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Book reviews
Speaking of Universities - book review
Stefan Collini offers a robust critique of the neoliberal academy, but we need an oppositional university as an alternative, argues Oliver Eagleton
An African in Imperial London - book review
Danell Jones’ biography of an African man living in Edwardian London reveals a remarkable life amid the racism and imperialism of the time, finds Jacqueline Mulhallen
The Battle for Paradise - book review
Naomi Klein gives a stirring account of the struggle against disaster capitalism in Puerto Rico after 2017’s Hurricane Maria, finds Ellen Graubart
Minding the depth and breadth - a Labour conference reading list
As Labour gathers for its annual conference Mark Perryman welcomes the variety of thinking a range of authors, new and old, are offering the Left at this vital time
October Song - book review
Paul le Blanc’s history of the Russian Revolution shows that the tragic outcome was not inevitable, and there is much to learn from it, argues Lindsey German
A Party with Socialists in It - book review
A history of the left in the Labour Party highlights the need for a strong extra-parliamentary movement, argues Chris Nineham
Dead-End Lives: Drugs and Violence in the City Shadows - book review
A study of poverty and drug addiction in the slums outside Madrid reveals the callous and destructive nature of the neoliberal city, argues Chris Bambery
A New Hope for Mexico - book review
AMLO, the new Mexican president, represents a break from neoliberalism, despite the political limitations of his programme, argues Orlando Hill
Justice Denied: Friends, Foes and the Miners' Strike - book review
The Miners’ Strike was a major class defeat, but as the essays in
Justice Denied
show, it is also a beacon for the collective values that persist, argues Sofie Mason
Tales of Two Londons - book review
This collection of writings on London has some striking moments, but is lacking class politics, despite its stated theme, finds Tom Lock Griffiths
Solidarity with Bookmarks shows a united left can take on the far right
The huge show of solidarity with Bookmarks bookshop on Saturday shows that the left can unite to defeat the far right argues Isabel Carr
The Cynical Educator - book review
Today’s education system may be making professionals into Cynics, but the answer is collective struggle, not ancient philosophy, argues Dominic Alexander
Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States - book review
Against the Grain
explodes traditional views of the origin of civilisation, but lacks an analysis of the formation of class, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Bullshit Jobs: A Theory - book review
David Graeber’s new book raises many questions about the function and worth of work, but doesn’t entirely explain why useless work persists, finds Clare Solomon
Europe's Fault Lines: Racism and the Rise of the Right - book review
In
Europe’s Fault Lines
, Liz Fekete exposes the links between neoliberal centrism, EU economic policy, and the rise of the far and fascist right, finds Martin Hall
The James Connolly Reader - book review
A collection of the writings of James Connolly, the Irish socialist revolutionary, contains still relevant insights about imperialism and national liberation, argues Kevin Crane
Trotsky on Lenin - book review
A welcome new edition of neglected writing by Trotsky makes accessible revealing insights into Lenin and Russian society, finds Dominic Alexander
Tear Gas: From the Battlefields of World War I to the Streets of Today - book review
Tear Gas
shows that, historically, the use of tear gas escalates violence against protest, but movements can overcome such repressive force, argues Tom Whittaker
Culture as Politics: Selected Writings of Christopher Caudwell - book extract
David Margolies gives an introduction to a new edition of writings by Christopher Caudwell
Adrift: A Secret Life of London's Waterways - book review
The fight against rapacious developers is at the heart of a new account of life on London’s canals, says John Rees
The Struggle for Development - book review
The Struggle for Development
valuably debunks the statistics of neoliberal development, but an analysis of imperialism is needed too, argues Dominic Alexander
Mapping My Way Home - book review
Stephanie Urdang’s memoir reveals her courageous personal involvement in the struggles against apartheid and for national liberation in southern Africa, finds Jacqueline Mulhallen
Rethinking Democracy: Socialist Register 2018 - review
Socialism and democracy belong together, and recent popular movements of the left make possible a fight for authentic democracy, argues Sean Ledwith
The Last Earth: A Palestinian Story - book review
The Last Earth
tells the moving stories of eight Palestinian women’s and men’s experiences of persecution and the refugee camps, finds Ellen Graubart
What Is Islamophobia? - book review
The contributions in What is Islamophobia? show it as a form of racism driven in the first instance by the state and the war on terror, finds Shabbir Lakha
