes them but the video game premise looked kinda dumb
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 02:59
|
|
|
StashAugustine posted:Would u reccommend those books because I know someone tjat really likes them but the video game premise looked kinda dumb it's kinda dumb but not in a way that vidya games could ever hope to encompass so it's probably a pretty good read for them
|
|
#
?
Aug 20, 2018 03:12
|
|
|
Should I finish peridido street station or puck up the general in his labyrinth
|
|
#
?
Aug 26, 2018 06:11
|
|
|
and now, to shift gears so hard my brain pops out of my head like an engine at highway speeds, I shall go from the Chapo Guide to Conquest of Bread
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 19:38
|
|
|
I was a pretty early listener to Chapo but I have to say I have zero desire to pick up that book lol Am I wrong to feel this way? Guess I should note I stopped listening almost a year ago.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 19:44
|
|
|
GalacticAcid posted:I was a pretty early listener to Chapo but I have to say I have zero desire to pick up that book lol I'm enjoying it because it's basically a quick and dirty primer on why everything is hosed and why the insurgent left both hates trump and also wants killary locked up, with other fun stuff if you're tired of the podcast you'll probably not really enjoy the book
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 20:26
|
|
|
I feel like you’d get the same thing out of listening to the podcast. Everything’s just a variation on the message that no permutation of liberalism can help our current system and this is why people are going nazi and why they should go socialist.
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 20:51
|
|
|
business hammocks posted:I feel like you’d get the same thing out of listening to the podcast. Everything’s just a variation on the message that no permutation of liberalism can help our current system and this is why people are going nazi and why they should go socialist. you'll get a lot more of a rundown of everything from 3 hours of reading the book compared to ~2.5 podcasts imho
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 21:31
|
|
|
I did read getfiscal’s review of it which was worth the read
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 21:38
|
|
|
Its OK, I wouldn't call it bad but I have a bad feeling its not really anytging listeners don't know and it might be a little too injokey for normal people. E:getfiscal is pretty much on the money
|
|
#
?
Aug 27, 2018 22:42
|
|
|
okay, finished the 3 fairy tales of Yun Tianming, time to contemplate them deeply for half a day before I continue the rest of the book I've got what I think is a pretty good idea of what is itended....................
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2018 03:21
|
|
|
Epic High Five posted:okay, finished the 3 fairy tales of Yun Tianming, time to contemplate them deeply for half a day before I continue the rest of the book enjoyed the last book. the ending was ... nice i guess fitting with the tones and themes of the series got some murakami vibes from it but i dont have a lit of eastern lit reading cred
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2018 05:51
|
|
|
what's good book(s) about Middle Ages
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2018 14:54
|
|
|
nah posted:what's good book(s) about Middle Ages 
|
|
#
?
Aug 28, 2018 15:45
|
|
|
The authors kinda conservative but I liked Eifelheim about a spaceship crashing in fourteenth century Germany and the medieval villagers trying to figure out what to do with them
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2018 13:44
|
|
|
Also when I say the author is conservative and you look at the title dont worry its not the Michael Flynn you're thinking of
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2018 13:51
|
|
|
I've started reading the Chapo book and it's entertaining and there's some laugh out loud moments, but a lot of it is just a rehash of their main points of discussion on the show. It's got a weirder tone though, that feels like they're rushing through topics and trying to work in jokes the way a lot of ephemeral humor books do. Like, in the World chapter they'll spend a single sentence describing how the U.S. interfered in so and so country, and then jump to the next one, then the next one, without really letting you conceptualize what each individual invasion was like. It's still fun, but kind of wish I got it from the library instead of dropping $25 + shipping on a preorder since it's definitely gonna be out of date this time next year. My favorite episodes of the show are when they focus on deep dives about niche topics, or just go off into tangents about the state of capitalism. Some of that is there, some of it just riffing. Still, it's good if you want something light and fast, that's still political but that won't make you rip your hair out in frustration for the state of the world. Anyway, I'm one of those people who reads a buncha books at once because the internet murdered my attention span, so I've also been reading Vladmir Sorokin's Ice Trilogy which is some hella trippy modern Russian sci fi, Mark Kurlansky's Cod cause it was a gift and it's short and the history of the cod trade is sorta interesting, Max Tegmark's Life 3.0 about A.I. and how we're all gonna transcend our human bodies some day and become part of cyberspace. I just wrapped The Communist Manifesto this morning, which I'd never read before and was much sassier than I anticipated. Up next after I cull down this batch a bit: The Cult at the End of the World by David Kaplan and Andrew Marshall all about Aum Shinrikyo, The Russian Revolution by Sheila Fitzpatrick which I'm told is the best intro to the topic, and probably whatever the gently caress else is in my 100 book pile of things I've bought and never actually read.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2018 17:13
|
|
|
Sheila Fitzpatrick is amazing. She reviewed a bunch of new books on the Russian Revolution in this sweeping essay in the LRB in March 2017, highly recommend.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2018 17:16
|
|
|
I'm glad she gives China Mieville's book the seal of approval as I read that earlier this year and dug it, but there's so many names and dates involved I want to keep focusing on that era and Fitzpatrick seems to be among the best sources. I'll get to it hopefully before the end of September.
|
|
#
?
Aug 29, 2018 19:33
|
|
|
picked up A River in Darkness on a whim and it's pretty heavy with the moralizing considering free market capitalism turned him into a refugee and the commies saved him, but like there's not a wikipedia page for it or anything and all the google results are stuff like astroturfed pro-capitalism outlets giving it a glowing review and publisher sites that are marketed at the oo-rah crowd how much is this book being propped up by the right wing circlejerk book crowd and why isn't there any loving info on any of it anywhere?
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2018 01:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 3, 2024 11:02 |
|
|
Has anyone read hyperobjects
|
|
#
?
Aug 31, 2018 02:01
|
|
