Reading with Comrades discussion

Hey comrades! So it finally occurred to me that we should introduce ourselves to one another 😅 So let’s just say our names, pronouns, current favorite book/author, and if you want, a bit about your politics.

I’m Lindsi, she/her. My favorite author right now is honestly Naomi Klein - despite some of her left-liberal tendencies, The Shock Doctrine was a huge part of my radicalization process and I think everyone should read it.

Politically, I am an anti-imperialist first, but would consider myself a Marxist-Leninist in ideology. I organize with the Atlanta DSA, where I also have a sci-fi reading group! (Fill out this google form if you’re interested: https://forms.gle/rHAcbcmkyK4kNdWD9)

Hi! I’m Sofi, my pronouns are she/her, and my favourite author at the moment is Christian Felber, his book “Economy for the common good” or in Spanish “Economía del bien común” was a mind changer for me, it helped me form a big part of my economic position. I am from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and my age is 15. I have an absolute love for economics and my current position is socio-liberalist. My native language is Spanish, so I’m sorry if my grammar or spelling isn’t always the best! 💗

Hey everyone! My name is William and I’m a queer Jewish 20-something from Texas. I don’t personally have any deep ties to specific pronouns or sexual orientations, so feel free to reference me however. I’d categorize myself as an anarchist, with deep focuses on restorative justice, egalitarian principles, and striving to live harmoniously with our environment and one another while addressing our basic dignity. My first real radicalization work was probably reading Marx back in my last year of high school, or People’s History by Howard Zinn. Since then, Ive really been enjoying reading more, and am currently really enjoying Bookchin’s perspectives. Outside of reading, I volunteer a lot with organizations/mutual aid groups in the area, but I’m still trying to find outlets that I really feel like are doing the work needed for marginalized or disenfranchised people.

Its been really awesome having this group to get good recommendations on books, and I hope to be more active in discussions in the future! Pleasure meeting you all :)

What’s up comrades. I live in Alaska but I have roots in Texas & Hawaii as well. I’ve traveled to ~20 countries (mostly SE Asia & throughout Africa). I used to be a teacher and a paraeducator but I’ve been a gym owner for the past five years.

I was raised Pentacostal but have been an atheist since I was 18. Best decision of my life.

I’m a big fan of Bernie but my biggest inspiration for declaring myself a socialist has been listening to the Behind the Bastards podcast.

I read a lot of classic literature and nonfiction.

Hi everyone! I’m Katy, she/her. I grew up in Washington and am now in Minnesota post-law school. School has taken up most of my time for reading these past few years but The Revolutionary Ideas of Karl Marx by Alex Callinicos pulled me from a liberal progressive to a centrist Marxist. I also consider myself a student of abolition and anti-imperialism.

Can’t wait to dig into y’all’s book recommendations 🤗

I’m Alison, she/her. I agree that the book recommendations that come out of this group are very valuable to me, even if I don’t get them read when the group is reading them. I’m taking four classes this summer, so I don’t get to read for pleasure as much as I’d like to, and I’m a mom, so there’s that ;) . Also, it’s great to get to know some of you. Sofi, I am trying so hard to read in Spanish (trying La Casa en Mango Street) so I have great appreciation for you and your efforts! And Logan, I spent a summer working in Denali and envy your current location! Thank you to everyone taking the time to tell a bit about yourself. It’s really nice to be in this group.

heyyy everyone :)) i'm christina, i use she/her pronouns ♡︎ i'm 19 and im soon to start my second year of college,, ive only recently really declared myself as a socialist, but im soo excited to get more into everything and get book recs :)

Hi, I'm John, he/him, a retired IT worker from Glasgow, Scotland. I'm a communist, and also a supporter of Scottish Independence (the two sometimes make uneasy bedfellows!). Favourite authors are Iain Banks, Herman Hesse, George Mackay Brown, and Charles Dickens. My favourite non-fiction authors are probably Neil Davidson (Scottish Marxist historian) and Tom Devine (Scottish historian).

I'm enjoying membership of this group - particularly seeing what other people are reading and recommending, and looking forward to some interesting discussions once we all get over our initial shyness!!

Howdy, everybody! I go by Bhost Gird online and Cole IRL. Feel free to use either if you'd like. I use he/they pronouns, happy if you end up on the latter but understanding if ya use the former.

In terms of authors, my favorites include Jeff Vandermeer, LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Salinger, and Asimov.

Politically, I'm generally a communist and specifically a cybernetic ecocommunist with dabblings in social ecology stuff and a commitment to anti-imperalism. Read a TON of nonfiction too so happy to chat about that as well some time (e.g. bunch of confusing process philosophy stuff, articles on ecology, and works grappling with climate change).

Hey everyone.

