For Marx by Louis Althusser because these essays (along with his other important essays in Lenin and Philosophy) go a long way in helping one learn to analyze the world we live in. Also The Huey P. Newton Reader which is the best survey of the thought of the most important (if that is to be judged by viable contributions toward social progress) revolutionary theorist in American history in print.
martin buber’s “i and thou” because it totally changed the way i understand my relation to the world. it helped me see my relation to a rock as a potential revelation from god.
cornell west’s “race matters” because not only does west’s electric prose make it an exciting read, he also helped me better understand the plight of my african american brothers and sisters. from my own reasoning and experiences and through reading prophetic voices such as west i’ve come to equate justice with white folk taking responsibility for much of the socioeconomic and spiritual burden of black america.
jack kerouac’s “dharma bums” because it’s very romantic fun read, changed my life, made me go out & buy a rucksack.
henry miller’s “tropic of cancer” because it helped me see a (possibly) better more truthful way to document reality through the written word.
letty russel, reinhild-espiritu, rosemary ruether, and various other authors’ “women resisting violence: spirituality for life” because it helped me see that arguably every culture in the world has the oppression of women woven into its fabric. furthermore it helped me understand americas debt to much of the third world for the way america and otrher western countries have damage third world peoples through imperialistic economic practices and colonilization.
1984, because it helps one figure out the state is purposeless if it exists only for the beneift of the state, which is a non entity.
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin is another great book, which I think is more religious in nature, which questions how heaven can exist if mortals occupy it.
Comments (3)
For Marx by Louis Althusser because these essays (along with his other important essays in Lenin and Philosophy) go a long way in helping one learn to analyze the world we live in. Also The Huey P. Newton Reader which is the best survey of the thought of the most important (if that is to be judged by viable contributions toward social progress) revolutionary theorist in American history in print.
martin buber’s “i and thou” because it totally changed the way i understand my relation to the world. it helped me see my relation to a rock as a potential revelation from god.
cornell west’s “race matters” because not only does west’s electric prose make it an exciting read, he also helped me better understand the plight of my african american brothers and sisters. from my own reasoning and experiences and through reading prophetic voices such as west i’ve come to equate justice with white folk taking responsibility for much of the socioeconomic and spiritual burden of black america.
jack kerouac’s “dharma bums” because it’s very romantic fun read, changed my life, made me go out & buy a rucksack.
henry miller’s “tropic of cancer” because it helped me see a (possibly) better more truthful way to document reality through the written word.
letty russel, reinhild-espiritu, rosemary ruether, and various other authors’ “women resisting violence: spirituality for life” because it helped me see that arguably every culture in the world has the oppression of women woven into its fabric. furthermore it helped me understand americas debt to much of the third world for the way america and otrher western countries have damage third world peoples through imperialistic economic practices and colonilization.
1984, because it helps one figure out the state is purposeless if it exists only for the beneift of the state, which is a non entity.
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin is another great book, which I think is more religious in nature, which questions how heaven can exist if mortals occupy it.