Category: Monthly Review Press /

Lettuce Wars reviewed by VOXXI

February 20, 2024

Bruce Neuburger dedicated five years to write about his life as a farmworker in the fields of the rich Salinas Valley, California in his new book, Lettuce Wars, which takes readers on a unique voyage written by an activist who worked 10 years as a farmworker between 1970 and 1980... Lettuce Wars is one of the very few well-documented books recently published dealing with the farmworkers' movement from a different perspective other than the "official story" published by the UFW, giving voice to the many anonymous workers and activists who fought for their dignity and a better life for them and their families.

It should be a mandatory reference for those who want to know more about those turbulent years and the life of farmworkers.

Thoughts on Nelson Mandela by Alan Wieder, author of Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War against Apartheid

February 20, 2024

Long-time South African educator and President of the New Unity Movement, R. O. Dudley had a quote that he used when speaking of various iconic South African struggle leaders: He "had arms, not wings." It is a phrase that we should remember when speaking of the late Nelson Mandela, but unfortunately, press coverage in the United States as well as throughout the world has turned Madiba into a Hallmark greeting card figure. And while Mandela's role as a freedom fighter and the major force for reconciliation in the new democratic South Africa should be honored and celebrated, we must remember that we are talking about a complex revolutionary, and also a complex politician.

Monthly Review Gift Subscription with Free Book!

February 20, 2024

Give the gift of Monthly Review this holiday season! For the special price of $29, give someone a 1-year subscription to Monthly Review, along with a free book. Choose from An Introduction to the Three Volumes of Marx's Capital by Michael Heinrich, or The Implosion of Contemporary Capitalism by Samir Amin.

Ronnie Kasrils discusses Nelson Mandela on Democracy Now!

February 20, 2024

Ronnie Kasrils was a leader of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, Minister of Intelligence in the post-apartheid government, and author of The Unlikely Secret Agent, published by Monthly Review Press. He's interviewed on Democracy Now!, discussing his relationship with Nelson Mandela and how the ANC's economic views have shifted.

Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War against Apartheid reviewed in the LSE Review of Books

February 20, 2024

It was a stormy relationship that only a bomb planted by an apartheid agent could blow up. Ruth First was a great researcher and thorn-in-the-side of the apartheid government before her assassination by letter bomb in 1982; Joe Slovo was the lawyer turned guerilla mastermind, who blew up power stations and military headquarters before becoming a minister in Mandela's first government, and laid to rest in Soweto's Avalon Cemetery. Together, they were two of the most famous and important of South Africa's anti-apartheid activists, and lived the sort of lives that made for great stories and even greater myths.

Henry Giroux interviewed on Background Briefing with Ian Masters

February 20, 2024

Henry Giroux is the author of America's Education Deficit and the War on Youth, published this year by Monthly Review Press. He was interviewed on Background Briefing with Ian Masters, discussing his recent appearance on Bill Moyers, "zombie politics," student activism, and more. Background Briefing is broadcast by KPFK in Los Angeles and syndicated around the United States.

Capitalist Globalization reviewed in The Progressive Populist

February 20, 2024

Martin Hart-Landsberg thinks big. His book Capitalist Globalization: Consequences, Resistance, and Alternatives (Monthly Review Press, 2013) is proof of that. A world economy of, by, and for transnational corporations (TNCs) is a problem. So what? The author's answer is clear. TNC-led production flows from the imperatives of businesses to produce goods and services at lower prices than rivals do. A theme throughout his book documents the interests of TNCs to the detriment of working majorities experiencing declines in their living standards.

Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War against Apartheid reviewed by Counterfire

February 20, 2024

A remarkable political biography of two activists who devoted their lives to the struggle for equality in South Africa... Given its wealth of detail, the wide range of interviews that Weider has conducted, and the letters to which he has been granted access, it deserves to remain the definitive biography of First and Slovo for a long time... This timely book should be read by all who seek to understand the remarkable couple and the struggle against apartheid in South Africa in depth.

Ruth First and Joe Slovo in the War Against Apartheid reviewed by Paul Buhle for Swans Commentary

February 20, 2024

This remarkable book bears the tale of two South African (white) Communists who threw their lives into the cause of overthrowing the tyrannical system so effectively supported by the U.S. and Israel (among others) until the veritable end. To say they were courageous is a vast understatement.... The telling of their story is an achievement for which author Alan Wieder deserves great credit. Writing as an oral history field worker and teacher, I conclude that the book could not have been done by someone who lacked the skill and patience of an oral historian such as Wieder. The entirety of this book has the personal touch and will reward reading and rereading.