The Political Economy of the Kurds of Turkey - book review
Veli Yadirgi argues that there is a clear relationship between the intentional de-development of mostly Kurdish regions of Turkey and the Kurdish question, finds Adam Tomes
Republic of Islamophobia - book review
Republic of Islamophobia
effectively analyses the nature and rise of the vindictive Islamophobia that has come to grip French politics and society, finds Susan Ram
Brazil: Neoliberalism versus Democracy - book review
The root of the constitutional coup in Brazil lay in Lula and Rousseff’s attempt to marry inclusive democracy with the exclusionary logic of neoliberalism, finds Orlando Hill
Revolt on the Clyde - book review
William Gallacher’s account of the early-twentieth-century socialist movement in Glasgow shows how we can challenge our rulers today, argues Richard Allday
A weak and unpopular establishment is losing control - video
Chris Nineham is interviewed about his book 'How the Establishment Lost Control'
A Redder Shade of Green - book review
Ian Angus’ essays range across many issues at the intersection of politics and environmental science, illuminating the meaning of ecosocialism, finds Kevin Crane
The Addis Ababa Massacre - book review
The Addis Ababa Massacre
reveals a major atrocity committed by Fascist Italy, in which the imperialist calculations of Britain and others are implicated, finds Martin Hall
Marx the ecologist
Some criticise Marx as anti-environmental, but understanding his ecology is essential to grasping his critique of capitalism, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
The Corbyn Effect - book review
The Corbyn Effect
, a diverse collection of arguments on left politics, is politically uneven but offers many insights into the upheavals in the Labour Party argues Alex Snowdon
1917: The Russian Revolution, Reactions and Impact - book review
1917, a Socialist History Society collection of essays, pays powerful testimony to the power of socialist revolution to change the world, finds Judy Cox
Studies in Pre-Capitalist Modes of Production - book review
This collection of studies on pre-capitalist societies develops vital debates on the application of the Marxist method to history in general, argues Dominic Alexander
The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers - book review
The Politics of Immigration gives supporters of migrants the ammunition to answer back any anti-immigration argument, finds Orlando Hill
Trump in the White House: Tragedy and Farce - book review
Trump's presidency is a highly dangerous force, but to defeat its reactionary policies, its nature must be understood, argues Graham Kirkwood
The Economic Struggle for Power in Tito's Yugoslavia - book review
Vladimir Unkovski-Korica locates the roots of Yugoslavia’s bloody collapse in the ‘market socialism’ of the Tito years
Creating an Ecological Society: Towards a Revolutionary Transformation - book review
Magdoff and Williams provide a powerful case that ecological disaster can be overcome by a revolutionary transformation of social relations
Frankenstein at 200
Frankenstein was published 200 years ago. It's a horror story but the horrors it described are rooted in capitalism as well as the imagination
The Winds of October - book review
The Winds of October
, a story of young people bringing about the end of a brutal class system during the Russian Revolution, is welcomed by Richard Allday
From Bah Humbug to Oh Jeremy Corbyn: a review of Christmas politics books
Never mind miserablism this Christmas, Mark Perryman discovers more than enough books that describe reasons to be cheerful
Educational Justice: Teaching and Organising Against the Corporate Juggernaut - book review
Educational Justice provides a clear view of the corporate program to deform schools, and turn education into a profitable production line, finds Adam Tomes
How to understand racism: A review of Great War to Race Riots
A new history of the 1919 race riots locates the dynamics of racism in the context of class, imperialism and wider popular struggles, argues Chris Nineham
Reclaiming the State - book review
Reclaiming the State
argues persuasively against decades of neoliberal dogma about the role of state intervention in the economy, finds Phil Armstrong
Union Power: The United Electrical Workers in Erie, Pennsylvania - book review
Union Power
is a revealing account of a vibrant and militant union in one US city in the century of Depression and McCarthyism, finds Kevin Crane
A Moment of Disbelief: Poems on War, Terrorism, and Refugees - book review
William Alderson’s poems in
A Moment of Disbelief
and
May Days
unite politics and feeling in a brilliant reclaiming of a fine poetic tradition, finds Dominic Alexander
How and why I write
The Trumpet of Sedition blog has been running a series of articles by historians on 'How I Write'. John Rees contributes
How the establishment lost control: Chris Nineham and Brian Eno - video
In conversation with Brian Eno, Chris Nineham launched his book
How the Establishment Lost Control
. Video by Paul Merron.
