Alienation, autonomy, and ideology
These are posts about books from the blog Base and Superstructure. Occasionally I’ll read a book worth talking about, and write some thoughts on it. These cover a wide range of topics from the blog.
In his new (first!) book – The Cult of Smart – Freddie deBoer argues that neoliberalism created around itself a myth of meritocratic success. He calls it…well…the cult of smart.
Let’s take a look at what Freddie has to say. The Cult of Smart gives us plenty to chew on.
Robert Caro’s series The Years of Lyndon Johnson sounds like a bad idea for lots of reasons. At a minimum, LBJ seems rather outré. I mean, a white southerner who rose through the ranks of the racist southern Democratic Party of the 1940s and 1950s? Yes, LBJ ushered through important Civil Rights legislation. And then he followed it up by prosecuting the disastrous Vietnam War. To top it off, the Great Man Theory of history went out of style decades ago. Though leftists and liberals disagree on much, it seems they can at least agree that Great White Men ought not drive history so much.
But, despite these concerns, Caro’s project works. I mean, it works. It works really, really well. Let’s take a look at The Years of Lyndon Johnson.
With my last couple of book and music list, I said I’d be releasing these posts more often. True to form, here’s a new one for November!
Like many people still largely staying at home, I spend lots of time reading. And for any Iowans out there, remember the derecho back in August that took out power across the state? Good times. And another opportunity for reading.
And so, these little reading/listening list posts have probably moved from seasonal to monthly. If you like them, enjoy! If you don’t…read something else?
As summer turned to fall, my local public library started reopening. And so, I finally started borrowing books rather than buying. It also gave us something to talk about other than cloth masks.
Here’s what I’ve been reading lately.
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