When you live in the mountains of western North Carolina and are without cell phone service, it gives you a lot of time to explore around you. And so...moreWhen you live in the mountains of western North Carolina and are without cell phone service, it gives you a lot of time to explore around you. And so I have. Tryon, NC (south of Asheville, north of Spartanburg), population 1500, is a mountain town noted for several things: the home of Nina Simone and southern poet Sidney Lanier, a Negro League baseball team (The Allstars), the first municipality in the south to publicly fund Negro schools during Jim Crow, and destination for many northern intellectuals, actors, writers and painters. One of these early northern settlers was midwesterner, Emma Payne Erskine. Erskine was the first female reporter to work for the Chicago Tribune and later the Omaha World Herald. She wrote about subjects controversial in her time, including the Wounded Knee massacre, women's roles in the church, and unwed motherhood. She advocated against Prohibition and for women's suffrage. In When the Gates Lift up –the title is taken from a Negro spiritual sung mostly during slavery -- she takes on white supremacy—well she doesn’t call it that of course, but that is what it is. Set in the last days of Reconstruction in the Tryon area, there is a lynching, a firebombing of ex-slaves meeting deep in the woods to talk about electoral politics (observed by another group of white folks who have obviously come to gawk at this event), moonshining and “po’white trash”, murder of Northern agents/Republican electoral candidate by said white natives, miscegenation, education of black folk just after slavery to name a few. Readers will have to endure some sappy romances, but look for a wonderful white supremacy based plot twist at the end.(less)
How can a book about Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Leon Trostky, and McCarthyism, all written from a left perspective, be unenjoyable? Short answer: it c...moreHow can a book about Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Leon Trostky, and McCarthyism, all written from a left perspective, be unenjoyable? Short answer: it can’t be-- it is a fun read. Being Kingsolver, of course there is an anti-hero hero who marches through the story and history with both naiveté and a touch of victimization. Actually our anti-hero’s story is told years later by his capable spinster secretary, herself both naïve and loyal, despite the costs of blacklisting, etc. The story starts in Mexico where a young boy, the child of a Mexicana mother and Anglo father (now divorced/separated, whatever) gets the short end of the stick from a mother more interested in landing her next sugar-daddy than paying attention to her son. One thing leads to another (one rich oil man dumps her and another is feckless as well) and our hero ends up first in the kitchen of the Kahlo-Riveras, and then as a secretary to Trotsky. Back in America he settles in Asheville, NC (the city closest to where Kingsolver currently lives) and begins his journey as a writer, mostly of historical fiction about indigenous Mexicans. While we are on Kingsolver, her book from a decade ago, The Poisonwood Bible, the story of the Congo in the time of Lumumba, told through the eyes of young missionary children, should NEVER be missed. That book was dedicated to Mumia, her first reader. Need I say more?(less)
What if, instead of landing in the American heartland, the infant Superman had landed in Soviet Ukraine? In this comic, the Man of Steel is reimagined...moreWhat if, instead of landing in the American heartland, the infant Superman had landed in Soviet Ukraine? In this comic, the Man of Steel is reimagined as a loyal follower of Joe Stalin. The story that develop seems to be an examination of imperial hubris, in some measure a response or reflection on the American invasion and occupation of Iraq. Worth reading and rereading as its message grows and changes with the political changing times. (less)
the inside story of the Anglo-Irish war of 1920-21, from the man who led the most succesful Irish flying column. The book is a quick and engaging read...morethe inside story of the Anglo-Irish war of 1920-21, from the man who led the most succesful Irish flying column. The book is a quick and engaging read, balancing details of each battle and operation with the big-picture view of the Irish struggle for freedom. But above all the value of this book is its political lessons; the final chapter in particular should be required reading for all revolutionary activists. In demonstrating his own journey to political consciousness and the consolidation of a national determination to see the battle to its finish, Barry shows the dialectical relationship between armed struggle and constitutional politics. When political remedies at the ballot box were denied, support for armed resistance climbed to new heights. When the military effort was in jeopardy, new political ratification for the cause reenforced their strength. In the end the outmanned, outgunned IRA became an unbeatable force because they were on the side of the Irish people, and the Irish people were on their side. Activists looking for a strategy for revolution in the twenty-first century would do very well to study the political insights of this military man. (less)
this novel is SO GOOD. Here's the description from the publisher's website:
"In the alternate universe of Atomik Aztex, the Aztecs rule, having conquer...morethis novel is SO GOOD. Here's the description from the publisher's website:
"In the alternate universe of Atomik Aztex, the Aztecs rule, having conquered the European invaders long ago. Aztek warriors with totemic powers are busy colonizing Europe, and human sacrifice is basic to economic growth.
