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Ganglion Bard-barbarian

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Shenandoah Voices: Folklore, Legends and Traditions of the Valley

by John L. Heatwole

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Ganglion Bard-barbarian said: " Got it as a Yule present, can't wait to read it! ...more "

Dec 21, 2010 04:02PM · see review

Ganglion Bard-barbarian is currently reading

Defying the Tomb: Selected Prison Writings and Art of Kevin "Rashid" Johnson featuring exchanges with an Outlaw

by Kevin "Rashid" Johnson

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Ganglion Bard-barbarian said: " I hope to study this book at greater length, thanks to Kerspledebeb and my Virginia comrades for giving this underground classic to the world. The almost folkloric story of Rashid Johnson's transformation from apolitical gangster to dedicated Marxist I hope to study this book at greater length, thanks to Kerspledebeb and my Virginia comrades for giving this underground classic to the world. The almost folkloric story of Rashid Johnson's transformation from apolitical gangster to dedicated Marxist-Leninist revolutionary is one of Virginia's most captivating and inspirational. A rousing introduction by Big Tom Warrior, an Appalachian legend in his own right, sets the score for Rashid's dramatic autobiography and, best of all, a clandestine prison correspondence between Rashid and a fellow New African prisoner named Outlaw, smuggled between segregation and general population at the notoriously gruesome Red Onion State Prison in Wise County, VA.

The letters offer a huge insight into contradictions within the movement. Rashid on the one hand is a hardline Maoist, Outlaw on the other hand quotes Nechaev with enthusiasm. When the two men muse about the issue of homosexuality, Rashid clearly sees the phenomenon as a subjective product of the capitalist superstructure whereas Outlaw entertains the notion that homosexuality is genetic. Rashid pens a brilliant critique and analysis of the 5%ers, possibly the only Marxist criticism of the group in print. Outlaw on the other hand seems partially open to the possibility of synthesizing Marxism with 5%er ideology, although later expresses frustration that his cellmate shows more interest in religious mysticism than the materialist analysis of history. (I skimmed this book very quickly in the course of a drunken yuletide family reunion so apologies if my analysis is sketchy and incoherent. Again, I desperately hope for the opportunity to give this book a thorough study)

A spiritual sequel to George Jackson's canonical Blood in My Eye, every bit as rousing and inspirational. A must-have for those interested in researching the US prison system, the history of Virginia, or the intersection of Marxism and black nationalism.

On a final note, as an anarchist and unorthodox marxist, I must say that I strongly disagree with Rashid and Big Tom when they characterize folks' of Rashid's background as "lumpen". The supposed "lumpen" class was never a real part of Marx's economic analysis, only a derogatory term he occasionally applied in journalistic accounts as an expression of his cultural chauvinism. For better or for worse, the kids in Rashid's childhood neighborhood encapsulate the US proletariat. The young, criminal-minded Rashid was, in the words of Mike Ely, just a working-class kid caught up in some bullshit. ...more "

Dec 21, 2010 04:12PM · see review