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Contrary Notions: The Michael Parenti Reader
Internationally acclaimed, award-winning author Michael Parenti is one of America’s most astute and engaging political analysts. Parenti’s work has enlightened and enlivened readers for many years, covering a wide range of subjects. Here is a rich selection of his most lucid and penetrating writings on real history, political life, empire, wealth, class power, technology, culture, ideology, media, environment, sex, and ethnicity. Also included are a few choice selections drawn from his own life experiences and political awakening. Parenti goes where few political observers dare to tread. Time and again he takes the extra step beyond the parameters of permissible opinion, and time and again he succeeds in carrying the reader with him. The selections herein, that are reprinted from previously published works, have been revised and updated. Other offerings appear here for the very first time. "Radical in the true sense of the word, [Parenti] digs at the roots which...sustain our public consciousness."— Los Angeles Times Book Review "Prominent leftist public intellectual Parenti has built a reputation for himself as a trenchant, yet engaging and accessible, critic of capitalism, imperialism, and other forms of exploitation and violence and this diverse collection of his writings will not disappoint his fans (nor, probably, convince his detractors). Over the course of the collection he takes on the corporate media, intellectual repression in academia, the stolen presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 (not that he's a fan of Al Gore or John Kerry), right wing judicial activism, free-market orthodoxies and mythologies, racism, sexism, homophobia, postmodern attacks on Marxism, the distortions of dominant history, ill-informed demonizations of the Venezuelan political process, his own life, and many other topics."— Book News, Inc. "A prolific author, a charismatic speaker, and a regular guest on radio and television talk shows, Parenti communicates his message in an accessible, provocative, and historically informed style that is unrivaled among fellow progressive activists and thinkers."— Aurora Online Michael Parenti is a critically acclaimed author and an extraordinary public speaker. He received his Ph.D. in political science from Yale University and has taught at a number of colleges and universities, in the United States and abroad. He is the author of twenty books, including Superpariotism , The Assassination of Julius Caesar , Inventing Reality , and Democracy for the Few .
304 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2007
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About the author
Michael Parenti
54 books1,488 followersMichael John Parenti, Ph.D. (Yale University) is an American political scientist, academic historian and cultural critic who writes on scholarly and popular subjects. He has taught at universities as well as run for political office. Parenti is well known for his Marxist writings and lectures. He is a notable intellectual of the American Left and he is most known for his criticism of capitalism and American foreign policy.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 8, 2013
Michael Parenti is Noam Chomsky on crystal meth.
Throw in a short fuse, some mild bipolar mania and perfect comedic timing, and the writings and lectures of MP are a Hard-Left force to be reckoned with.
He's concise, passionate, relevant and easy to relate to.
He's the open minded left wing genius that every socialist kid from an Italian family wishes he had for an uncle. Having him as a dad might be a bit much. His daily rants more than likely would've driven me to regicide by my late teens.
Contrary notions covers a lot of ground, from a chapter about his humble upbringing In a Bronx bakery, to his laser sharp points about America's checkered past and continued scumbaggery.
I realize that scumbaggery isn't a word but if it was, I think it would define our foreign and domestic policies perfectly!
Most importantly: Michael Parenti, while enjoying a solid base of loyal readers for decades, may be THE MOST UNDER-APPRECIATED POLITICAL AUTHOR OF THE LAST 30 YEARS
Throw in a short fuse, some mild bipolar mania and perfect comedic timing, and the writings and lectures of MP are a Hard-Left force to be reckoned with.
He's concise, passionate, relevant and easy to relate to.
He's the open minded left wing genius that every socialist kid from an Italian family wishes he had for an uncle. Having him as a dad might be a bit much. His daily rants more than likely would've driven me to regicide by my late teens.
Contrary notions covers a lot of ground, from a chapter about his humble upbringing In a Bronx bakery, to his laser sharp points about America's checkered past and continued scumbaggery.
I realize that scumbaggery isn't a word but if it was, I think it would define our foreign and domestic policies perfectly!
Most importantly: Michael Parenti, while enjoying a solid base of loyal readers for decades, may be THE MOST UNDER-APPRECIATED POLITICAL AUTHOR OF THE LAST 30 YEARS
December 2, 2023
love this crazy ass white boy
February 27, 2008
I heard this quote today on the radio, but don't remember the name of the source to whom to attribute. The speaker was in a communist country: "We have a benefit here the democratic nations don't. We KNOW that everything we hear on the radio, watch on tv, and read in the papers is propaganda." Michael is subtle, like a brick through a window.