Zenzontli, Keeper of the House of Darkness, is plagued by nightmares of a parallel reality where American consumerism reigns supreme. Ghosts of banished Aztek warriors emerge to haunt contemporary Los Angeles, and Zenzontli’s visions of Hell become real as he’s trapped in a job in an East L.A. meatpacking plant."
This is probably the only novel you'll read this year in which Aztec braves defend Stalingrad from the Nazis, while their priests are busy pulling out the heart of Hermann Goering and rolling his naked sacrified body down the steps of the templo mayor in Tenochtitlan. Don't miss out!(less)
fantasy/science fiction novels with a social conscience. The mainstream tradition in fantasy novels, going back at least to J. R. R. Tolkien, ignores...morefantasy/science fiction novels with a social conscience. The mainstream tradition in fantasy novels, going back at least to J. R. R. Tolkien, ignores (or hides) the fact that people oppressed by feudal lords or kings rose up for their liberty time and again; why wouldn't people in a world of wizards and dragons do the same thing? And why shouldn't the wizards form a union too? Author China Miéville -- himself an outspoken socialist and member of the British Socialist Workers Party -- shows us a fantastic world of his own creation, where politics and magic go hand in hand (or maybe thesis-antithesis-synthesis). "Perdido Street Station," the first novel in a trilogy, explores the city of New Crobuzon which is situated in a world that mixes elements of classical fantasy, steampunk/Victorian technology, and Miéville's own wackiness. "Iron Council," the last book in the trilogy, follows the action into events that will remind you of Paris 1871 and Petrograd 1917, plus elements of queer liberation; and also golems. Recommended for everyone.(less)
fantasy/science fiction novels with a social conscience. The mainstream tradition in fantasy novels, going back at least to J. R. R. Tolkien, ignores...morefantasy/science fiction novels with a social conscience. The mainstream tradition in fantasy novels, going back at least to J. R. R. Tolkien, ignores (or hides) the fact that people oppressed by feudal lords or kings rose up for their liberty time and again; why wouldn't people in a world of wizards and dragons do the same thing? And why shouldn't the wizards form a union too? Author China Miéville -- himself an outspoken socialist and member of the British Socialist Workers Party -- shows us a fantastic world of his own creation, where politics and magic go hand in hand (or maybe thesis-antithesis-synthesis). "Perdido Street Station," the first novel in a trilogy, explores the city of New Crobuzon which is situated in a world that mixes elements of classical fantasy, steampunk/Victorian technology, and Miéville's own wackiness. "Iron Council," the last book in the trilogy, follows the action into events that will remind you of Paris 1871 and Petrograd 1917, plus elements of queer liberation; and also golems. Recommended for everyone.(less)
the secret story of the American higher-education system, which not only instills technical knowledge and practical skills, but above all produces a c...morethe secret story of the American higher-education system, which not only instills technical knowledge and practical skills, but above all produces a class of professionals who put their curiosity and abilities at the service of their employers and the powers that be. Bright, talented and generally progressive young people enter universities and graduate schools, where they are reforged into willing tools of government and corporate interests. Everyone should read this book to understand our society, where proffesionals are a huge and politically conflicted class of people; but above all it should be read by anyone considering attending college or graduate school.(less)
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