nb_leftist's reviews
371 reviews

The Next American Revolution: Sustainable Activism for the Twenty-First Century by Grace Lee Boggs

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

I liked it a lot, it would’ve been better if I read this before reading Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown because a lot of what’s written here is, in my opinion, much more interestingly voiced in that work. 

My highlights are the bit about revolution being two ways, meaning we have to change ourselves and change the system simultaneously. I also liked the bit about education and the place where people get educated being a rallying point/point of focus for revolutionary movements as it can create humans rather than workers. 

A (incomplete) critique I have is her consistent use of the Obama campaign’s grassroots structure and how it “changed politics forever.” Whether it did or not is up for debate, but something about it is off for me. I’m not a fan of electoralism and I don’t know whether she is but I am used to the mention of electoralism going a very certain way.

Definitely recommend reading it. I wish I had read it before Emergent Strategy. If I see another one of her works I’m definitely going to pick it up!

Class Struggle Unionism by Joe Burns

informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.0

It’s okay, I think the sentiments are good but it doesn’t provide a lot of material guidance or recommendations. Honestly, I’d recommend No Shortcuts by Jane McAlevey, it discusses things in the same way and advocates for the same things but is a lot more material.

I will say, though, this book feels amazing. Completely unrelated to the content, the cover and page texture is incredible. It’s very flexible, light, and soft. The font is good too, the only thing that I’d weird ab it is that the page numbers are a different, much less interesting font.

Ten Myths About Israel by Ilan Pappé

emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

This is a great intro to the subject. It is a lot more radical than I would have assumed it to be. It goes into the history of the “conflict”, how Hamas formed, the colonialist history of Zionism, etc. Highly recommend giving it a read.

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz

hopeful reflective fast-paced

1.0

I read this because adrienne maree brown recommended it in their book, Emergent Strategy. I liked how she described it, but reading it is definitely not worth it. It did not need to be as long as it is, it’s so repetitive, and Don Miguel Ruiz talks as if he’s some sort of enlightened, perfected being. He talks as if his writing in this book will save the world (he even claims it will do so), and—in my opinion the most offensive and blatant spit in the face of real experience—he claims it can make someone’s life “perfect”, without sadness or struggle.

There’s a reason I don’t read self-help books.

On the other hand, I do think the four agreements are important, just don’t think anyone has to read the book to understand what he’s talking about.

Wage-Labour and Capital / Value, Price and Profit by Karl Marx

informative fast-paced

4.0

Funnily enough, the only other Marx I’ve read is The Communist Manifesto. I definitely should have read this one first. Crazy good introduction to the issues w/ capitalism and the wage system w/o all the crazy ass vocabulary. Recommend it heavily as an intro text to anti-capitalism. 

I will say, though, that capitalism’s functioning and the system of wages have both changed in some very interesting ways. The main one that I think about is the change from an industrial economy to a service economy where the product is more abstract, and the growing prevalence of elimination/exclusion of the human “worker” from production. Some other texts I’ve read have talked about this, mostly more contemporary ones like One-Dimensional Man by Herbert Markuse (one of my favorite books).

In spite of its (sometimes) outdatedness, I would still recommend it. It’s quick, accessible, and is free from most of the horrifically boring prose of the time period.

For a Left Populism by Chantal Mouffe

challenging reflective medium-paced

1.75

There are some interesting ideas in here but I think the way they go with them is wrong, and out of left field/out of pocket. 

I think its important to meet people where they are at and create a politics/discourse that more people are open to participating in, addressing problems the people have directly, addressing class struggle (and other struggles) by pointing out an "enemy". I also think the bits about "creating" a people are interesting but nothing that hasn't been done in work in intersectionality (think Audre Lorde, Donna Haraway, etc.). 

There's a lot of other stuff that I have to say about the actual politics and such (I disagree with them), but instead of doing that, I will just say that it is ironic a book about populism and meeting people where they are uses language so academic that it is difficult for me to understand some parts and I have quite a bit of experience reading wack, crazy ass theory.

Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This shit’s too good. I think it genuinely might change my life. There is a lot in here about taking care of one’s self while organizing and working for change. Taking time for one’s self. Realizing all are equal. Taking up space and making space where one wants to/needs to (what’s the difference?). 

I read adrienne maree brown’s other book on transformative justice, I believe it is called “We Won’t Cancel Us”, focusing on how to healthily deal with conflict in left-wing spaces (also a very good book). This book [Emergent Strategy] came out a while before “We Won’t Cancel Us” and stems from maree brown’s experience as a facilitator, healer, doula, etc. and thus—while focusing on organizing—focuses a lot of conflict management.

My favorite parts are when they (mares brown) discusses fractals and how, to create a movement, we must work from the smallest parts up. Not just in our personal relationships with others, but our personal relationships with ourselves.

Definite recommendation to anyone, also she likes Octavia Butler and science fiction so they’re fucking awesome.

The Ride Down Mt. Morgan by Arthur Miller

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.25

I feel like he tried to do something similar to After the Fall, but I don’t think it was as good. A central theme in a lot of Arthur Miller’s work is cheating in relationships and I just wonder why? Maybe I’ll do some author research and find out.

After the Fall by Arthur Miller

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Masterpiece. The play is, somehow, a stream of consciousness. Quentin, the main character, reflects on his life and the meaning of innocence. I enjoyed the experimental quality of it all, it’s not something I’ve really seen before.

Batman: The Killing Joke (Deluxe Edition) by Alan Moore

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I recently read V for Vendetta and read The Watchmen a while back, I realized they were both written by Alan Moore and I have heard innumerable good things about “The Killing Joke.” Since I’ve never been into DC or Batman that much, I’ve never given it a try. The end goal of all this explaining is that this is my first real experience with Batman and the Joker (besides The Joker movie with Joaquin Phoenix).

Overall, I think it’s interesting. I think to really get the gravity of this, I’d need to read more DC stuff, get a little bit more on the level. The artwork was beautiful, I don’t think the part with Barbara being violated was really needed. But, I think the question of sanity was interesting. The way I thought about it was the dichotomy between good and bad. Is Batman good? Is he sane? Is he only considered sane because he is “fighting for the good side?” Definitely deserves a second read in a month or a week or something.