What books are you reading now?

[Valkyrie]

I'm reading some Nietzsche, (here's a link to his books online)http://www.inquiria.com/nz/

What's everybody else reading or have just finished?

[koba]

now i am reading ......

la classe ouvriere et la transformation de l'éducation
(i guesse its translates to "The Working Class and the transformation of the education system". its writen by Jack Barnes.

and im also reading Le gouvernement des Travailleurs et des agriculteurs (translates to ... The government of Workers and farmers) written by Joseph Hansen and Mary-Alice waters. This book talks about the the socialist revolutions in South and central america throughout the century and what is happening presently in certain countries like Columbia and the evolution of marxism and socialism since the the communist manifesto.


I'm presently looking for "Imperialism the Supreme state of Capitalism" written by Lenin



Ciao, bonsoir, and goodbye
have a good reading time :)

[Naive]

I'm half way through " Che, a memoir by Fidel Castro." It's a collection of speeches, interviews etc. by Fidel about Che. Pretty interesting, cause you get a bit of insight into what Castro thought about the Bolivian campaign and Che’s death. Some parts are a bit though to get through, cause reading a speech s isn’t quite as interesting as hearing someone hold it.

[libereco]

for school i'm reading Kafkas "Die Verwandlung" (no idea what it's called in english...Transformation? A bugs life?)

and for myself i'm reading chomsky's "Profit over People"

[chencha]

"Chasing Che-A Motorcycle Journey in Search of the Guevara Legend"...so far I like the book, it's really captivating.

[rebel7609]

I'm finishing up "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam." I'm learning a lot about a truly beautiful religion. For anyone like me who didn't know a thing about Islam and are curious because of recent world events, read this book.

Just tonight I bought "Afghanistan's Endles War" by Larry Goodson. It had better be good- I've never paid $22 for a stinking PAPERBACK in my life. It's got Massood on the cover. :)

A lot of people here have said that Motorcycle Diaries is really good. That's on my list of books to buy.

Ugh! I tried to get through Fidel's book on Che but I couldn't stand it. He's too much of a boring old windbag. GREAT photo on the cover though.
Speaking of boring old windbags..... how do my posts always turn out so long?

[Michael]

In the middle of Orwell's "The lion and the unicorn"...

www.k-1.com/Orwell/lion.htm

[vox]

Liberco,

Kafka's work is translated into English as "The Metamorphosis."

vox

(Edited by vox at 3:02 pm on Nov. 17, 2001)

[libereco]

ah, thanks for clearing that up vox. :)

[CommieBastard]

I ain't reading one, I'm righting one.
And it's called:

How you were fucked from birth

in which i will be writing a lot about my personal philosophy, including my theory on Marx's theory being a self-defeating prophecy.

Needless to say, this is going to be a life work, and will require a lot of research.
However, since i only intend to live another 10, maybe 20, years thats not SUch a life work...

[Son of Scargill]

Just finished reading"Angels of the Universe" by Einar Mar Gudmundsson......I never knew schizophrenia could be so amusing.
Waiting for"Captive State:The Corporate Takeover of Britain"by George Monbiot to turn up.Should be interesting.

[Viva Zapata]

I'm reading "Fidel-a critical portrait" by Tad Szulc, and Rebel you must definately read the motorcycle book 'cause it's fun to read. next on my list are eldridge cleaver's "soul on ice" and "the Kennedy tapes" by may zelikow. I've got dozens of books waiting for me, it's scary......

[Freiheit]

capitalsim: opposing viewpoints by bruno leone

[Naive]

I have to agree with Rebel, by the end of the Fidel memoir on Che I was glad to put it down. It was interesting, but Fidel does come across as a "boring old windbag" and it makes it hard to stay with the book at times. *lol*

I've just started Che's African Dream and it's a much better read. It's so easy to get into and reads really well plus you have to admire the man for his honesty.

[El Commandante]

I have recently finished ready animal farm and 1984, I would have read them earlier but I knew that I would not fully appreciate the message that they give so I left it quite late.

[Karo Chevez]

Reading Che by Jon Lee Anderson,plus works by Adler,
Freud,Trotsky,Bertrand Russell,and Bakunins God and
State,unfortunately I cant read but one work at a time,
its a habit Ive had for many years,Im aware that Trotsky
advised that one should concentrate their energies upon
one certain book at a given time,but we are all creatures
of habit.Im somewhat of a somniac in that my mind refuses to rest,it is like a cage of wild monkeys that demands attention,I only hope that I can continue my
present reading without the introduction of new material
in order that I may gleem as much understanding as
possible,I enjoy reading the posts immensely and look
foreward to each new post.-Karo

[martinmc]

Just finished 100 years of solitude again....incredible piece of work. About to start The Iron Heel by Jack London again, would recommend it to anyone. Re-reading a lot of Vonnegut as well. Any Vonnegut fans out there. Anyone know of a good Eugene Debs biography?

[Freiheit]

i just began to read in the book 'Geschichte der politischen Ideen' (history of the political ideas).
because of school, i read a book about mass media and some books about the canadian political system.

[sabre]

currently

To Kill A Mockingbird (for school) ,

Zapatista: Reinventing revolution in mexico

and a whole lot of comic/cartoon books hehe

[El Commandante]

To kill a mocking bird is a really good book, it is a while since I read that, for school we had to Of Mice and Men which was already but a bit dull. What I want to read next is Homage to Catolina, I have been looking for it and couldn't find it in the fiction, then someone pointed out to me it was non-fiction, D'oh! But I've spent the money I had for it so I'll have to wait I while again, bloody pain having no money.

[pce]

martinmc, i read vonnegut's last novelette, really, called "thank you dr. kevorkian" or something to that effect. it was really interesting and funny. i read it in one sitting. i haven't read anything else though, but i probably will.

[DaNatural]

i just finished reading great book by, Raja Anwar entitled, The tragedy of Afghanistan. great book. i just finished a small pamphlet by leon trotsky which was great, and now i have finally stated on Capital by Marx, i must say so far this book is extremely boring. maybe im going against "commi" code butreally anyone who has read this im sure can agree, he takes so bloody long describing shit. anyway i your looking for a quick read dont read this yet, im reading this just so i have a broader understanding of his most famous work. i hope it picks up, peace.

(Edited by DaNatural at 12:25 pm on Nov. 27, 2001)

[psycho chicken]

che guevara a revolutionary life

i only just found it

[psycho chicken]

damn double posts

(Edited by psycho chicken at 7:32 am on Nov. 27, 2001)

[Nickademus]

nothing revolutionary
legal problems of international economic relations
and about 6 decisions from the WTO

[gogo gomez]

"el chollo" the feeling passes. by federick barton

"the business end of government" by dan smoot ($1 paperback) :)

"the underground empire" by james mills

"the holy bible"

and

"odessa file" by frederick forsyth



oh of course still reading: at least 3 books on Che and

"Rage Against the Machine" by ? colin devenish

(Edited by gogo gomez at 4:13 pm on Dec. 10, 2001)

[Avamatha]

I've just started Jon Lee Anderson's "Che", which I accidently found from library. Before that I read Che's "Mi primer gran viaje de la Argentina a Venezuela en motocicleta." (Hell of a name for a book... Couldn't think of any shorter name? In Finland it's translated: "Moottoripyörä päiväkirja." See the difference?)

And when I finish Che, I'll be starting "the lord of the rings" for the third time. Ah, I just _love_ that book!!!

[MJM]

The grundrisse-marxs note book,it's very intense and leaves me reeling a bit.
Kapital-a lot more easy to understand.
Also a few other books that have absolutely no relevence to politics.
I too can't read one book at a time which can suck if you get the plots merged in your mind.

[Naive]

I just finished "my friend Che" by Ricardo Rojo. I thought it was a great read, cause you get a glimpse of the lighter side of Che. Especially when he describes their friendship and the nicknames they gave each other: fatso, sniper and the pig. Some of the Che quotes cracked me up. I think my favourite one was: "They call me the pig, because I make noises when I eat!" *lmao* Yes, yes, definitely the most complete human being of our time. *l*

[Elfinity]

Im reading 'Che, A Revolutionary Life' by Jon Lee Anderson.

I saw someone say they're reading To Kill A Mockingbird...my all time favourite book!!:-) It's a great little story with a good moral foundation, but it doesnt push the topic, just makes it's point quietly.

[CHUX39]

Startin to read 'Che in Africa' for my own seeking of knowledge. Just finished readin 'the Manifesto' it's easier to understand than i thought, chapter 2, that was it right there.

[Soledad Brother]

I am currently reading. "The 48 Laws of Power" by Robert Green. I find it interesting and somewhat disturbing.

[Italian Commie]

Re-reading 1984
It's amazing how accurate Orwell was when he described the future that could evolve if we are not careful to safeguard our rights... I can see it happening now every time I read more news about the abrogation of constitutional rights in America. It's truly sad.

