Just picked up two Chomsky books..

[Ostrinski]

I went to Barnes & Noble the other day. They didn't have anything I wanted, so I got these not wanting to have wasted a trip.

Profit Over People
What We Say Goes

Any thoughts on these texts?

[Diello]

Profit Over People is third-next on my reading list; I'll post my two cents here when I'm done with it (assuming I remember).

[NGNM85]

You probably could have skipped What We Say Goes. Profit Over People, however, is absolutely indispensible.

[Diello]

You probably could have skipped What We Say Goes. Profit Over People, however, is absolutely indispensible.

What about Hegemony or Survival? I have a copy of that for future reading as well.

[NGNM85]

What about Hegemony or Survival? I have a copy of that for future reading as well.

It's excellent, but Failed States is probably a little better. My advice would be to read both. I only didn't recommend What We Say Goes is because if you have read these books and you follow his work even semi-regularly, you're not going to get as much out of it.

[Ostrinski]

It's excellent, but Failed States is probably a little better. My advice would be to read both. I only didn't recommend What We Say Goes is because if you have read these books and you follow his work even semi-regularly, you're not going to get as much out of it.

Damn. I'm new to Chomsky, though. I'm familiar with his politics and have watched a few video interviews/debates of him, but haven't read anything by him yet. That being said, is What We Say Goes still a waste of time?

[Rakhmetov]

Check these out:

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Chomsky/ChomOdon_ElSalvador.html

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Chomsky/WhatUncleSamWants.html

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=676452061991429040#

http://www.hulu.com/watch/118171/manufacturing-consent

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Chomsky/Noam_Chomsky.html

[x359594]

...That being said, is What We Say Goes still a waste of time?

It's not a waste of time if you're not familiar with Chomsky.

I first read Chomsky in 1970 when the paperback edition of American Power and the New Mandarins was published. Most of his writing is ad hoc, addressing the latest moves of the capitalist state and critiquing its liberal lackeys, but a few books like Manufacturing Consent written with Edward Herrman are grounded in theory.

During the Vietnam era his writing was published by mainstream publishers and had a fairly wide airing, but when he wrote After the Cataclysm (again with Edward Herrman) the original publisher refused the manuscript and it was eventually published by South End Press. From this point on he was marginalized by the mainstream (the New York Review of Books where most of his anti-Vietnam war articles first appeared stopped publishing him.)

Chomsky's overarching concerns are US imperialism and its various wars of aggression, Israeli imperialism and capitalist propaganda though he treats other issues too.

[FreeFocus]

I own Radical Priorities (highly recommended, as he touches on many things), Failed States, Hegemony or Survival, and Imperial Ambitions. I haven't read the books you purchased but definitely look at Radical Priorities and Failed States.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

I find What We Say Goes and Imperial Ambitions more readable and overall less boring than compared to Failed States and a few other books of his. They (his interview books), however, aren't important to read at all. His other books (Profits Over People, Failed States, Hegemony or Survival, etc.) are important and have good information, but his writing style in those books, I thought personally, was dreadfully boring. It was a chore to read them.

His best book is What Uncle Sam Really Wants. Highly recommended, even for those critical towards Chomsky.

[Ostrinski]

Alright, added Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, Radical Priorities, and Imperial Ambitions to my list.

[Diello]

His best book is What Uncle Sam Really Wants. Highly recommended, even for those critical towards Chomsky.

What makes it the best?

[Rakhmetov]

I haven't read all his books but one of his most important and most accessible is Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky

Other classics are Manufacturing Consent, Deterring Democracy, Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies, World Orders Old and New
etc.

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/noam_chomsky_has_never_seen_anything_like_this_201 00419/
This waaaA

[graymouser]

I was more impressed by Hegemony or Survival than any of Chomsky's other books I read, mostly because he spends less time there talking out of his ass about Leninism than in any of the others. Profit Over People is not bad if you want to start to critique economic globalization, but overall I think the move toward criticizing US foreign policy since the Iraq war has been a good one for Chomsky's work. I read 3/4ths of Understanding Power but then I got to the part where he gets disgustingly mushy-headed about science and actually knowing what the hell you're talking about, and quit reading it in disgust.

There's a ton of Chomsky on my bookshelf, but you have to take the guy with a few grains of salt. If you see yourself as more of a Leninist than an anarchist, I'd recommend you read some more Marxist stuff in addition to the Chomsky, as it only takes a basic understanding to realize when he goes wrong.