July 11, 2008
I heard this guy from an Alternative Radio spot on OPB one night. If you've ever read Howard Zinn's material and felt he was leaving something out - this book is for you.
Parenti is a radical. He presents reasonable, alternative ideas to what he believes is a conservatively dominated political system. Being a reader, this book covers many different topics, which pretty much all lead back to that point. That is, that even what we identify in politicians and the media as "liberal" or "left" is actually just a version of the "right". And all true "left" ideas, which are ideas Parenti gives examples of being the more honest, the more moral, are ideas labeled by dominating forces as "radical" - or "Marxist". He uses this as a base to describe the immoral Capitalist forces that drive our economy.
The scariest part, is that his ideas aren't actually very "Radical". He provides plenty of examples of ways our government has flushed out contrary systems and beliefs. But how all those systems work better than ours - another words, how they exist for people more equally.
Parenti is a radical. He presents reasonable, alternative ideas to what he believes is a conservatively dominated political system. Being a reader, this book covers many different topics, which pretty much all lead back to that point. That is, that even what we identify in politicians and the media as "liberal" or "left" is actually just a version of the "right". And all true "left" ideas, which are ideas Parenti gives examples of being the more honest, the more moral, are ideas labeled by dominating forces as "radical" - or "Marxist". He uses this as a base to describe the immoral Capitalist forces that drive our economy.
The scariest part, is that his ideas aren't actually very "Radical". He provides plenty of examples of ways our government has flushed out contrary systems and beliefs. But how all those systems work better than ours - another words, how they exist for people more equally.
July 13, 2018
Tremendous. The perfect encapsulation of so many of Parenti's disparate points of emphasis, all brought together in one tidy volume. Michael Parenti is so very important to me. I love this man. He is so smart and passionate and writes in such a relatable way. I think the best possible introduction to Parenti is probably Democracy for the Few, but this volume comes in at a close second. I just finished and every other page has marks from my highlighter. There is so much eye-opening material in here that you're just not going to get any place else. And look at that picture on the cover! What a stud! I just can't get enough of this guy. Thank you Michael!
July 31, 2025
A collection of essays that explore a range of topics that are relevant even today. This book is a great "all-in-one" that explores many many key issues in America with a class analysis. Any self-proclaimed leftist would benefit greatly from reading this one.
parenti lectures
parenti lectures
January 28, 2021
Michael Parenti is such a joy to read not just because his writing is deeply engaging and accessible to the wider audience but also because he is a sharp, clear thinker and always has something meaningful and interesting to say. A real public intellectual if I have ever seen one!
The book is a collection of 38 short essays written over a period spanning a couple of decades. These essays are thematically organized into 8 chapters. There's so much content here from the usual critique of the mass/mainstream media and critique of American imperialism and interventionism to the critique of the now complete commercialization and financialization and repression of the American university to the 2000 and 2004 electoral irregularities to tirades against the automobiles, suburban sprawls, and petroleum industry.
Parenti has also included some personal anecdotes from his childhood and young adulthood which I found very charming.
The book is a collection of 38 short essays written over a period spanning a couple of decades. These essays are thematically organized into 8 chapters. There's so much content here from the usual critique of the mass/mainstream media and critique of American imperialism and interventionism to the critique of the now complete commercialization and financialization and repression of the American university to the 2000 and 2004 electoral irregularities to tirades against the automobiles, suburban sprawls, and petroleum industry.
Parenti has also included some personal anecdotes from his childhood and young adulthood which I found very charming.
September 7, 2019
Like all Michael's works, he is better listened to than read, and audio of his talks is easy to find - nonetheless an excellent collection of arguments for critically examining and overturning mainstream political narratives.
June 15, 2010
A radical analysis of history, a direct challenge to the dominant paradigm.
January 30, 2014
A good introduction to liberal thinking on modern day issues.
January 2, 2024
This was a breezy, biting read until Parenti denied two genocides: that of the Bosnian Muslims by Serbian forces during the breakup of Yugoslavia (Parenti dedicates an entire chapter of this book - and, indeed, a whole other book - to "debunking" it), and that of the Kurds at Halabja (which was undoubtedly committed by the Iraqis, though Parenti insists it was the Iranians).