I especially love the part in the book where he (O'Brien) talks about how it isn't just enough to acknowledge the superiority of BB, but you must LOVE him. This is sort of the way the US works, isn't it? It's not enough that you give them grudging respect, but you must LOVE them, you must THANK them for "saving" you from yourself. You must owe them a debt of gratitude for all they have "given" you. A genuius that man, Orwell, I tell you.

[ArgueEverything]

im reading 'the statanic verses' by salman rushdie. i picked it up about 2 years ago, but put it down bcos it was too confusing. now ive started again and its making a lot more sense. its actually a very good book, though a lot of it would offend muslims.

im also reading 'the stand' by stephen king, which is also good thus far. only problem is that its 1500 pgs

[Freiheit]

i just finished 'ANIMAL FARM'.
and began with 'A FRIENDLY DICTATORSHIP' which tries to prove that canada is a dictatorship.

[LeftoverAnimal]

I am Halfway Through Aldous Huxely's 'Brave New World'
and i just starting Che's Bolivian Diarys

[Taj]

I'm now reading Animal farm!... Great book tough!

[I Will Deny You]

I'm reading Elmore Leonard's Out of Sight, which isn't quite political. I also like Hiaasen, who makes his positions on plenty of issues clear in his better books. The problem is, Hiaasen has hardly written any novels while Leonard has written a ton. I'm reading Elie Wiesel's Night for school, and although I've read it before it's still just as disturbing as the first time (which is something I can't say about The Painted Bird). I have some Dario Fo stuff on order, but it takes forever for my local bookstore to get it.

[maria11r]

Quote: from CommieBastard on 11:41 pm on Nov. 17, 2001
I ain't reading one, I'm righting one.
And it's called:

How you were fucked from birth

in which i will be writing a lot about my personal philosophy, including my theory on Marx's theory being a self-defeating prophecy.

Needless to say, this is going to be a life work, and will require a lot of research.
However, since i only intend to live another 10, maybe 20, years thats not SUch a life work...

yeah good luck with that one! actually, you got me interested. i would like to read, if you ever finish it.

(Edited by maria11r at 12:46 am on Dec. 22, 2001)

[maria11r]

i just started reading Venceremos!

[guevarista16]

im reading

Centro America ( no las dakotas hahhahaa... que tontos chistes hehehhe)
okay sorry
im reading "Centro America: entre dos fuegos
written by: Leonel Giraldo
also reading : "Lorca-Dali. El amor que no pudo ser" has nothing to do with politics but intresting about Lorca and Dali's gay love life......
.....I just finished "pasajes de la guerra revolucionaria" by che guevara...

this is my second time reading it but i got it as a gift... its a really old copy published in la habana in 1975... when i got it nearly died... they got it at a used book store in Cuba........ i also got cuban money with che's face on it .....pretty old too.... just wanted to share
.....well see you
saludos desde Mexico
!!!!Aguante Guevara!!!
-----------Karina

[Conghaileach]

I just got "Necessary Illusions" by Noam Chomksy for Christmas, so I'm starting that.

[Sasafrás]

Hmm, I'm one of the FEW not reading a Che-related or politics-related book. Right now, by choice I'm reading "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez (almost finished), and I have to read "The Killer Angels," a book about the stupid Battle of Gettysburg, for my Advanced Placement US History class. That's by Michael Shaara. I wouldn't necessarily call it political since it's only about a battle.. * *:) * Happy Day!

[Nickademus]

just finished the Vagina Monologues (everyone, male or female should read them)

and am starting Ann Ryand's Capitalism. only on page 5 and i already have issues with her philosophy

[libereco]

i tried reading an Ayn Rand book once.... ugh.

[I Will Deny You]

I hate Ayn Rand. I think she wrote books like Capitalism (which only gets worse as you read more, by the way) so that she could have her own followers.

[DaNatural]

im currently reading, Search for a Method, By J.P Satre, brilliant mind. any one who is interested in new interpretations of marxism and broadening marxism, needs to read this mans later works, and i would start with the title i just mentioned , its only about 180 pages but it is really jammed packed with info and great insight. He rips alot of modern day marxists for taking such a narrow approach to matters. and im also reading, Lenin, by robert service, also a damn good book. and before that i read a book called, Taliban by ahmed rashied, it had ssome interesting info in it but the author seemed to have some racist views about afghans so it sorta distorted the proper view of the taliban. interesting read tho, if anyone wants to learn how alot of the shit got started pick it up. peace

[I Will Deny You]

I just started reading Vince Flynn's Separation of Power, the sequel to his atrocious The Third Option. I normally would rather drink my own piss than read this, but the Hava Nagilans are getting a new website (I'm not sure if anyone here is familiar with them, probably not) and I was asked to review a new fiction book. I'm warning you now, and I'll warn the world a million times when the review is published: DON'T READ THIS! I'd say more, but I've got to get back to work. Maybe I'll link to the review when it gets put up.

[El Commandante]

I'm reading Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. I have only just started it so I can't really comment on it yet.

[el che1220]

I just finished reading "the Grapes of Wrath", and now Adam Smith's "The wealth of Nations" is awaiting me....:) then I'll start reading Bakunin and Lenin, 'cause I really need to finish reading their masterpieces...I only read a few excerpts....It's about time..:)

[Edelweiss]

#Moderation Mode



Moved here (http://www.che-lives.com/cgi/community/topic.pl?forum=21&topic=1)

[Avamatha]

So unfair! There are so many books about Che, but only two or three translated in my language and my english isn't yet good enough to read the books in english... God damn...

[Soledad Brother]

I just started.. "Man's search for meaning" by Viktor Frankl.

[Conghaileach]

I picked up Homage to Catalonia last week and am now half way through it.

[maria11r]

Right now i'm reading LA CELULA VIVA. i like biology. especially genetics. so it's for my own interest

[Nickademus]

have just finished the vagina monologes, moved on to "capitalism: the unknown ideal" by ayn rand and NO LOGO (ccan't remember the author ande am too lazy to look).

[Valkyrie]

No Logo, Naomi Klein .

[Victoria]

Right now I am on the biggest Che reading spree. Within the week I have read African Dream, Episodes of the Revolutionary War, and Guerrilla Warfare. Next up: Bolivian Diaries and Motorcycle Diaries (when I find it!)
I've also read a bio about him and "Chasing Che". Its hard to find books written by Che, though. I was lucky to find Episodes in my school's library (of all places!), and my dad found his old copy of guerilla warfare for me to read. Its the one published in 1969! I was almost afraid to read it because it is yellowing and looks ready to fall apart.

[Valkyrie]

whoops

(Edited by Paris at 8:14 am on Jan. 5, 2002)

[Zippy]

Elizabeth Wurtzel - Prozac Nation : Young & Depressed In America

A wonderfully happy little book.

Zippy.

[Breast Pump]

Noam Chomsky's The Prosperous Few And The Restless Many

I swear if I don't start reading more I'm going to throw this computer out my window. A month ago I took a lovely trip to the bookstore & bought 4 books I'm sure I'll love if I just freakin' read 'em. I'm also certain I would spend a lot less time online if I had a cable modem but the cost is too great =/

(Edited by Breast Pump at 10:44 am on Jan. 10, 2002)

[Kez]

I am reading 10 days that shook the world
The bolshevik revolution

Also...next book is gona be Affluent Society
top books

comrade kamo

[Breast Pump]

I just ran into the book the other night and the title caught my attention. Tell me what you think of it as soon as you're done reading it and I might give it a go, thanks!

[Sasafrás]

OK, I'm finally about to finish Julia Alvarez' "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" and then, I'll be trying to read Burroughs' "Junky." I've had that book for about 2 years and I only managed to get through half and then stop reading it after I never had time anymore. I'll start over entirely.. (Does anyone like Burroughs here?) Then, for my Lang/Comp class, I'll be reading "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." I think that will be one of the few books I've been assigned for that class that I'll actually read in its entirety.. :)
I only fully read "Cry, the Beloved Country" and I read half of "Tess of the D'Urbervilles," "The Grapes of Wrath," "1984," and "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Don't even ask about "Invisible Man," "The Scarlet Letter," & "As I Lay Dying." :biggrin:

[MJM]

I love W.S.Burroughs. Junky is his best IMO.Cities of the Red Night next.
I didn't think much of Naked Lunch myself it took me months to read whereas I read the above 2 in under a week each.
I also had a CD of his it was awesome too, can't remember what it was called now.

[I Will Deny You]

Naked Lunch seemed more powerful to me than any of his other books. It was definitely different than all of the rest, though.

