Monthly Review Press

Cuba: Its Hidden History and the U.S. Empire: 2 MRP books reviewed in International Socialism

February 20, 2024

A Hidden History of the Cuban Revolution: How the Working Class Shaped the Guerrillas’ Victory
By Steve Cushion
Cuba and the U.S. Empire: A Chronological History
By Jane Franklin
The last year and a half have left no doubt that the history of the Cuban Revolution will need to be revisited and probably rewritten. From the moment that Raúl Castro and Barack Obama met, and the American president visited the island, everything changed.

Imperialism in the 21st Century: “novel forms, old problems”: International Socialism review

February 20, 2024

The significance of John Smith’s book lies in his powerful critique of mainstream economics and official statistics as he attempts a renewal of dependency theory. Mobilising Marxist value theory to this end he argues that the Global South’s formal independence masks an abiding economic and political subordination to the imperialist powers and powerful Northern capitals. The book’s impact is reflected in the critical commentary that it has provoked, including on Michael Roberts’s blog.

The American War in Vietnam: 2 Counterpunch Reviews

February 20, 2024

We are never going to get a better truth-telling antidote than the one John Marciano provides. Longtime activist and scholar, author of Civil Illiteracy and Education, the battle for the Hearts and Minds of American Youth and co-author of Teaching the Vietnam War, Marciano knows his stuff.

Marta Harnecker on “The Best Homage We Can Pay Fidel”

February 20, 2024

“Over half a century ago, as Latin American households were celebrating the start of a new year, some good news arrived from Cuba: a guerrilla army with a social base among the peasantry triumphed on the Caribbean island, liberating the country from the tyrannical Batista regime. A political process began that not only aimed to overthrow a dictator, but sought to follow a consistently revolutionary line: genuinely transform society for the benefit of the great majority….”

Ottawa Valley Faces Ian Angus (and the Anthropocene)

February 20, 2024

in which Ian Angus, author of Facing the Anthropocene: Fossil Capitalism and the Crisis of the Earth System, talks to Jennifer Estendorp of Inside Ottawa Valley
“What is the Anthropocene you ask?
‘Geologists divide the history of our world into increments, based on what they know about eras,’ explained Ian Angus, local author. ‘Currently, we’re in the Holocene epoch.’

Alan Wieder Takes Studs Terkel to Cleveland

February 20, 2024

Alan Wieder talks about Studs Terkel: Politics, Culture, but Mostly Conversation with Dan Polletta of Cleveland’s WCPN/WCLV ideastream

Alan Wieder talks about Studs Terkel: Politics, Culture, but Mostly Conversation on WPFW-FM

February 20, 2024

On September 21, Alan Wieder, author of Studs Terkel, Politics, Culture, but Mostly Conversation, sat down with David Whettstone in a studio of Washington D.C.’s WPFW. There, on “Community Watch and Comment,”they talked about Studs and played some of his old radio clips.