[FreeFocus]

To be honest, there's no need to waste money on Imperial Ambitions if you read a few of his interviews and read Failed States. I mean, the book is just a collection of interviews, no real new material. It's an easy read and if you have money to blow you can get it, otherwise I'd just save that for another book down the road.

[Ostrinski]

Alright, I guess I'll just take it one at a time. I've started reading Profit Over People and it's pretty sharp.

[Glenn-Beck]

Hopes and Prospects is quite good. But Chomsky's writing style can be a bit dry and boring at times.

[Black Sheep]

I bought "On anarchism" about a month ago, it's a collection of interviews,articles,book prologues & introductions, discussions, etc about anarchism, aspects & problems of anarchism , the roots of anarchism etc.From Chomsky (duh) .
HAvent finished it yet, but so far it's pretty good.
Low priced too, i'd say it's worth it.

[NoOneIsIllegal]

Chomsky's writing style can be a bit dry and boring at times.
This.

What makes it the best?
Well, because I find a few of his books a chore to read, What Uncle Sam Really Wants is a refreshing difference. It's jammed full of statistics and history on a variety of subjects. Maybe I like it because he doesn't drag on* but it's a good introduction to Chomsky, to various operations the U.S. has done the past century, and keeps your attention.



* I'm fully supportive of specific details and the most minor incidents, but after reading so much Chomsky, it starts to all look the same...

[Jose Gracchus]

I was more impressed by Hegemony or Survival than any of Chomsky's other books I read, mostly because he spends less time there talking out of his ass about Leninism than in any of the others. Profit Over People is not bad if you want to start to critique economic globalization, but overall I think the move toward criticizing US foreign policy since the Iraq war has been a good one for Chomsky's work. I read 3/4ths of Understanding Power but then I got to the part where he gets disgustingly mushy-headed about science and actually knowing what the hell you're talking about, and quit reading it in disgust.

There's a ton of Chomsky on my bookshelf, but you have to take the guy with a few grains of salt. If you see yourself as more of a Leninist than an anarchist, I'd recommend you read some more Marxist stuff in addition to the Chomsky, as it only takes a basic understanding to realize when he goes wrong.

I enjoyed Manufacturing Consent and Profit Over People, as well as Understanding Power. What's his 'mushy-headed-ness' over science mean? I'm not sure I follow.

I also recommend The Chomsky Reader, as it presents some of his classic work from the 1960s and 1970s, including his review of B.F. Skinner's Verbal Behavior, "The Responsibility of Intellectuals," and "The Threat of Liberal Scholarship".

[Son of a Strummer]

i think that Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, The Chomsky Reader and Deterring Democracy are some of his books that have retained their cogency over time.

I would also recommend The Fateful Triangle as a totally compelling and penetrating analysis of the history of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

[Bardo]

I'm about finished with my first Chomsky book myself (Profit Over People). He's always very informative and I'll definitely be checking out his other works.

[~Spectre]

You can get a lot of his smaller books on amazon for a 1-4$ each. Every book I've gotten so far has been worth it, though some of the interview compilation books can get repetitive.

[Jose Gracchus]

I think its absurd how up in arms full-on revolutionary leftists get about Chomsky. He sees his role as a non-partisan educator. He's part of the persuasive conveyer belt from vague-ass liberal-left hippieism or working-class Democrat-dom over to socialism. He does talk differently when he's talking to audiences who discuss revolutionary politics, but he also does have a semi-professional denounce brigade, so it behooves him to be very careful in what he says.

Honestly, I think a lot of people are butthurt because he doesn't engage in theoretical or esoteric discussions, doesn't preach to the existing choir and is instead an evangelist, and doesn't endorse any of the sects.

[Property Is Robbery]

Profit Over People next to Michael Parenti's Against Empire are the best books on neo liberalism in my opinion.

[NGNM85]

Damn. I'm new to Chomsky, though. I'm familiar with his politics and have watched a few video interviews/debates of him, but haven't read anything by him yet. That being said, is What We Say Goes still a waste of time?

For myself, I'd say, yes. However, that's because I've already got so much of his material that it's redundant. It's not a bad book. As a beginner, you should be able to get a lot out of it. Enjoy, and feel free to ask if you want any recommendations.