I like Parenti's style, and I agree with just about every "contrary notion" presented within (except his fear-mongering condemnation of nuclear energy). But I can't in good conscience recommend this book. It feels like an introduction to practical leftist thought, but the genocide denial and the fact that it was written during the Bush era make it unsatisfactory for a reader looking to be introduced to contemporary issues.
Read if you're interested in Parenti as a thinker, if you want to see what leftist thought in the Bush era was like, or if you want an introduction to political issues from a leftist standpoint but AREN'T relying on this book as the end-all be-all.
Don't read if you can't stand when leftists deny genocides that unequivocally happened in order to score "gotcha" points against the United States.
I like Parenti's style, and I agree with just about every "contrary notion" presented within (except his fear-mongering condemnation of nuclear energy). But I can't in good conscience recommend this book. It feels like an introduction to practical leftist thought, but the genocide denial and the fact that it was written during the Bush era make it unsatisfactory for a reader looking to be introduced to contemporary issues.
Read if you're interested in Parenti as a thinker, if you want to see what leftist thought in the Bush era was like, or if you want an introduction to political issues from a leftist standpoint but AREN'T relying on this book as the end-all be-all.
Don't read if you can't stand when leftists deny genocides that unequivocally happened in order to score "gotcha" points against the United States.
March 21, 2024
The title describes this book perfectly. This book is not a deep dive into any one topic, which left me quite dissatisfied at times. But the purpose is not to dive deeply into any subject-- it is to make the reader notice that "objectivity" in politics/history/media is heavily biased in itself, and when you escape the grasp of this "objectivity", things suddenly start to make far more sense. Parenti has a knack for conveying ideas in very simple terms... perhaps because they are, in fact, not complex ideas at all, but simple ideas that seem complex at first due to how much they challenge establishment orthodoxy.
A great read for those who need a little more direction before diving into one of Parenti's other works.
A great read for those who need a little more direction before diving into one of Parenti's other works.
January 2, 2023
Seventeenth book from Parenti.
This book is a synthesis from almost all his previous books: 'The Make Believe Media', 'Land of Idols','Against Empire', 'Blackshirts...', etc.
This may be the most complete work (thematically speaking) of Parenti: he treats almost all of the other topics he has already developed.
This book is a synthesis from almost all his previous books: 'The Make Believe Media', 'Land of Idols','Against Empire', 'Blackshirts...', etc.
This may be the most complete work (thematically speaking) of Parenti: he treats almost all of the other topics he has already developed.
January 24, 2024
Started off slow but picks up towards the middle
Parenti excels here at boiling down geopolitical and socioeconomic matters to relatable working class basics and really shines the further back in history he goes.
Parenti excels here at boiling down geopolitical and socioeconomic matters to relatable working class basics and really shines the further back in history he goes.
October 18, 2025
Despite the length, it's a very quick read. I appreciated that it was written to be understood outside of academia and Parenti does an excellent job of addressing complex issues while remaining accessible.
January 1, 2019
Thought provoking essays. Will have to read more of his work.
March 23, 2019
Tactful and easy to understand
Michael Parenti offers important analysis of many topics in very succinct and easy to understand language. A must-read for anyone.
Michael Parenti offers important analysis of many topics in very succinct and easy to understand language. A must-read for anyone.
April 13, 2020
An informative and witty collection of essays by one of the best progressive thinkers in America.
September 16, 2020
excellent book to get you real pissed off at the state of things if you already aren't.
January 1, 2021
A must read author.
September 18, 2021
I love Parenti's works. He's so down to earth but solid in his application of theory. As a collection of essays, it's nice to be able to pick up and read a section at a time.
March 7, 2023
My hero
Michael Parenti is a national treasure. This world would be a much better place if his works were required readings.
Michael Parenti is a national treasure. This world would be a much better place if his works were required readings.
May 23, 2024
Incredibly good. The definitive introduction to Parenti's thought. First third and last third are 6 out of 5 stars which rounds up the middlethird of 3 stars to a total of 5 out of 5
May 9, 2023
A diverse collection of essays that’s great for both Parenti newbies and seasoned fans.
His more personal essays are particularly interesting and actually very moving, especially the ones that discuss his Italian heritage.
His more personal essays are particularly interesting and actually very moving, especially the ones that discuss his Italian heritage.
November 12, 2016
one of the few truly radical voices out there, would be very interested in reading his thoughts on this election
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews