Dirty Truths

by Michael Parenti

Essays are enjoying renewed popularity, from the personal essays of Lewis Thomas, to the intellectual treats of Marguerite Yourcenar, to the political and social commentary of Michael Parenti in this superb collection. Parenti covers the myth of the liberal media, terrorist hype, John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy phobia, and an insider's view of ethnic struggle, among many other topical subjects. The essays are eye-openers, expressed in straightforward, smooth prose that entertains as it informs. If you enjoy a fresh perspective on contemporary issues, or if you want information on issues that may have been hidden or glossed over by the media, pick up Parenti! "Parenti is a genuinely interesting guy, and when he writes about his own experiences, he's extremely effective. It's impossible not to sympathize with a man being blacklisted from academia because of his political beliefs, or with the kid who has to watch his dad's bakery forced out of business by the big chains. The points that Parenti raises in his essays are almost unfailingly thought-provoking." — Publishers Weekly Michael Parenti, PhD Yale, is an internationally known author and lecturer. He is one of the nation's leadiing progressive political analysts. He is the author of over 275 published articles and twenty books. His writings are published in popular periodicals, scholarly journals, and his op-ed pieces have been in leading newspapers such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. His informative and entertaining books and talks have reached a wide range of audiences in North America and abroad.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Theory, Essays

282 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Michael 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.

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Parenti is like pouring Everclear into a festering wound. God bless this man, may he live one hundred more years, may his books re-print forever.

[Public Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh wow! I just looked back in my Goodreads and this is the 13th book I've read by Michael Parenti. Lucky 13! I think that may qualify me as a bonafide superfan. I truly love reading this man's work and hold him even closer to my heart than Noam Chomsky.

This volume does not disappoint. Parenti has all of the meritocratic credentials, but he is a working man's polemicist. As a superfan, I have heard several of these chapters in spoken form before reading them here. It is fun and entertaining to dig up Parenti's old talks online and would heartily recommend his JFK speeches if you want a taste of what is inside this book. His speeches on his childhood and conversion to radical activism are also excellent and out there on the internet.

It takes a very brave academic to challenge the mainstream consensus on the Kennedy assassination. Parenti is fearless in advocating the importance of that subject and challenging his peers, like Chomsky, to take this subject matter seriously. I admire his guts. And I especially admire his intellect and his grasp of some very daunting material.

Reading Michael Parenti is always edifying, clarifying, and inspiring to me. Please read this book and check out his other books and speeches. He is truly special.

[Foppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent anthology

[Pfairbanks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice compilation of essays on various topics. As always, Parenti doesn't disappoint.

[Roberto Yoed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ninth book I've read from Parenti.

As usual, another great synthesis of his previous works with some extra reflections. The new, and much appreciated, data are the statistics he adds about crime rate, prisons, famine, jobless people, poverty, malnutrition, etc.

Also, his updated analysis about the fascists states is pretty good.

Another great addition is the study of the Boris Yeltsin coup d'état and how he constructed capitalism in the ashes of a great socialist country. Without a doubt, one of the most pathetic treasons that have occurred in History.

But by far the best, and emotional side of the whole work, are his biographical annotations about the repression he suffered in many instutions as a teacher (something I can confirm that also happens here in Mexico, and I'm pretty sure all around the world) and his recount of working with his father in the bread industry (and how tragically his old one ended up working as a Taxi Driver in New York because of the big enterprises taking the monopoly of bread production).

Being completely honest, 'Against Empire' is an overall better project (critically and literally speaking), but the last chapters about his father really remind me of the situation I'm living right now with my old man.

As Parenti, in my wildest dreams I also crave for a socialist reality so my old man has a decent retirement. I don't wish for anything more.

What a personal and intimate masterpiece.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for some incisive analysis, though-provoking Marxist framing if only to challenge my thinking, but the first half of so of the book sounded like a bunch of America-stinks grousing. I liked most the third chapter on conspiracies. Only JFK and Walter Reuther were covered, but I appreciated both. JFK, supporting the idea of a conspiracy assassination, was viewed from left and right including a consideration of Executive Order 11110. For the unionist pioneer, his communistic origins and inclinations were explored along with the apparent sloppy investigation of a tampered with altimeter that left to his demise.

I also like the brief autobiography, especially relating how their Old World Italian bread business produced a handmade product that developed in the open air a thin crust keeping the inside moist. Running up against capitalism (competition with Wonder Bread) and mandated public health measures (plastic bags ruined the loaves' texture) was the death of the artisanal business.

[Aiden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m disappointed to give this a poor rating but Dirty Truths was weighed down by 2/5 sections being particularly slow. I love Parenti and his writing, I love the insight he’s given me, I love his books. I’m going to order another batch of them, i’ve finished the 4 I have now. This book opened my eyes on new people and experiences that i’ve never heard of or thought of and I appreciate it. Worth borrowing from a friend or library but I wouldnt recommend this be your first of his books

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite things about Parenti is his palpable rage, the way you can hear everything he writes in his own voice.

And the way he manages to use the phrase "dirty truth" in almost every essay is both cheesy and incredibly charming.

[headless_roland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parenti is wonderful but not sure this one offers too much I've not read from him elsewhere.

[sologdin · Rating 2 out of 5]

collection of unrelated essays. opening piece on the 'hidden holocaust' in the US is a decent snapshot of the time in which it was written. later essays in the collection regarding leftwing conspiracy-phobia are kinda annoying. conspiracist doctrine is something that I normally associate with the rightwing (& Hofstadter's paranoid style). we don't need individualistic explanations of events to get at their root causes; author here wishes to defend JFK conspiracism. well argued, but not sure it's worth the effort.

[Guido Colacci · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING BOOK!