The Pink Tide: Media Access and Political Power in Latin America - book review
The Pink Tide
represents Latin American efforts to reform and democratise the media. While real advances have been made, the limits to reform are made clear, argues Des Freedman
Catalonia: a reading list
As the Catalan crisis grows, Chris Bambery provides a comprehensive reading list to understand more about it's history
Reform, Revolution and Direct Action amongst British Miners - book review
The Russian Revolution and World War I led to a surge in workers’ struggles in Britain, as an important new history of the miners’ strikes of 1919 shows, finds Lindsey German
Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason - book review
David Harvey’s latest book, using all three volumes of Marx’s
Capital
, demonstrates the social irrationality of modern capitalism, finds Dominic Alexander
The Strange Death of Liberal England - book review
A classic history of the years before World War I is also a source of inspiration for those who wish to create a more equal and just society, argues Alex Snowdon
Bob Crow: Socialist, Leader, Fighter - book review
A new biography of Bob Crow shows why he can be considered as the most effective union leader of his generation, argues Graham Kirkwood
The Bolsheviks Come to Power - book review
Rabinowitch’s classic account of 1917 reveals the mass, popular nature of the October Revolution led by the Bolsheviks, argues Chris Nineham
How the Establishment Lost Control - book review
Chris Nineham’s new book is both digestible for those new to radical politics and presents an engaging analysis for experienced activists, argues Martin Hall
Corbyn and the chances of change – book extract
In this final extract from
How the Establishment Lost Control
Chris Nineham outlines why a radical extra-parliamentary movement is needed to secure decisive change
Night Thoughts - book review
Night Thoughts
is the subversive musings that Wallace Shawn cannot admit during the day; witty and involving, the book should be spread widely, finds Dominic Alexander
Surprise, surprise: Brexit and the general election – book extract
In this second extract from
How the Establishment Lost Control
Chris Nineham explains why the Brexit vote was such a serious defeat for the Tories and the whole ruling class
A state of mutiny - book extract
In this first of three extracts from
How the Establishment Lost Control
Chris Nineham looks at the sudden revolt of public opinion against the ruling neoliberal consensus
The Syriza Wave: Surging and Crashing with the Greek Left - review
Helena Sheehan in
The Syriza Wave
provides a vivid and incisive account of the rise and fall of Syriza, finds Peter Stäuber
Threads: From the Refugee Crisis - review
Threads
is the story of the Calais refugees, and the growing crisis that the world ignores to humanity’s peril, writes Ellen Graubart
Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System - review
The Anthropocene is the result of post-1945 capitalism, according to Ian Angus, in a vital contribution to the ecosocialist argument, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Uncertain Futures: An Assessment of the Conditions of the Present
Edmund Berger’s
Uncertain Futures
provides an important defence of Marxist economic theory, and an analysis of crisis, argues Sean Ledwith
Were you still up for? - Summer reading for interesting times
The shock of the General Election hasn’t even begun to settle down. Mark Perryman recommends summer reads to help grapple with interesting times
How the Establishment Lost Control
Chris Nineham's book on the insurgent mood in Britain, and how it all went wrong for the ruling class
Voices from the 'Jungle': Stories from the Calais Refugee Camp - review
The stories of the Calais refugees reveal their struggles and solidarity, as well as their experiences of racism and oppression, finds Tom Griffiths
Grunwick: The Workers' Story - review
The Grunwick strike, 1976-8, was a pivotal event for the labour movement, and this classic account contains key lessons for activists, argues Richard Allday
Studio: Remembering Chris Marker
Chris Marker, the innovative, left-wing filmmaker, is given a moving and insightful tribute in
Studio: Remembering Chris Marker
, finds Tom Griffiths
Palestine is still the issue, now more than ever - weekly briefing
Let’s ensure that the increased Israeli oppression around the Al Aqsa mosque re-energises the BDS movement, argues Alex Snowdon
For Whose Benefit? The Everyday Realities of Welfare Reform
For Whose Benefit?