[DaNatural]

I just finished reading, Prison Blossoms, by Mumia Abu Jamal. And right after I began reading LIve from Death Row, by the same author. They are both easy reads and are packed with great information and interpretations of society. Live from Deth Row is a must read. peace

[krsone976]

i'm reading guerilla warfare by the famous che

[Pillar of Maturity]

I'm reading an illustrated copy of Kama Sutra that I got for Christmas :)

I also picked up a copy of Chomsky's 9/11 that I'm half through. I'll probably be done with it tomorrow. Then it's straight to the library to get Little Green Men again.

[Markxs]

just finished animal farm and 1984 and the seagulll from jonathon livinstone great book about freedom the last one

[El Commandante]

Today I started "coming up for air" by Orwell, from what I have read so far I like it a lot.

[Quetzalli]

I just finished reading: A Toltec Wisdom Book, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Rodiriguez. A practical guide to personal freedom... A great book, brief with plenty of iteration.

In this case iteration was beneficial to the reader. The author would not allow his message to escape your mind, you were reminded time and time again what you should and should not do while on this mission to personal freedom. I read the book in a few hours. I highly recomend this book to those who aren't too happy with their life but everyone should give it a read.

Next reading material:

Mexica Handbook
The Zapatista Reader
La casa en Mango Street (spanish) :( definitely a challenge.

(Edited by Quetzalli at 9:35 am on Feb. 8, 2002)

[I Bow 4 Che]

I just finished "Go as Alice" and right now lined up i plan on re-reading 1984, Brave New World, and Animal Farm.
Next I really want to read "brave New World rediscovered" or whatever its called

[Hayduke]

Right now Im reading the lord of the rings.........and I just orderd a book bout che and it jsut came in it has 500 pages and its really good...........

[El Commandante]

I've just read A Homage to Catalonia by Orwell, and it was brilliant, I'm now reading the essays and letters that accompany it.

[CimSaint]

I just read the memoirs of Che's first wife, and it was pretty interesting, if a little dry. Seeing Che in a father and husband role was pretty cool after reading Guerilla Warfare.

[Sasafrás]

Right now, in school, I'm reading Pygmalion (and we're watching "My Fair Lady" :) ). Also, I am reading the autobiography of famous African-American poet Alice Walker's daughter, Rebecca Walker. The book's called Black White and Jewish.
My good friend gave me Mein Kampf for my birthday yesterday, so I imagine I'll read that soon enough...
After we finish Pygmalion and all our different autobios/bios, we'll be reading The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in AP Lang./Comp. class.
Twain is an awesome guy, to me! I can't wait to read Huck! :biggrin:

[guerrillaradio]

I'm reading Nietzsche, and after him I think I'll start on some Marx and Baudelaire. Homage to Catalonia is very good, it suits my cynicism.

[Quetzalli]

I just finished reading The Stranger... I liked Camus' simple yet captivating writing style, I enjoyed the book; however, the book was not what I expected, at all.

I first found out about the book because of The Cure's song "Killing an Arab," for some strange reason... I figuered the theme was racism =/

The irony of this book is the perception that being "inddiferent" of the world and its inhabitants lead to his happyness. Ironic indeed. I like the book but I don't love it. I grasp Meursault's personality but I 'highly' doubt most of us can apply his way of life, that is all.

[Bakunjin]

I am currently reading Orwells 1984... Although I should be studying Rural Sociology for my exame...
Quetzalli: finished The Stranger? The best book I have ever read...The best parts of the book are the begining ("Mom died yesterday. Or was it day before." In the shortness of these sentences you see how he thinks...doesn't care for anything...); and the part where they asked does he feel guilty because of murdering and he answers: "I feel unsatisfaction more..."

[Kez]

Im reading Chaim Potoks "The Chosen", from what ive read so far (20) pages, its about the different jewish communisties in NewYork. Pretty good, a good insight of 30's/40's America thru Jewish Perspective

comrade kamo

[anarchoveganLAM]

I just read
Seize the Time: The story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton by Bobby Seale

I am reading
the Autobiography of Malcolm X
and
I-Ching

[guerrillaradio]

I'm currently reading Beyond Good and Evil by Nietzsche, Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel (not political, but it helps with my depression) and I'm re-reading No Logo by Naomi Klein (great book) and Animal Farm (for skool admittedly). After that I'll start The Outsider by Camus.

[ZaPaTiStA SoCiAlIsTa]

Has anyone read 1984, im reading that now, its very good and reflects whats goin on in the world today!

[Valkyrie]

Anarchovegan, check out 'Soul on Ice' by Eldridge Cleaver

[Sasafrás]

Whoa, ZaPaTiStA SoCiAlIsTa, I hope you read this, but that avatar is totally fucking awesome. Where the fuck did you find it?!

I'm sorry, my excitement turns me into a sailor.

Yes, I and many others here have read '1984.' Well, I read most of it anyway. It's a great book!

OK, I'm still waiting to read Huck Finn but we're also going to read "Raisin in the Sun" in my English class. I've never read it, has anyone here? Is it good? I assume it is.

I just finished reading Black White and Jewish and it was definitely NOT one of the best books I've read in my lifetime (and I haven't even read a whole lot). I wouldn't even suggest that anyone read it unless they're really interested in reading the complaints of a bi-racial feminist. Nothing's wrong with being a bi-racial feminist, but this bi-racial feminist's book was not very wonderful though it was not too bad anyway. I think that reviewer on Amazon was correct; that book was almost like pure schmaltz.

[RedCeltic]

[b]HEY KAMO!

I've seen that book"The Chosen", and wanted to read it... there is a great number of Jewish communities here in New York.. many quite distinctive. I think that's wonderful that your reading about our culturally diverse New York. There are many variations of ethnicity here in New York. Give us a review of it when your done will ya?

I'm sure he's mentioned the Hasidic Jews in Crown Hights, there has been ethnic termoil between them and the African Americans over a murder case that hapened ten years ago.

Hasidics are quite distictive in apperence and are often mocked when in public by tourists, which is quite sad.

[comandante X]

Currently reading: The Closing of the American Mind. A commentary on generation x by a leftist baby boomer. Intersting to say the least.

Previous reading: Ishmael. By Daniel Duinn. A must read for everyone.

Suggested reading: The Chomsky Reader. By the man himself...Noam Chomsky.

[ZaPaTiStA SoCiAlIsTa]

Responding to la rainbeux (sorry if i mis-spell your name) I found this on a web site full of zapatista art, just type in " latuff" on yahoo and look through, you should find a web site specifically for Zapatista art, look around and youll find it, if not E mail me and ill send it to you.

[guerrillaradio]

I've just started Camus' The Outsider (I'm incapable of reading one book at a time) and I'm a bit puzzled. I mean, I've read 30 pages of irrelevant introduction, and I know it's only 100 pages long!!! Someone please allay my fears by telling me it's such a grate book...

[munkey soup]

Albert Camus is a God!!

[Breast Pump]

guerrillaradio: I feel you bro. I liked the book but it was definitely not one of my faves. I got the book, but it did not help me come to any new revelations that weren't already there, obtained through personal experience, life itself.

Let me ask you this: Did you assume what the book was going to be about? I sure did and it fucked me over, every chapter I waited for the images I had built up in my mind to come forth. I think I already mentioned this but I read the book because of The Cure's song "Killing an Arab," I figuered it was about racism, so I awaited for racism-- but racism was no where to be found = /

Piece of advice, always read the summary of the book, something i was oddly against (it saves you from assumptions) especially when you hear everyone and your mother praise the work of literature.

... always read the summary and fine out all you can about the book/the time it took place/the author, etc., it may take away from coming up on fun facts in the book but it saves you from building your own fantasies.

[Lardlad95]

question, which philosipher talked about democracy, aristotle or plato, i'm about to read both of them and I need to know which to start on

[death b4 dishonour]

im reading sumthing called the last apocalypse

[El Commandante]

I started Down and Out in Paris and London and so far I like it because of it's graphic descriptions and Orwell's tradition written style.

[BOZG]

I'm reading Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory: The Story of Rosa Parks by Douglas Brinkley and I'm gonna read Malcolm X's autobiography next. (Again)

[libereco]

right now i'm reading "Die Deutschstunde" (for school)
and The Attack - Chomsky

but I just ordered some books:
Choke (i think it was Rob who suggested this)
What is Property?- Prodhoun

the other titles i'll just translate because I'm to lazy to look them up:

Life without a Boss and State - dreams and reality of Anarchists

State and Anarchy (?) - Bakunin

Anarchism. Basis, Ideal and Philosophy - Kropotkin

[MJM]

Seeing red- about a govt spy in the NZ commie party.

The greening of a red- a biography of a marxist turned enviromentalist.

State secrets- cover ups, coups and gun running in the pacific.

