Socialist Book Club

[chequita guevara]

BTW, I fully support suggestions like Laz's, Ramo's and Stefu's. Play is a very important aspect of humanity and one that is forgotten all to often by the left. The Iron Heel, is a pretty decent book, and it describes fascism ten years before Mussolini had even invented it.

BTW, used bookstores are good places to find many of these books, though I doubt Empire or The Motorcycle Diaries have made it there yet.

[Spiffor]

I agree with Che's manifesto. We need to read the basis before continuing

[JohnT]

Copycat thread!

[Az]

Jack London. maybe will dig up some of those books daddy gave me.

[lord of the mark]

JS mills utilitarianism is an interesting suggestion and gets to different ideological directions. So far among the ideological works mentioned I have seem Marx, Engels, Lenin, Che, and Emma Goldman. This is to say the least (Marx excepted, and I suppose Engels) one particular view of "socialism" and what is worth learning about it. I myself am intereted in an ideological background for a third way/right social democrat politics. I would therefore be interested in non-Marxist socialists, revisionist Marxist, and left liberals and radicals. In this context Mills would be very interesting. However i dont think thats what the other posters are interested. Perhaps a "third way" book club?? But i dont think I will be participating soon.

[Stefu]

The Iron Heel, is a pretty decent book

I thought it was kinda turgid. Very much like Atlas Shrugged, except way shorter. Still, it was interesting. One thing to look at while reading are the obvious influences it has had on not only Atlas Shrugged (silly names are but one example) but also on Turner Diarrhea Diaries.

While we're looking at playful, how about Robert Tressell's Ragged Trousered Philantropists?

[Ramo]

JS mills utilitarianism is an interesting suggestion and gets to different ideological directions. So far among the ideological works mentioned I have seem Marx, Engels, Lenin, Che, and Emma Goldman. This is to say the least (Marx excepted, and I suppose Engels) one particular view of "socialism" and what is worth learning about it. I myself am intereted in an ideological background for a third way/right social democrat politics. I would therefore be interested in non-Marxist socialists, revisionist Marxist, and left liberals and radicals. In this context Mills would be very interesting. However i dont think thats what the other posters are interested. Perhaps a "third way" book club?? But i dont think I will be participating soon.

Emma Goldman was an anarchist, not a Marxist. The autobiography I mentioned was in large part a criticism of the early Soviet Union.

[Buck Birdseed]

I nominate "Arguments for a New Left" by Hilary Wainwright as our first book.

[Buck Birdseed]

Although to be fair I haven't read it yet. Maybe "Democracy and Difference" by Anne Phillips would be a better first pick.

[monkspider]

All sound like good nominations guys, when shall we hold a vote?

[Jon Miller]

I would be interested in non Marxist sociailists also

we should keep a braod focus

Jon Miller

[Gangerolf]

what about Mao's Little Red Book

[monkspider]

Is that a nomination Ganger?

[Gangerolf]

yes. I've skimmed through it a couple of times...
Mao didn't really practice what he preached

[Spiffor]

Mao's little red book is extremely uninteresting from a socialistic perspective IMHO. A good reading for its historical value though, since it was learned by heart all the Chinese.