reviews
Reviews of books, articles, publications, music, film, events and culture.
Review of 'Reflections on J18' - Undercurrent
Undercurrent's review of the critical 'Reflections on J18' pamphlet on the 'Carnival Against Capitalism' which happened in London in 1999.
June 18 saw the biggest riot in London in years. A broad alliance of mostly ecological groups had called for a "carnival against capital" as on that day the political character masks of the world's eight biggest economies had their annual summit in Cologne, Germany. The event itself was as diverse as the alliance that had initiated it.
Review - Greater than the might of armies editted by Staughton Lynd & Alice Lynd - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of Greater than the might of armies, edited by Staughton Lynd & Alice Lynd.
Greater than the might of Armies
Staughton Lynd & Alice Lynd (eds.) The New Rank & File (Ithaca: ILR Press, 2000)
Review - The Arch Conspirator by Len Bracken - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of The Arch Conspirator by Len Bracken.
The Arch Conspirator
By Len Bracken,
Adventures Unlimited Press, 1999.
"Conspiracy, " n. from the Latin to breathe together. A secret agreement or combination between two or more persons to commit an unlawful act that may prejudice any third person
Review - Bolshevism by Rudolph Sprenger - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of Bolshevism by Rudolph Sprenger (Helmut Wagner), Redline Publications, 2004.
Had the revolutionary forces in Germany at the end of the First World War been successful, it is possible that Bolshevism would be no more than a footnote in the history of the workers' movement.
Review - Dancin' in the Streets - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of Dancin' in the Streets editted by Franklin Rosemont and Charles Radcliffe.
Chicago: Charles H. Kerr, 2004.
On the face of it, there doesn't seem to be much in common between the Industrial Workers ' of the World's revolutionary unionism and the surrealists' project of recovery of the unconscious, Yet, as Franklin Rosemont, the co-editor of this collection notes, he and his friends joined the IWW because it was the only group around which wasn't boring.
Review - For Workers Power by Maurice Brinton - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of For Workers' Power - The Selected Writings of Maurice Brinton.
Edited by David Goodway
Oakland: AK Press, 2004.
Review - Change the world without taking power by John Holloway - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of Change the World without Taking Power by John Holloway. The full text of this can be found here.
John Holloway's book Change the World without Taking Power makes an excellent case for not judging a book by its cover. The cover graphic of a ski-masked protester, paint brush in hand, and the anarchist circle @ might lead the curious reader to suppose the work to be the product of the anti-globalization movement; however, the title of the book suggests a new-age consciousness raising treatise.
Review - Punching out by Martin Glaberman - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of Punching Out by Martin Glaberman.
Review by Charles H Kerr, 2002
Martin Glaberman, Marty to those who knew him, liked to describe himself as an "unreconstructed Johnsonite." By that, he meant that he was still a supporter of the ideas and perspectives developed by CLR James when he wrote under the pen name of JR Johnson. That meant that Marty espoused many unpopular ideas:
Review - Workers' Councils by Anton Pannekoek - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of Workers' Councils by Anton Pannekoek. The full text of Workers' Councils can be found here.
For many years, at least in the English speaking milieu, Anton Pannekoek was one of the most important, but least read theorists of the communist left. While the Internet has gone considerable distances to rectifying this problem, outside of small run publications, little of Pannekoek's work is in print.
Review - Storming Heaven by Steve Wright - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes review of Steve Wright's Storming Heaven. An extract from Storming Heaven can be found here.
One of the many drawbacks of English being the de facto lingua franca is that English speakers do not as urgently feel the need to learn a second language as others. In effect, this can have the disadvantage of cutting off of entire traditions. Case in point, Italy.