[deadpool 52]

The Mismeasure of Man - Stephen Jay Gould

Empire - Gore Vidal

Finished awhile ago Beyond Good and Evil

(Edited by deadpool 52 at 8:42 am on Mar. 12, 2002)

[militantmindLAM]

i'm reading this very shity but funny book
ayn rand's capitalism the unknown idea

[MaQuIs]

"The IRA, A Complete History" by Tim Pat Coogan

[MaQuIs]

Also am reading "The Hidden War" about the Soviet war in Afgahn, "Mary, Queen of Scots" a bio about the Queen of Scots, and "How to Build a Time Machine" about the theoretical physics behind actual time travel.

-------------------------------------------
"People who say they are paranoid think they have threats against their lives, I DO have threats against my life."

[MJM]

MaQuIs, who's the author of 'how to build a time machine'?

[MaQuIs]

Paul Davies, an Australian physicist, real good book.

[alphaq]

"The Zapatista Reader" by Tom Hayden and Che's Motorcycle Diaries

[Zippy]

"Microserfs" by Douglas Coupland.

Its ok but i dont like his writing style that much. :)

Zippy.

--------

++ playing : Jurrasic 5 - Concrete Schoolyard ++

[MaQuIs]

Killing Rage-by Eamon Collins. About his time in the IRA during the troubles. Critically aclaimed, he was killed in 1999 as a revenge killing by the IRA.

[Revolution Hero]

" Vulture things of the century" and "It is hard to be god" by Strugatskiys Brothers.
Have anybody read it????

[Raztro]

Quote: from psycho chicken on 6:29 am on Nov. 27, 2001
che guevara a revolutionary life


Same here...

[chomsky student]

i have just finished reading MANUFACTURING CONSENT. The political ecomony of the mass media. by the chom.
very interesting but not wholley surprising, also just recently finished sept 11, dettering democracy and what uncle sam really wants. which is why i am called the chomsky student.

in the middle of reading jon andersons a revolutionary life about che, but for some lite relieve i am reding the final book in the lord of the rings trilogy.

[abstractmentality]

Atheism: The Case Against God by George H. Smith

[Jurhael]

1. Angela's Ashes--Frank McCourt. Difficult movie to see. Easy read, but hard to digest. THAT is POVERTY! I don't ever want to go through that and I don't believe anyone else should. How he got through all that simply amazes me. I've stalled though in favor of these two books:

2. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep--Philip K. Dick. I'll be brief. Good book, but I like the movie better. Also stalled in favor of:

3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame--Victor Hugo. I wasn't too interested in this book at all until I saw the Roger Ebert review about how he first thought it was a mistake to make an animated movie based on an 800 page tragic depressing novel(but the Disney movie itself turned out to be appearently good. However, the Disney version doesn't really interest me...) Anyway, tragic...depressing? Hell! That's one of my favorite kinds of books! It took me ages to finally start reading it and I'm glad I did! So far, the characters and dialogue are quite good. The prose? AAAAAGGGHHH...that's tough to get through...and why why why does there need to be so much stuff about things that aren't quite relevant to the story? I mean it's to teach and it's great to learn from books, but this is too much. However, it doesn't stop me from having a hard time putting it out of my head. Since I have a bad habit of reading ahead, I'd just like to say that Claude Frollo is one the best, most interesting characters I've seen yet. I haven't read too far ahead though. I'm not THAT dumb! EHehehehehehe...I wonder if there's any fanfics based on this book? Wonder if they're any good? Doubt it? Any slash? I can't BELIEVE I thought that...MWHAAHA! But, I think I'm going to like this book VERY much!

[oconner]

I read 'Guerilla Prince' about Catro. It was complety biased towards America and rubbish

[Zippy]

Im reading :

Fast Food Nation - by Eric Schlosser

"What the all-American meal is doing to the world."

Zippy.

[Anthracis]

I'm currently reading:
"1984" - George Orwell, and
"Thus Spoke Zaratharus" - Friedrich Nietszche

[SA160]

Emile Zola is a must. Check him out if you have not read him yet.

[Malvinas Argentinas]

i am reading the last book of Wilbur Smith, in spanish:"el hechisero"

[abstractmentality]

Crime and Punishment....although it isnt really a leftist book; written after he went away from his socialist thoughts. still, its a good read, when you get passed the anti socialist material.

[libereco]

roughly translated:

Live without Boss and State - Dreams and Reality of the Anarchists.

interesting read; historical, yet written like a story...not dry.

[Freedom Fighter]

"Canadian volunteers"(about the spanish civil war etc) and ive just finished "settlers - mythology of the white proletariat"

[LiZ]

Greetings comrade!

-I´ve started Che Guevara, A revolutionary life (about 600pages)
and at the same time I´m reading -Schindlers list.
< I took those from library...

about year or two ago I was getting to know with Che. I started to admire and adore him and some moths or half year ago I bought and red Che´s motorcycle Diary, and it was awesome, since that, I´ve lived for Che.

take care:)

[Domino]

I'm reading "La Vida En Rojo" (Life in red) a Ché biography which is actually doing pretty good so far.

[Domino]

Just had to post this poem, probably you all know it, but I love it!

When the trumpet blared everything
on earth was prepared
and Jehovah distributed to the world
to Coca-Cola Inc., Anaconda,
Ford Motors and other entities:
United Fruit Inc.
reserved for itself the juiciest,
the central seaboard of my land,
America's sweet waist.
It rebaptized its lands
the "Banana Republics,"
and upon the slumbering corpses,
upon the restless heroes
who conquered renown,
freedom and flags,
it established the comic opera:
it alienated self-destiny,
regaled Caesar's crowns,
unsheathed envy, drew
the dictatatorship of the flies:
Trujillo flies, Tacho flies,
Car’as flies, Mart’nez flies,
Ubico flies, flies soaked
in humble blood and jam,
drunk flies that drone
over the common graves,
circus flies, clever flies
versed in tyranny.

Among the bloodthirsty flies
the Furit Co. disembarks,
ravaging coffee and fruits
for its ships that spirit away
our submerged lands' treasures
like serving trays.

Meanwhile, in the seaports'
sugary abysses,
Indians collapsed, buried
in the morning mist:
a body rolls down, a nameless
thing, a fallen number,
a bunch of lifeless fruit
dumped in the rubbish heap.

-Pablo Neruda, 1950

[Alejandro C]

Great poem, i love Neruda. Right now i'm reading one of my other favorite poet's anthology- the portable Jack Kerouac, as well as Doors of Perception by Huxley, both are very good

[IzmSchism]

just finishing Global Showdown, next is Live From Death Row, then Blowback (America's Failing Foreign Policy)

[andresG]

tetelives,
That is also one of my favorite poems of Pablo Neruda. Does anyone have this poem in spanish?If you do can you please post it.
thanks

[andresG]

tetelives,
That is also one of my favorite poems of Pablo Neruda. Does anyone have this poem in spanish?If you do can you please post it.
thanks

[Domino]

Hey! :)

Si, lo tengo en español, aqui esta ;)

La United Fruit Co.

Cuando sonó la trompeta, estuvo
Todo preparado en la tierra
Y Jehová repartió el mundo
A Coco-Cola Inc., Anaconda,
Ford Motors y otras entidades:
La Compañía Frutera Inc.
Se reservó lo más jugoso,
La costa central de mi tierra,
La dulce cintura de América.
Bautizó de nuevo sus tierras
Como "Repúblicas Bananas",
Y sobre los muertos dormidos,
Sobre los héroes inquietos
Que conquistarón la grandeza,
La libertad y las banderas,
Estableció la ópera bufa:
Enajenó los albedríos,
Regaló coronas de César,
Desenvainó la envidia, atrajó
La dictatura de las moscas,
Moscas Trujillo, moscas Tachos,
Moscas Carías, moscas Martínez,
Moscas Ubico, moscas húmedas
De sangre humilde y mermelada,
Moscas borrachas que zumban
Sobre las tumbas populares,
Moscas de circo, sabias moscas
Entendidas en tiranía.
Entre las moscas sanguinarias
La Frutera desembarca
Arrasando el café y las frutas,
En sus barcos que deslizaron
Como bandejas de tesoro
De nuestras tierras sumergidas.
Mientras tanto, por los abismos
Azucarados de los puertos,
Caían indios sepultados
En el vapor de la manaña:
Un cuerpo rueda, una cosa
Sin nombre, un número caído,
Un racimo de fruta muerta
Derramada en el pudridero.

[Anarcho]

I believe the title is "Making Economic Sense by Murray Rothbard".

I've started trying to read one serious book and one fun book. Sort of a balance.

My fun book is, again, "The Illuminatus Trilogy".

Hail Eris!

[Anarcho]

I believe the title is "Making Economic Sense by Murray Rothbard".

I've started trying to read one serious book and one fun book. Sort of a balance.

My fun book is, again, "The Illuminatus Trilogy".

Hail Eris!

