An interesting account of Louisiana through the lens of a white suprematist made easily to read by an enjoyable storytelling structure. Nothing groundbreaking in terms of historical framing and not a must read, but worth a read if you have time.

An account of the US intelligent community which only briefly glosses over the myriad crimes and human rights violations committed while painting said community as the heroes of recent years by reason of Trump being mean to them. Rohde present absolutely no original ideas or revelations about the NSA, CIA or FBI while also having absolutely zero interesting ideas about the organizations as institutions in and of themselves.

Federici provides an easily understandable history of the reason why and mechanism by which the powerful began to subjugate the proletariat during primitive accumulation. She shows the use of community and cultural degradation by the bourgeois allowed for the creation of the working class docile body and expanding that study to show how specifically these efforts targeted women. An absolute must read.

Once again (after Trump‘s Dodd-Frank rollback), hundreds of financial institutions are now allowed to avoid the basic standard we are taught is at the center of prudent lending: that banks verify borrowers‘ ability to pay back their mortgage loans. The law also loosened the standards on the types of terms banks could offer on a mortgage—potentially bringing back toxic loan products and elevated foreclosure rates.

A decidedly even handed history of one of the most revolutionary moments in American history viewed through the lens of the Black Panther Party. The authors do a great job of shining a light on a group that is paradoxically widely remembered with a message and actions that are often forgotten.

Andersen‘s idea that the uniquely American propensity to believe far-fetched theories and doubt science has been ingrained since the time of the Puritans and reinforced throughout our history is certainly a worthwhile topic to think on. However, his negative views towards more recent forms of self expression and hobbies seems misplaced and reads like someone from a different era upset that newer generations don‘t take things seriously enough.

[Capitalism] is a system which is no longer governed by any transcendent Law; on the contrary, it dismantles all such codes, only to re-install them on an ad hoc basis. The limits of capitalism is not fixed by fiat, but defined (and redefined) pragmatically and improvisationally.

An incredible meditation on the lives of first generation freed peoples, their continued exploitation at the hands of those who had hoped to have them remain enslaved. The work expanded my imagination in terms of what I thought possible from the medium of poetry both in terms of storytelling and creative expression. An absolute masterpiece and one of the greatest works of art I have ever experienced.