Weekend Book Recommendations

7/11/20

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This is the third installment of my book recommendation series. You can access the first one here and the second one here. Every Saturday I will post three book recommendations that will mainly be centered around socialism, Marxism, history and political economy. I will also take outside book recommendations from readers who want me to review them in the future. Enjoy!

1.) Black Reconstruction in America by W.E.B. Du Bois (1935)

This classic was first published in 1935 and was written by socialist and pan-Africanist thinker, W.E.B Du Bois. It is an essential read for anyone looking to understand the intricacies of slavery and the reconstruction era. What also makes the book great is Du Bois’s excellent prose and the way he divides the chapters. He labels them “The White Worker”, “The Black Worker”, “The Planter” etc. It makes the book easier to follow. By highlighting the struggle that freed slaves engaged in to help reconstruct America after the Civil War, Du Bois views the Reconstruction Era through a different lens. This book should be mandatory reading in high schools across the country, but due to his socialist roots, it never will be. It’s flying off the shelves now due to the recent George Floyd protests, so get a copy today from your local independent book seller.

2.) All-American Nativism: How the Bipartisan War on Immigrants Explains Politics as We Know It by Daniel Denvir (2020)

Daniel Denvir is a Jacobin magazine contributor and this is his first book. It’s a history on American immigration told from the vantage points of disenfranchised immigrants. The book focuses on how throughout history, both parties used legalized means to discriminate against immigrants. Through these legal means and the repetitious nature of these laws, a figure like Donald Trump could arise in 2016. Denvir makes a few leaps in terms of how the Chinese Seclusion act for example, influenced policies today. But overall, I enjoyed the book as he takes a unique approach to the hot button issue of immigration. Denvir explains the origins of xenophobia and how a nation of immigrants could transform into the stratified society we see today along class lines.

3.) On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein (2019)

Recent news of 100 degree temperatures in the Arctic has gotten me recently to think more about climate change. And this piece is essential for understanding what we need to do about it. Klein has written some excellent books in her career including “The Shock Doctrine”, which is a forerunning text on how capitalism takes advantage of natural and ecological disasters to exploit the many at the expense of the few. This recent book highlights not just the need for a Green New Deal in America, but the policies we need to undertake globally to actually deal with the crisis. Klein reports on the front lines in the emboldened text and strays aways from the partisan politics in America. It’s a shorter read and in my opinion another essential text for high school level students. It may end up being her magnum opus depending on what these next 30 years will look like under a rapidly-warming earth.