[BOZG]

next is Live From Death Row

Bastard. I can't get that anywhere.

[IzmSchism]

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/038...3383639-5324045 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0380727668/qid=1020473694/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_71_1/002-3383639-5324045)

you need a credit card bro, but I got mine from chapters, in Canada, I hadn't seen it anywhere, except for the other day it bit me in the eye, and I immediately snatched it. Amazing read so far, tears down the walls inside the prisons of the state and the prisons of the mind. Points his pen as his sword with incredible illumination of the corruption and racism that besieges america's prison system, and spits at the injustice to the term 'correction.' and its bullshit hallowness from justice outside and inside at a system that slowly kills you before you even die. You must read this book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BOZG]

Being 14 I have no credit card and no one in my family uses one so I'm screwed. I did have a PDF file of places to get free books and Live From Death Row was in it but when I went to the site, the published has asked for it to be removed.

[Maaja]

At the moment I am reading an Estonian book called 'Mäeküla piimamees'. It's in the list of obligatory literature, extremly boring but has still some point in it. So it's worth of reading! It's about women's situation at the beginning of the 20th century in Estonia and about the comedown of the Baltic-German noblity. Also about greed...

[IzmSchism]

brother, check out this site for shorts by Mumia

VIVE MUMIA!

http://www.flashpoints.net/MumiaLibrary.html

[jimr]

Noam Chomsky - Detering democracy

[IzmSchism]

has anyone read Small is Beautiful, by Shumacher...just started into it, but it is really good.

[red senator]

I am reading Lenin's "the state and revolution." It would help if I had a good understanding of pre-1917 russia/europe politics, but I think I can stumble through it allright.

[abstractmentality]

In Defense of Anarchism by Robert Paul Wolff. i believe this work is out of print, but i got it at a sale at my work (the library) for 50 cents! how kick ass is that! from what i have read of this book thus far (about half way through with it) its a good read that you all should think about taking a look at.

[Divine Soldier]

I am reading Behold A Pale Horse, By William Cooper.
Which I think everybody should read regardless of you political opinion about the world we live in. I am also reading The New World Order. Which I feel everyone should pick up a copy also....

P.E.A.C.E
(Postive Education Always Corrects Error)

[Charango]

I'm reading The Complete Idiot's Guide to Communism. Not exactly the most complex book in the world but it's helpful! I'm still just learning about this stuff! :smile:

[Hattori Hanzo]

Che Guevera- a Revolutionary Life

[TC of Glockenspiel]

Karl Marx Remembered edited Philip S. Foner

It's a compilation of texts (telegrams, speeches, articles etc.) from around the world from when the word of Karl Marx's death got out. It's interesting the way the book works as info on reaction to his death from just about every European country, the States and the rest of the world.

[TC of Glockenspiel]

Karl Marx Remembered edited Philip S. Foner

It's a compilation of texts (telegrams, speeches, articles etc.) from around the world from when the word of Karl Marx's death got out. It's interesting the way the book works as info on reaction to his death from just about every European country, the States and the rest of the world.

I finished Animal Farm last night...George Orwell is the man. Such a concise way of really showing the potential corruption, yet without bashing communism.

[PunkRawker677]

hey!!! you stole yoda!!

[Xenoth]

I am reading "Romantic Communist" about Life of Nazým Hikmet who was a great communist poet. His Life begane in ottoman empire and saw New Turkish Republic. He immigratred then to USSR.
- Establishing first communist party in middle-east
- Time of Lenin and time of stalin
- You can see Soviet Union with eyes of a poet.
I advise it....

[suffianr]

Comrades, any of you read any of Noam Chomsky's books? His theories and speculations on linguistics are fantastic, as are his works on the study of capitalism in the US. Whilst Chomsky may not be "required reading" for most self-professed leftists, I think his intellectual discoveries are profoundly relevant to all of us...
Don't be afraid to learn about capitalism...After all, shouldn't you keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?

Know your enemy, or he will exploit your ignorance!

[TC of Glockenspiel]

Well said comrade suffianr; Chomsky truly does offer important insights. A friend emailed one of his analyses of September 11th and I found it fascinating - if I manage to find it I will surely put it here.

[death b4 dishonour]

i just finished reading a book called Guevara a.k.a. che and a book about shaolin kung fu

[suffianr]

Guess what? I found this old book at my grandpa's house, " You Can Trust The Communists (to be Communists)". It's written by a Dr. Fred Schwarz, of the Christian Anti-Communism Crusade, published in February, 1962. Anyone here read it?

It supposedly provides a comprehensive, psycho-analytical approach to the fundamentals of understanding communist theories and the psyche of Soviet dialectics, and asserts itself as an indispensible tool in the battle against communism...

To be fair, the guy did do his homework, and there are interesting chapters on brainwashing and recruitment, there is a chapter on "Techniques For Seizing Power" and another on "Consolidation Of Power: The Dictatorship of the Proletariat", to name a few. The final chapter offers some tips for survival against the communist hordes threatening to storm the "Free World".

Bollocks.

The book, imho, is just another pathetic example of uninspired reverse-propaganda. The author clearly accumulated his understanding of communism based on interviews and encounters with fervent socialist outcasts and defectors. His view of communism is no different than that of an Alcoholic's Anonymous counsellor trying to understand the plight of a shit-faced drunkard wallowing in a pool of his own vomit.

He tries to provide a balanced, objective insight into communism, but what he ends up with is purely condescending opinions, conjecture-loaded, xenophobe diatribes on why you shouldn't be influenced by foreign ideas ("You ain't from aroun here, are ya sonny?") and whinning sentimental bullshit about preserving "freedom on this earth" (Yeah, and just look at where we are now).

It's sad, on one hand, and absolutely hilarious on the other! Ok, given the circumstances in which it was written I wouldn't blame the writer for his paranoia; 1962 was a prosperous time for commie-haters, as South America and South East Asia: Malaysia & Indonesia were going through intensly violent episodes of communist insurgency, with support from Maoist China, the Dutch, British and French Imperialists had almost upped and left, and the civil rights movement was steadily picking up back home in the States).

Now, wouldn't have you been freaked if Comrade Nikita poked a shotgun up your arse and told you to say "Cheese"?

[Menshevik]

reading "The Gospel According to Jesus Christ" for theology.

[abstractmentality]

im reading "The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac and also skipping around in Allen Ginsberg's Selected Poems 1947-1995. Anybody read from this generation?

[Menshevik]

read what, Ginsberg?

[abstractmentality]

ginsberg or kerouac. just wondering what you guys think of their writing.

[chomsky student]

ive just finished reading a couple of books

A narrative of a black american slave by Freddrick Douglass
very interesting written in 1845 and is quite graphic about the traumas the afro-american had to go through(fucking terrible) no person derserves to be treated like that.

and the other was Mama Tina a follow on from bridge across my sorrows, its about an irish woman who bstarts a foundation off to help the homelass kids in Vietnam after the fucking yanks blew the fuck out of everything. well worth a read on both books.

[suffianr]

I just finished reading George Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London" and Sebastian Junger's "The Perfect Storm". Superb.

I've just started a few pages on PJ O'Rourke's "Parliament of Whores" and also re-reading the Pimlico 2000 edition of Che Guevara's "Bolivian Diary", which I first read back in '96 when I was in high school.

Next, I'm going to take a long, long break from all this high-brow/pseudo-intellectual reading and go lay a hot chick somewhere, soon, for fuck's sake...

[Kez]

Lord of the flies is the shitest book ever written, and Golding should have had his hands chopped so he wouldnt write such shite.

Fuckin crap

:)

[Valkyrie]

im reading "The Dharma Bums" by Jack Kerouac and also skipping around in Allen Ginsberg's Selected Poems 1947-1995. Anybody read from this generation?
---

I've read a lot of the Beat Writings. If you're reading Ginsberg check out "Howl" also. I read alot Kerouac as well as Burroughs; my particular favorite of his is "Naked Lunch" and some stuff by Neal Cassady. I am also right now reading "The Rolling Stones Book of the Beats., " a collection of articles written about the beat era that were published in The Rolling Stone.


(Edited by Paris at 11:55 pm on May 29, 2002)

[maxfish17]

T Kamo, I seriously doubt that Lord of the flies is the "shittiest book ever written". Why do you hate it? I found it OK as did the majority of people who have read it.

Right Now I'm reading "Stalking the elephant: my discovery of America" by James Laxer (a canadian leftist). It's OK. It's pretty funny.

[Menshevik]

Whats wrong with Golding, was the symbolism too confusing for you, Kamo?

[abstractmentality]

Paris: i just read howl to my english class, at the request of my teacher. i think that it went completely over most of the students heads, and others just didnt care. Have you read both On the Road and The Dharma bums? people have told me that The Dharma Bums is better, and i was wondering what you thought.

[Kez]

Lord of the Flies is wank because of the following reasons:

a) Golding reckons everyone is evil and have to be surpressed in order not to be evil
b)Why the fuck were all the evacuee people boys? surely in a nuclear war people would mix sexes to reproduce in case of total annihalation
c)how the fuck do kids try to kill each other?
d)why the fuck didnt piggy become leader
e)Ralph was a bastard an thick shit
f)all the charachters were thick as pig shit (note my pun on using the word Pig)
g)How the fuck did the Litluns survive, and how they differenciate between good and bad
h)Why do nobheads say this book is about the USSR and USA?

thanking you

[Menshevik]

Ok first off, they were all boys because they were coming from a Boys' school. Maybe even a military school or something like that. Golding does think that everyone is evil, but he is going against the common picture of perfect English school boy. Instead of being neat, polite kids, these pre-adolescent boys develope a primitive hunter/gatherer mentality. Since they have not yet developed a mature sexuality, they are also driven by a sub-concious, all-male sexual dynamic. Piggy did becomce the leader because no one liked him. In that sort of society that depends on action and strenght, a fat pencil-pusher would not do well. Your description of the boys as being "thick as pig shit" shows how rationality can be taken over by immaturity and instinct. Instead of saying that the boys seemed passively stupid, you said they were "thick as pig shit." Therein lies the point Golding raises. In a given situation, instinct and masuline aggression take over rationality.

This book is not meant to be taken literally, Kamo, Golding shows us how evil can corrupt those who we perceive as innocent. Have you ever seen the way little boys play, its aggressive and dominating. After months of isolation, eventually their primal instincts and brutality would take over. Lord of the Flies was written in response to a book in which a bunch of English school boys are stranded on an island and its just one big, fun adventure.

Also, notice how they boys instantly become their pure selves once again, when the adults' presence becomes clear.

[MJM]

I've read a few of the beat writers, I don't think much of Ginsberg to be honest. But Burroughs and Kerouac are great.
I recommend - The Subterraneans by Kerouac and Cities of the Red Night by Burroughs. I didn't think much of Naked Lunch I much prefered Junky and Cities of the Red Night. I think Naked Lunch was a bit too homo erotic for my tastes, it was bordering on hard core porn most of the time.
I've never read any Cassidy stuff.

[abstractmentality]

Well, i still reading The Dharma Bums.
MJM: I havent read Burroughs yet, as i am still new to this writing, but how does it compare to Kerouac?

Oh yea, im reading Nietzsche's Thus Spoke Zarathustra as well.

[MJM]

I'd say it's as good as kerouac, it's written in a similar way,like your reading someones train of thought with little time spent editing and on puntuation. Burroughs uses a lot of homo erotica however, it's not for the faint hearted. Burroughs also did a few albums with music running while he spoke poetry, I heard one but can't recall the name, it's was very good to listen to.

[abstractmentality]

MJM: thanx. i will have to check out Cities of the red night soon then. the "homo erotica" doesnt bother me, in fact i like to read it, i see it as a truthful account as to what they see or feel and dont attempt to sugar coat anything (or at least thats what i felt when reading Ginsbergs accounts with Cassidy). I plan on finishing The Dharma Bums tonight, and Thus Spoke... in a few days, so i may pick that one up soon.

[Kez]

People attitudes and personalities are made from the society around them, ie the boys took them to the island, they didnt develope them.

Comrade Kamo

PS i still reckon its a shit book

[Nateddi]

"Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism" by V.I. Lenin.

Great work.

[Menshevik]

Kamo I agree that society often forms certain personalities, but the boys have this almost sub-conscience personalitie that only comes out when they are stuck alone on the island. you're entitled to your opinion, but your reasoning isnt very well thought out.

[j]

I'm reading "9-11" which is Chomsky's interviews following the WTC/Pentagon attacks

Leonard Peltier's prison writings

Huckleberry Finn (for the third time...I'm teaching it)

And this god damn thread is a fucking book in itself!!!

[Moskitto]

Che's Motorcycle Diary's, It's the second storytype (I mean a non-factbook) book i've found pleasurable to read. The other was "An Angel called Marvin" which is the story of the Old Testament from the viewpoint of an Angel.

[Fabi]

i read richard brautigan's 'a confederate soldier from big sur' a little while ago for the second time

then, again daniel goleman's 'emotional intelligence'

a while back the anarchist faq at anarchyfaq.org .... and various essays and historical texts on anarchism the russian revolution and democracy and texts about john locke...

also i am reading lenin's 'state and revolution' ...

and abbie hoffmann's 'steal this book'


also reading and listening some noam chomsky....
(necessary illusions, for example...)

(Edited by Fabi at 2:35 pm on June 6, 2002)

[Bakunjin]

I am currently studying Saint Simone and Auguste Comte - the utopic socialist and fathers of sociology

[abstractmentality]

Understanding Power the indispensible chomsky. barely started, but good so far.

[chomsky student]

i'm busy reading jihad vs macworld

very interesting- we are all screwed big time theres no way of getting away frm the capitilist crap we live in

[Nickademus]

Quote: from j on 2:36 am on June 4, 2002
I'm reading "9-11" which is Chomsky's interviews following the WTC/Pentagon attacks

Leonard Peltier's prison writings

Huckleberry Finn (for the third time...I'm teaching it)

And this god damn thread is a fucking book in itself!!!


J -- regarding leonard peltier's books (which are very very good). you are aware that his parole hearing is coming up.....go to the practice section because there is a thing about it in there.

I personally am reading the following:

The Manitous: The supernatural world of the Ojibway
There are Two Errors in the (the) TItle of this book
Return to the Teachings: Exploring ABoriginal Justice

[DORRI]

"blindness " by Saramago

[tebvie]

Presentley I am reading "The Autobiography of Malcom X" It's pretty good so far. Any body read it before?

[Napalm Dust]

I'm currently reading various booklets and articles on the Zapatistas and their struggle in Mexico.
Also working my way through the end of Che Guevara by Jon Lee Anderson.

I've finished Chomsky's "Turning The Tide" - definately worth a read

[mentalbunny]

I'm reading titus groan by peake, it's the frist gormenghast book. i've also recently re-read some terry pratchett, always good for a laugh. as u can see i'm not very intellectual, but hey at 15 do i have to be?!

[bluerev002]

Heck im 15 and ive read a couple of intellectual books, and your right I dont have to be intellectual either!
But it doesnt hurt to pick up a good book that will help you think every now and then. im reading "Che Guevara a revolutionary life" i dont know it youd call that intellectual but its the biggest book ive ever read!
and if we didnt have the little books we use for laughs the whole world would be a bore.

[Felicia]

I'm reading the Nova Scotia drivers handbook. I know, I'm lame, I haven't got my licence yet. :)

[bluerev002]

i had to read that for drivers ed.exept it was the california drivers handbook. i was supposed to but since we only had three weeks to finish the book i just underlined the three lines in each page (thats what we were supposed to do) at a random. ^_^

[Comrade Revolution]

Right now i'm reading «the castle» from Frank Kafka.
Yesterday i've finished the «Manifesto of the Communist Party». And lately i've been reading some posts from you comrades. 'Cause i'm still learning, there are so much to learn.. so little time to learn..
There are so many books.. i can't read all i want.. and the same for your posts:)
"oh, how sad it is to die, when there are so many books that i'ven't read" - M. M. Pelayo

[bluerev002]

thats a lot of books there. how old are you?
well there are lots of books out there and reading is one of my hobbies but i dont think i can read one book after another lik that, and your right there are so many post to read but not enough time. :(

[Felicia]

I've read 4 books simultaneously. :) . I can't remember what they were called. One was a biography of Stalin, another was about soviet spies in the US, the third was about code syphering during ww2, another was 1984. :)

[Avamatha]

I found - AT LAST! - Anderson's Che from library, and I'm trying to get it complete.

Though, I like fantasy and sci-fi books, too. I need to read some nice now and then, something, that you don't have to think all the time. Example, last night I read Tolkien's storybook, Mr.Bliss, wich was one cheery little story. :)

I love Douglas Adams. Yay!

[mentalbunny]

Over the last few days I've read The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula LeGuin. Read it, it's good. The last few chapters are a bit of a struggle but it's awesome! I don't know what age group it's for, The Wizard of Earthsea was for quite young kids, about 10 I think. But this is alot older.

It's quite sci-fi but with some moral stuff, it reminded me of 1984 and Brave New World. Please read it and tell me what you think.

I haven't got any further with Peake, I'll give it a shot when I go on holiday, 4 weeks of reading time!

I'm planning on getting some Camus in original french, we've got L'etranger (the outsider) but I've only read the first chapter in French. I have a thing about translations, I think the feel gets bit lost, all translations read the same. What do you guys think?

[andresG]

I agree with you mentalbunny, translations do lose some of the feeling of the original text. I read Pablo Neruda in spanish, then I took a look at it in english, to see how it matched up and I was glad that I could read in spanish. I am reading Albert Camus (in english unfortunely. I studied french but I was lost when I picked up a french copy). Albert Camus is still magical, even if it's in english.

[bluerev002]

has anyone read rain of gold in spanish? i have the english version (cant find the spanish one). i wonder if they are the same thing, or if anyone of them is better.

[Red Anarchy]

I've just finished "1984". It reminds me of something... ;)

[Revolution Hero]

I read Bible now.

[Socialmalfunction]

vittorio the vampire is what i just finished reading. its a bloody awesome book by anne rice. :cheesy:

[suffianr]

Umberto Eco, Travels in Hyper Reality. What a headtrip!
I've just started reading David Gemmel, The Legend of Deathwalker. Formulaic and derivative, but none the worse for wear...

[Tzeentch]

The Gandhi biography in "Chronique" series.

[Maaja]

Yesterday I started an Estonian book 'Professor Marten's departure' written by Jaan Kross. It's about an Estonian who at the nd of the 19th century became one of the most important specialists of the international relations in the whole world. He never didn't get (or want) any power but thanks to his advices many big Western countries made their decisions. Officially he worked in Tzarist Russia but was never really appreciated there, aristrocrats couldn't like him because he came from a very poor family and ... was also an Estonian - so not a real person.

[mentalbunny]

I'm reading les justes by camus in french, it's incredible. iève also read sophie's world, candide, the last continent (pratchett) and bill the galactic hero. i'll do a thread on les justes when i finish it.

[abstractmentality]

just started this weekend: Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen, and Profit Over People by Chomsky.

[Breast Pump]

I'm reading Disinformation: You are being lied to, sections out of sequence of course. Does anyone have the sequel to this book, if so, what are your thoughts on it, or both?


by the way, how could you guys let this thread die?

[SuicideisPainless]

Readiing Che's biography by Jon Lee Anderson and Stupid White Men by Michael Moore, also had a flick through but havent completed yet Fast Food Nation and the Roy Keane Autobiography

[Valkyrie]

I am reading some damned book about a murder that happened in 1906 in the waters of the Adirondack Mt's in NY. Some wealthy kid with social status gets his lower-status girlfriend pregnant and then kills her because abortions are illegal and he doesn't want to lose his social standing by marrying her. The Theodore Dreiser book "An American Tradegedy" was based in some part on this event, as was the movie "A Place in the Sun."

This is light reading for me.. I can't handle anything heavy right now.. but am bored out of my mind for some intellectual stimulation.

Any ideas?

[canikickit]

I'm reading Catch 22. It's a fantastic book, truly superb, I love it to bits. Matter of fact, I keep wanting to start a post on it, but I think I should finish it first.

My brother got it for me, he says it's his favourite book, which is a pretty strong recommendation for me. I was talking to him about it and he keeps saying how funny it is, and that that is the best thing about it, but I disagree.

I think it is hilarious (although I find it difficult to, and rarely do, laugh out loud at a book, I barely even crack a smile. Which is very annoying, because I know things are hilarious, I just don't react in the normal way. I don't really laugh on my own though. hmmm...) but I think the best thing is the masterful use of language to create that humour (I appreciate more how the humour was created, rather than the humour), and the crazy situations, and crazy personalities, the way people interact, the bullshit you have to go through in certain social situations...I thikn all these things are addressed. I also enjoy the fact that I don't really know what's going on. The bit i'm reading at the moment, I don't know whether it took place, chronologically, before, or now, or maybe it has still to happen. It's hard to explain, but then there comes a moment when you suddenly realise what time you are in...


Paris, I think you should read all of the following books:

[list]Bass Culture: When Reggae was King
People Funny Boy: The Genius of Lee 'Scratch' Perry
Rude Boy: Once Upon a Time in Jamaica
some other book about a music which doesn't interest you.

Killing Pablo, about the murder of Pablo Escobar. It's a great book, although it is written by the same guy that wrote Black Hawk Down, and is pretty much from a pro-US gov^t standpoint, I think it is quite informative. If you get the information they allow you to have, and you can still form an opinion that what they did was wrong...just imagine the whole truth.
Stupid White Men - read that if you haven't Paris. It's not even heavy going. Very light actually.
A Star Called Henry :biggrin: It's a fictional novel (I'm not sure if I made that clear to you before), so isn't that heavy but it's great.
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors - I mentioed that, right? Powerful stuff. Kind of heavy.
Malcolm X's biography
Forget Paris


I've too much in my brain. Where else can I put it?

[Valkyrie]

Thanks C, I will check them out. I need some light stuff because I am taking a break from the heavy stuff while reading some moderate Feminist Theory and History. And I need something I don't need to think about to counterbalance having to think.

I read quite a few music books mainly stuff on the History and revolution of Jazz and bios of the jazz greats, like Bird and Billie. so I really appreciate those recommendations. My sister is a music writer also.. music reviews.. so I'm required to the read it.

I really am leaning towards "Forget Paris." sounds good to me!

Also read "Catch -22" I loved it too.

Part of my feminist curriculum that I've assigned for myself is Noami Wolff's The Beauty Myth - has anyone read that?






(Edited by Paris at 1:27 am on Jan. 23, 2003)

[canikickit]

I was only joking about those reggae books. Probably wouuldn't be that interesting to you really. I am feeling loquacious so maybe I'll say something about them. Maybe not.

Rude Boy is a series of anecdotes about Jamaica by a journalist who wrote a lot about reggae and was over there in the seventies. He tells of going to a the gun court with Bob Marley, and talks of other encounters with Lee Perry, the Gladiators, other people connected with Bob and more modern artists. It's really interesting to me, because i have a romantic dream of going to Jamaica, because the music has touched me so much, and it plays into that nicely by talking about some of the mysticism of Jamaica. For example he talks about the star charts (?) of Jamaica and Bob, and how there are a lot of similarities. I don't know much about this astronomy crap, but he made it out to be quite facinating. I'm going to run and get my book, now, for some reason....

"Bob Marley's astrological chart has several points of contact with the charts of Jamaica, which is drawn for 00:00 hours on 6th August 1962, the first moment of independance. This gives the island a Leo Sun, Libra Moon and Taurus acendant....". Then it goes into loads of crap about the "warlike Mars acends in the communicative", however, "Bob Marley's Sun is exactly conjunct with Jamaica's Saturn at the precise top of the chart: he is the king of the nation. His Pluto falls precisely on the lunar north node, linking him to Jamaica's collective unconscious and granting him power and money thereby." - I don't normally go in for all that type of stuff but the way he put it seemed to make sense. Bob has definitly been the most important person to that island.

This is one of those situations where I normally close the window and not bother posting this crap....

The book is great, he even goes into philisophical rubbish at the end about the meaning of life and what not. Very interesting, he's a lucky guy.

"A masterpiece" - Joe Strummer (that should interest you Paris, although I'm sure you were aware of Strummer's enjoyment of reggae).


People Funny Boy is not only about Lee Perry's life, but it also pretty much tells the story of Jamaican music. Scratch had a very important role to play in the evolution of Jamaican music. His song, "People Funny Boy" was one of the very first which can be credited with chaning the riddim to what became known as reggae. He also had an extremly strong impact on Bob. Which is disgustingly over looked by everyone on the planet except me, it would seem. Bob sounds like Scratch when he sings. A lot of the artists that Scratch produced, sound like him. He was such a strong character, and so good at getting the sound he wanted.
He produced, what in my opinion, is the best of Bob's work. Bob wrote a lot of his best songs during that time (Kaya, Sun is Shining, Duppy Conqueror, Small Axe, Trenchtown Rock) a lot of which he did again on his more well known and liked albums (which are pure crap compared to Scratch's work). Now I'm getting pissed off with Bob, instead of saying how great Scratch was. :biggrin: Scratch get's called a genius in the book on many, many occasions. At least twenty differnet people refer to him as a genius during the course of the book. He has been called the Salvadore Dali of music.

http://www.upsetter.net

That's a great site dedicated to Lee Perry.


Bass Culture is a great book also.It covers Jamaican music from the fifties to the mid-eighties, and kind of flys over the nineties a bit. The author, Lloyd Bradley, is like me in that he feels the introduction of computer based music destroyed reggae, so he didn't cover much of the scene after the eighties begun. The whole island became polluted with cocaine during that time, which also had a hand in destroying the music. Rastas went back to the hills and their influence removed the "one love" attitude and it became about guns and sex.

Thankfully none of that is in this great book. :biggrin: Just political violence and gang warfare.

I loved this book. I use it (as I do with People Funny Boy) as a reference whenever I get a new song, to read up on the song, artist or the circumstances of the recording, I also got a lot of great recomendations from it.