shows how the hard-won rights to social security have become stigmatised through a series of in-depth interviews, finds Jacqueline Mulhallen
The Dilemmas of Lenin
Tariq Ali finds a fresh approach to Lenin that enables a rediscovery of the importance of his revolutionary politics for today, finds Lindsey German
Sound System: The Political Power of Music
Dave Randall’s
Sound System
is a wide ranging and highly engaging discussion of politics and music that you just can’t put down, finds Sofie Mason
The Long Depression: How It Happened, Why It Happened, and What Happens Next
An understanding of capitalist crisis needs to make use of all parts of Marx’s theory, including the declining rate of profit, argues Dominic Alexander
October 1917: Workers in Power
The collection of essays in
October 1917
show the Revolution as animated by ‘the irrepressible aspiration of humanity to freedom’, finds Judy Cox
Capitalism in the Web of Life: Ecology and the Accumulation of Capital
Jason Moore shows that capitalism is innately destructive of its environment, but the solution is revolutionary socialist organisation, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
The Violence of Austerity
The Violence of Austerity
demonstrates the terrible impact of cuts and austerity. It shows why we must keep fighting for radical change, argues Ian Middlebrook
The Dictator, the Revolution, the Machine: A Political Account of Joseph Stalin
Tony McKenna’s compelling Marxist biography of Stalin disproves the allegation that October 1917 led directly to the dictator’s atrocities, argues Sean Ledwith
A People’s History of Modern Europe
Pelz’s
People’s History of Modern Europe
gives an illuminating history of the class struggles and revolts which accompanied the modernisation of Europe, finds Tom Whittaker
The Econocracy: The Perils of Leaving Economics to the Experts
The Econocracy
calls for reform and democratisation of the field of Economics so that it may suit the present needs of our society, finds Orlando Hill
W.E.B. Du Bois: Revolutionary Across the Color Line
This biography reveals W.E.B. Du Bois as a radical and revolutionary thinker who challenged capitalism, imperialism and racism, finds Adam Tomes
The Battle of Grangemouth: A Worker's Story
The story of the Grangemouth dispute of 2013 contains important lessons for trade unionism and the labour movement in general, argues Kevin Crane
Working-Class Politics in the German Revolution
The Revolutionary Shop Stewards are a neglected part of the German Revolution of 1918-23, but the political lessons need clear understanding, argues Dominic Alexander
Re-examine revolution, but don't abandon it
Re-examine revolution, but surely now is not the time to abandon it. Chris Nineham reviews
Socialist Register 2017: Rethinking Revolution
No Shortcuts: Organizing for Power in the New Gilded Age
US union organiser, Jane McAlevey, gives us an outspoken and compelling argument about how union organising needs to change, argues Kevin Crane
Epidemics, multinationals and capitalism
From Ebola to swine flu, multinationals and their capitalist production systems are the real causes of new epidemic diseases, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Europe Isn’t Working
Europe Isn’t Working
is a valuable resource for the arguments against the neoliberal austerity machine that is the EU, argues Richard Allday
Testosterone Rex: Unmaking the Myths of Our Gendered Minds
In her latest popular neuroscience book, Professor Cordelia Fine takes us through the science that led to gender stereotypes
Working the Phones: Control and Resistance in Call Centres
Working the Phones
, based on first-hand experience of work in today’s call centres, underlines the need for unionisation and politicisation, argues George Barratt
Selling the Future: The Perils of Predicting Global Politics
Selling The Future
shows how the prediction industry reproduces an international system favouring the existing rulers, argues Peter Stauber
Is Technology Good for Education?