It's great because he just let's some of the guys from the time talk. They talk for a coupole of pages at times about whatever was going on. This means more people calling Lee Perry a genius, and some calling King Tubby a genius (which he was).

[Rastafari]

Scratch was a fuckin' genius man.
I am currently reading
The Rastafarians and Into the Wild
both really good, too

[canikickit]

Scratch [b]is[/i] a genius.

[mentalbunny]

I am reading:

Stupid White Men by Michael Moore (very good)
Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara (also very good)
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth (good but not what I'm really into at the moment).

[Hampton]

Bullwhip Days: The Slaves Remember

[abstractmentality]

Biology as Ideology by R.C. Lewontin

[Lefty]

I just finished a couple star wars books and i read Taggerung and The Legend of Luke by Brian Jaques in 2 days. However, I am reading "Blue Latitudes" right now. Its about the adventures of Captain Cook.

[MAN with a RED face]

are there lord of the rings addict here?
i like the book

[Uhuru na Umoja]

The Lord of the Rings is my all time favourite book. I first read it when I was 10 and have read it over four times since... but I don't like the movies much, I find that they've changed the plot too much.

[RedComrade]

Currently I am reading "Atheism, the case against God" by George H. Smith a very very good book. A must read if you want both sides of the theological debate. I like lotr to i was reading it over again looking for a way to connect it to my beleifs. Reading through it analytically I picked up a serious Marxist vibe. The way i see it the ring is capitalism and only when it is destroyed can the people of the earth be free. Unfortunately not just anyone can destory the ring (hence not any attempt can build socialsim cough stalin cough), only a very specific individual is capable of this feat just as Marx lays out the specific laws necessary for the abolishment of capitalism. Anyone else get the same feel haha or is it just a farout attempt to find a popular series that supports my ideology.

[ravengod]

the origins of totalitarism by Hannah Arendt
and of course re-reading lord of the rings

[mcleodstickle]

are there lord of the rings addict here?

that would be me, i love tolkien stuff.
I just read tolkiens unfinished tales, in which the editor finished off his stories thaqt were never completed.
It was editted by christopher tolkien.

All the tales in the book were of Númenor and Middle Earth, and very enjoyable til the edittor came in, then unfortunately there was nothing to keep me drawn to the story.

[sugarcandy113]

I'm reading After you'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell, but im not very far into it, tis quite good so far! I'm supposed to have finished it for school : S oops

[Pete]

The Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan
The Zapitista Reader edited by some California Senator
The Prince by Niccilo Machieavelli
I think that is it for now...

[Fabi]

I am currently reading

Lucid Dreams by Stephen LaBerge

so far it's really interesting. Lucid dreams are a fascinating phenomenon. :)

here's the link for the book: http://home.no/lucid/lucid/LaBergeStephen_...cidDreaming.htm (http://home.no/lucid/lucid/LaBergeStephen_LucidDreaming.htm)

[Larissa]

"Vivir para contarla" - by Gabriel García Márquez (1st part of his own biography) - excellent book (as all the books he wrote) which I highly recommend, though it has about 600 pages.

http://www.magicalrealism.com/books/2074.html

http://www.book-online-shop.com/books/1400..._Para_Contarla/ (http://www.book-online-shop.com/books/1400041066/Gabriel_Garcia_Marquez_-_Vivir_Para_Contarla/)

[hawarameen]

howard marks- auto biography

britains most wanted man drug dealer extrodinare shiped up to 20tonnes of marijuana to america and uk got caught and spent 9 years in americas toughest penitentiary

[captainjustice]

Has anyone read anything be Ellison? I hear that he is very good

[Marxist in Nebraska]

Currently, I am reading Howard Zinn&#39;s A People&#39;s History of the United States and V. I. Lenin&#39;s Imperialism. I have threads for both of these books here on the Lit forum, so if you have read either please post on my threads. Thanks.

[captainjustice]

Has anybody read Catch-22? If not you have to read it. It is the greatest book of all time

[Hampton]

I&#39;m reading Still Black, Still Strong (interviews with Dhoruba bin Wahad, Mumia and Assata) and Guevara, Also Known As Che.

[Danton]

"Lorca" - a dream of life...

[ElRuso1967]

At the moment im reading Capitalism in crisis by good ol&#39; Fidel

[suffianr]

I&#39;m not reading anything right now. Not now or within the rest of the week. Nothing. For the first time in my life, I refuse to read. Ah, ignorance is so liberating...

[Comrade Ceausescu]

i&#39;m reading lenin by robert service.then i&#39;m gonna read ho chi minh a life by william j. duker.

[Soul Rebel]

Right now im reading "Animals and Womyn" by Carol J. Adams. Its a wonderful book of essays that discuss the womyn-nature connection (what does it mean, does it exist, should we break it), the use of animals to abuse womyn, why womyn are more likely to get involved in the animal rights movement, etc. Its very fascinating.

[mentalbunny]

I just got Tipping the Velvet, that should be a good read&#33; :lol:

[Danton]

I enjoyed the tv show...in private moments :unsure:

[FistFullOfSteel]

i read che guevara biografy by jon le anderson

[Legends]

I have just finished A short introduction to Karl Marx and have just started Pinochet The Politics of Tortune, which I highly recommend.

[sapho]

I am reading
1.- Nietzsche, &#39;&#39;Beyond good and evil"
2.- &#39;&#39;Fidel, A critical portrait&#39;&#39; by Tad Szulc--------This is a good biography about Fidel because the author does not attack him like other authors and in this book there is praise for Fidel and his accomplishments.

I dont know much about Lenin so I would like some recommendations for beginners like me.

[FatFreeMilk]

"I&#39;m reading Still Black, Still Strong (interviews with Dhoruba bin Wahad, Mumia and Assata) and Guevara, Also Known As Che." (God I need to fugure out how to quote&#33; :P ) I read most of Guevara also known as che. Damn there&#39;s like so many spelling errors in that book&#33; But there&#39;s also some facts that weren&#39;t really mentioned in Jon Lee Anderson&#39;s book so it&#39;s cool.

I finally got my hands on 1984. Yippee&#33;

[Sasafrás]

I&#39;ve just checked out 2 books for the University library (the following are not links..):

Latin America: Politics and Society Since 1930 edited by Leslie Bethell

AND

Chile Under Pinochet: Recovering the Truth by Mark Ensalaco

I also find myself reading books like "Alif Baa," the dictionary, "El arte de la conversacion, el arte de la composicion," and every other book that I need for school... :huh:



Genuine Damsel,

Sassy ;)

[Marxist in Nebraska]

Originally posted by [email protected] 18 2003, 09:39 PM
I dont know much about Lenin so I would like some recommendations for beginners like me.
sapho,
I have read State and Revolution and Imerialism and they are both quite good. I also hear a lot about What is to be Done?

[FistFullOfSteel]

and im reading the bolivian diary too.





cya

[Jesus Christ]

im reading Anarchism: A Collection of Revolutionary Writings by Peter Kropotkin

[FatFreeMilk]

Yay for literacy&#33; :D

[Legends]

Pinochet Toture of Politics.

Hugh somebody, cant remember how to spell his name,

[shakermaker]

I&#39;m reading "Reminiscences of the Cuban Revolutionary war" (written by Che).

[RBG Soldier]

The Art of Happiness-Dali Lama

[EZLN88]

Right now, I&#39;m re-reading "Che" by John Lee Anderson. I love that book. Recently I read the biography of Mumia Abu-Jamal and I&#39;ve also been reading a few of his books as well.

I noticed that a few people are reading Nietzche. I think it&#39;s great that you&#39;re going out and reading some really enlightnening books but watch out for him. Did any of you know that he was a major proponent in Hitler&#39;s thinking of the master race? Nietzche himself believed there would be a race of super-men, better than all others. Hitler used that thinking to create the Aryan race. Just a little tidbit for you all to think about.

[Marxist in Nebraska]

I just finished Shrub by Molly Ivins and Lou Dubose. I am now reading Declarations of Independence by Howard Zinn.

[EneME]

Right now its "open veins of latin america" by eduardo galeano...

[Non-Sectarian Bastard!]

I am now on Das Kapital. I have just finished a small Malcom X biography.

[El Commandante]

&#39;The Great Cat Massacre&#39; by Darnton - a book about how fables and nursery ryhmes have altered social and political history and are a means for the illiterate to keep up with politics. I have to read it because I put it on my UCAS (university) entrance form and I know that they&#39;ll bring it up.

But I&#39;ve been reading a few other books relating to history for the university course that I want to get on so I&#39;ve been busy.

Also I recently read &#39;Everything is Illuminated&#39; by Johnathan Foer - a really good book

[Invader Zim]

I just re-read 1984, but now I am reading a nice relaxing book called Flashman and the Mountain of Light.