Neil Selwyn’s careful critique of ‘ed-tech’ is grounded in a humane commitment to education for a more equal and just society, finds Alex Snowdon
Monbiot and the media
George Monbiot’s essays are a valuable and stimulating exception in the mainstream media where dissenting voices are rarely heard, argues Ian Middlebrook
To the Masses: Proceedings of the Third Congress of the Communist International, 1921
The sharp and dramatic debates during the Third Congress of the Comintern contain lessons on strategy and tactics of crucial relevance today, argues Chris Bambery
Weakness and Deceit: America and El Salvador's Dirty War
Raymond Bonner’s account of US intervention in El Salvador shows that today’s catastrophic imperialist interventions have a long history, argues Dominic Alexander
Medieval Europe
Chris Wickham’s analysis of the European Middle Ages is a rich introduction to the development of Europe up to the 15th Century, argues Chris Bambery
Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the US-Saudi Connection
Medea Benjamin unravels the toxic relationship between the West and the oppressive regime in Saudi Arabia, in Kingdom of the Unjust, finds Jonathan Maunders
After the eating and drinking, the sport?
A selection of 2017 sporting reads by Mark Perryman for the post-festive recovery period
Art, Literature and Culture from a Marxist Perspective
Tony McKenna’s cultural essays show the rich possibilities of Marxist analysis for a range of art and literature, argues Sean Ledwith
This Christmas for the Leveller in your life: festive offer from Philosophy Football
A new Philosophy Football T-Shirt features the Thomas Rainsborough quote 'The poorest that is in England hath a live to live as the greatest'
Studs Terkel: Politics, Culture, But Mostly Conversation
Studs Terkel’s life was spent documenting working-class life and struggle in the US. Alan Wieder’s biography captures him splendidly, says Graham Kirkwood
America's Addiction to Terrorism
In this comprehensive account of social issues rooted in the neoliberal reign of terror, Henry Giroux provides a crucial critique of free-market fundamentalism in 2016, finds Shabbir Lakha
5 novels every revolutionary should read
Some of the best pieces of fiction ever written about revolutionary experience are outlined by writer and historian John Rees
The Leveller Revolution: Radical Political Organisation in England 1640-1650
John Rees,
The Leveller Revolution
makes a powerful case that Leveller organisation during the English Revolution was essential to its success, finds Dominic Alexander
The Candidate: Jeremy Corbyn's Improbable Path to Power
The story of Jeremy Corbyn’s rise to leadership of Labour in 2015 is told with verve and insight in Alex Nunns'
The Candidate
, finds Lindsey German
Culture matters to us all
As libraries, galleries and museums face cuts across the board, Jonathan Maunders reports from the fight-back on the streets
When memory yields to pride
John Marciano’s
The American War in Vietnam
exposes ongoing attempts to rehabilitate a war that did so much to discredit imperialist interventions, finds Kit Klarenberg
Black Ops Advertising
Black Ops Advertising
is a startling and entertaining critique of new forms of advertising, but the solution lies in collective organising, argues Lindy Syson
Hunger Pains: Life inside Foodbank Britain
Austerity policies targeting the benefits system have created enormous suffering, as a study of the rise of foodbanks shows, finds Ellen Graubart
Burning Country: Syrians in War and Revolution
The legacy of colonialism, and recent imperialist interventions lie behind Syria’s lost revolution and present catastrophes, argues Sean Ledwith
Len, A Lawyer in History
Len, A Lawyer in History
is the important story of Leonard Weinglass and other activist lawyers in the US who represented people targeted for their politics, finds Alan Wieder
Race and Class: The Colour of Struggle 1950s-1980s
A special issue of the journal
Race and Class
vividly illustrates the history of black and anti-racist struggles for peace and equality in Britain, finds Dominic Alexander
No way to remember anything
An analysis of the 2011 Egyptian revolution reproduces the same mistakes on the left that led to the revolution’s defeat in 2013, argues Kevin Crane
Crowds and Party
Jodi Dean in
Crowds and Party
boldly reasserts the need for socialist organisation, as a necessary antidote to neoliberal individualism, finds Lindsey German
Imperialism in the Twenty-First Century: Globalization, Super-Exploitation and Capitalism's Final Crisis
John Smith’s
Imperialism
shows how neoliberalism has deepened inequality and exploitation worldwide, while the working class has expanded, finds Alex Snowdon
A critical companion to microeconomics and macroeconomics
Fine and Dimakou’s books,
Microeconomics
and
Macroeconomics
provide a thorough critique of orthodox economics, while explaining alternatives, finds Phil Armstrong
Things you need to know about the British economy
Tony Norfield’s
The City
explains British finance capital and its global role, and also has important political implications, argues Chris Nineham
Sports reading: more of a marathon than a sprint
Mark Perryman of Philosophy Football offers his reading selection for a summer of sport
A Hidden History Of The Cuban Revolution: How the Working Class Shaped the Guerillas' Victory
When is a revolution socialist? Recent books on Cuba show the importance of revolutionary organisation for the working class, argues Dominic Alexander
Socialist Register 2016: The Politics of the Right
The rise of the populist right shows that the centre cannot hold, and a socialist alternative is the only solution, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
China on Strike: Narratives of Workers' Resistance
China on Strike
gives in insights into Chinese workers’ struggles and the nature of capitalism in China, writes Orlando Hill
Radical reading for the holidays
A scorching hot list of summer political reading selected by Mark Perryman
The Secure and the Dispossessed: How the Military and Corporations Are Shaping a Climate-Changed World
Climate change is driven by the demand for profits, but the ruling class is recasting it as a security issue, finds William Alderson
Chaos and Caliphate: Jihadis and the West in the Struggle for the Middle East
Repeated, arrogant western interventions from 2003 to today lie behind the rise of IS, as two recent books agree, argues Sean Ledwith
A History of the Barricade
The barricade is the iconic tactic of historic class struggles, and its history is engagingly explored in Hazan’s history, finds William Booth
Food, free markets and capitalist philanthropy
Free markets cause food shortages, and philanthrocapitalism does nothing to solve the problem, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Fortress Europe: Inside the War Against Immigration
Matthew Carr’s
Fortress Europe
is a powerful indictment of the inhumanity of the EU’s policies towards refugees, argues Tom Griffiths
Blood year: Islamic State and the Failures of the War on Terror
David Kilcullen’s insider account of the war on terror should be a warning to us all, writes Chris Nineham
Socialism… Seriously: A Brief Guide to Human Liberation
Danny Katch's
Socialism...Seriously
is an entertaining and witty introduction to socialism, finds Ralph Graham-Leigh
The Letters of Joe Hill
The collected writing of a folk balladeer, Wobbly and activist inspires workers and scares the right in equal measure today, finds Adam Tomes
Lean Out
Foster’s
Lean Out
rejects the neoliberal feminism of the likes of Sheryl Sandberg and Clinton. Feminism must be about inequality, argues Lindsey German
Architect or Bee? The Human Price of Technology
Mike Cooley’s
Architect or Bee?
put the case that a new organisation of technology could provide social good rather than profit. Orlando Hill welcomes the new edition
The Lords of Human Kind
Victor Kiernan’s
The Lords of Human Kind
is a classic dissection of the racist pretensions of European imperialism, argues Dominic Alexander
1916: Ireland’s Revolutionary Tradition
Allen’s
1916
shows that the Easter Rising was no pointless sacrifice, but an essential revolutionary trigger to Irish independence, argues Sean Ledwith
Ireland’s Guantanamo Granny
Margaretta D’Arcy’s magnificent stand against Ireland’s complicity with US rendition is vividly told in Ireland’s Guantanamo Granny, finds Ellen Graubart
The Conquest of Bread
Kropotkin’s classic,
The Conquest of Bread,
reveals problems of radical politics and organisation that remain vital today, argues Dominic Alexander
Bitter Freedom: Ireland in a Revolutionary World
Maurice Walsh’s
Bitter Freedom
is a revealing exploration of the Irish independence struggle in its international context, after the 1916 Easter Rising, finds Kieran Crowe
Austerity Ecology And The Collapse-Porn Addicts
Austerity Ecology
provides a valid critique of lifestyle greenism, but its techno-fix approach is no replacement for a mass movement for system change, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Combining audacity and realism: Trotsky on organising
Chris Nineham reviews
Leon Trotsky and the Organizational Principles of the Revolutionary Party
China and the 21st Century Crisis
In his powerful book, Minqi Li argues that China will be the key battleground of the coming global class struggle, finds Sean Ledwith
Fire and Blood: The European Civil War, 1914-1945
Fire and Blood
brilliantly recounts the European civil war of 1914-45, which brought the idea of capitalist progress to an end, argues Chris Bambery
Debt or Democracy: Public Money For Sustainability and Social Justice
Mainstream economics mystifies the nature of money. Mellor’s
Debt or Democracy
explodes the myths, and provides the social alternative, argues Phil Armstrong
Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement
Charlotte Cooper’s
Fat Activism
explores a long-standing social movement, revealing complex relationships with feminism, class and capitalism, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Injustice: Why Social Inequality Still Persists
Danny Dorling's
Injustice
demonstrates that social inequality is bad for everyone, and that its justifications can all be shown to be entirely incorrect, finds Orlando Hill
A World to Build: New Paths toward Twenty-First Century Socialism
A World To Build
shows us alternatives to neoliberalism in recent movements in Latin America, where political strategies have claimed important victories, argues Ian Richardson
The Last Drop: The Politics of Water
This angry but eloquent account of the politics of water exposes the savagery of the neoliberal strain of marauding capitalism
2016: a year of more surprises?
Mark Perryman of Philosophy Football lists his top ten political books to help avoid being surprised by anything in 2016
The New War on the Poor: The Production of Insecurity in Latin America
The New War on the Poor
shows how neoliberal security regimes produce insecurity, and worse, for poor citizens, while protecting rich interests, finds Ellen Graubart
Top Ten Sports Books for 2016
Mark Perryman of
Philosophy Football
picks his favourite reads for the new sporting year
The Encyclopedia of the Dead
Yugoslav author Danilo Kiŝ is celebrated for his opposition to authoritarianism, but his politics of the individual fail to offer real liberation, finds Dominic Alexander
We Kill Because We Can: From Soldiering to Assassination in the Drone Age
Laurie Calhoun’s
We Kill Because We Can
argues that drone warfare is illegal under international law, and only increases terrorism, finds Lindy Syson
Enjoying It: Candy Crush and Capitalism
An extract from Alfie Bown's new book,
Enjoying It
Hungry Bengal: War, Famine and the End of Empire
Hungry Bengal
demonstrates the central role of imperialism and racism in creating the wartime Bengal famine which killed millions and divided the country, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
How to Dismantle the NHS in Ten Easy Steps
The extent of the threat to the NHS is revealed in clear, concise detail in El-Gingihy’s short book, finds Cameron Panting
Fighters in the Shadows: A New History of the French Resistance
David Shonfield reviews a major new history of the French Resistance, which reveals the role of immigrant workers and women, and how French identity has been forged and reforged in the years since 1945
The Dignity of Chartism
Dorothy Thompson’s writing on Chartism showed early working-class politics as it really was, a real challenge to the ruling class of the time, argues John Westmoreland
Autumn books for the Corbyn effect
Mark Perryman from
Philosophy Football
provides a rundown of new books for the #jezwecan majority
Who is Charlie?
Emmanuel Todd’s
Who is Charlie?
reveals connections between Islamophobia and moves to the right in France, finds Lindsey German
Disaster capitalism: outsourcing violence in the UK
Corporations bleed what profits they can from disaster. Democracy is replaced by a business plan. An excerpt from Antony Loewenstein’s
Disaster Capitalism: Making A Killing Out Of Catastrophe
The Anthropocene. The human era and how it shapes our planet
Our effect on the planet may well mean that we’re entering a new geological epoch, but what really matters is organising to fight for the world we need, finds Elaine Graham-Leigh
Romanticism and Caricature
The tradition of political caricature in Britain, whose classic phase was 1790-1832, is revealed by Ian Haywood’s
Romanticism and Caricature
, finds Jacqueline Mulhallen
Not much peace, plenty of ill will, a good seasonal read needed please
Mark Perryman of
Philosophy Football
offers his top ten books to buy to make somebody’s Christmas
Frederic Jameson: The Project of Dialectical Criticism
Robert Tally's study provides a crisp and coherent guide to the thought of a figure future generations, hopefully, will look back on as one of the prophets of their utopia writes Sean Ledwith
The Establishment: And how they get away with it
Owen Jones’
The Establishment
is a valuable dissection of the networks of power and ideology, but the concept of the ruling class adds a needed dimension, argues Sean Ledwith
Springtime: The New Student Rebellions - He Who Cultivates Thorns Will Reap Wounds
Tunisia's revolutionary uprising is described by Leila Basmoudi, who argues that the revolutions that have been unleashed across the Middle East are not over.
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