I'm Scott from NYC/Northern NJ area. I am a clinical consultant in the child welfare system of NYC. My work mainly involves support for case works on how to help parents and/or children address issues with substance use, mental health, and intimate partner violence.

I spent my teens and early 20s avoiding politics and not reading much of anything, but still had awareness of the social issues that I and the people around me were exposed to or impacted by. Once I started my career and accepted the political nature of the work, I started to read and pay attention to politics more over the last 10 years. I don't know if there is one particular book that is responsible for radicalizing me but The New Jim by Michelle Alexander definitely pissed me off in a motivational type of way.
I am currently reading "Settlers: Mythology of the White Proletariat" by J. Saki

Currently, my politics involve a continuous self-assessment as to where I stand on most issues. That also includes being a student of the left to understand just how far left I am and can potentially end up. What I can say is that I've been anti-capitalist before knowing exactly what capitalism is lol. So I've become comfortable taking an anti-capitalist/socialist position these days as I continue to learn and grow.

Hi everyone!! I’m Megan I’m 18 from Ireland. I go by any pronouns I don’t really care , I have not read a lot of political theory but am always looking for suggestions:)

I probably most align with council communism but I am still figuring it out .Would love reading suggestions on getting into communism or history books on communist revolutions .

Hello, I'm Vilte, I'm 21 from Lithuania. I go by any pronouns, I would prefer if you would just use my name as a pronouns but again, I go by any pronouns. I am psychology student, climate activist and I identify myself with nature. In the political spectre sphere I find myself in radical libertarian side.
I am very grateful that you added me to this reading group!

hi everyone, i’m Ilona (she), 18 and i live in France (so i’m francophone). these days i’m into Francoise Vergès’s book and Angela Davis’s. i like to be qualified as an intersectional feminist (so i’m anti imperialism, anti capitalist, antifa, anti racist…), but i’m more and more interested in anarchism but i don’t dismiss religion. nice to meet y’all

Hi wassup I’m Angel (they/them). Im 26 and from the US. I’m not sure if I have a favorite author, but I’ve been super enjoying a lot of crimethinc books as of late. I’m also trying to get into more fiction, but I never know what to read. I’d say I mostly align myself with anarcho-syndicalism, but also I consider myself a regular ol commie too. nice to meet everyone 🐹

hii my name is mimi, i use she/her pronouns. i'm 16 & i'm from shanghai. i loosely identify as a marxist-leninist-maoist but i'm constantly trying to become more educated. i radicalized fairly recently alongside a group of close friends and we have a small (very small) book exchange club for theory & literature.

my favorite author right now is gabriel garcia marquez, and i enjoy marxist-feminist theory (currently working through kollontai + a bit of federici), magical realism with socialist overtones, and postcolonial / anti-imperialist texts.

i'm very excited to learn more!!!!!

Good day Comrades! I‘m Daniel, a queer 17-year-old from Austria. I use he/him pronouns but you can call me whatever you like.

I’m anti-fascist, anti-globalist, anti-capitalist, materialst, and agnostic but not 100% sure where to classify (hah, ironic) myself in the spectrum of leftist political movements yet.

A little information 'bout Religion:
I was raised fundamentalist Christian and am currently fighting to break free from the chains of Religion. Just wanted to say, bc some of my positions or feelings might be caused by that.

I‘m looking forward to looking into the recommendations of y‘all and perhaps getting to know each other a bit ^^

Hey everyone! I'm Elif, she/they but I'm okay with all pronouns. I'm a 21 year old lesbian from turkey. I see myself as an anti-imperialist marxist-leninist feminist. my religion (İslam) is very important to me in terms of my political thoughts and has really impacted the way I view the world, and I'm really interested in the ties between Islam and communism.
Other than that my favorite authors right now are Sally Rooney and Michael Parenti. I like reading speculative fiction, history, historical fiction with decolonial undertones, romance that is class conscious and marxist + feminist theory.

I'm really looking forward to getting more suggestions and getting to know people here!

Hello!! Nour here. I don’t really resonate with pronouns but they/them would be fine. I’m 19, lesbian, Palestinian, vehemently antizionist and pro decolonization. I am also muslim and my religion takes up a huge role in my radicalization. This account is fairly new tho so I don’t have as many books logged and my journey with communist theory kicked off pretty recently (about 2 years ago). I believe books and theory are great tools of education but they never come before firsthand experiences of poc and the proletariat. Excited to engage more here and get to know all you comrades!!

Hi Everybody. I'm Alyssa. I got by she/they pronouns. I'm Bisexual and Biracial (Japanese/Scottish). I'm a communist but haven't read enough theory to identify with any more specific ideologies :) I am on the search for leftist literature and theory and well as intersectional reading on class, race, gender and more. I'm also excited to have some more leftist people to talk to. I'm looking forward to learning more as I read :)

What's up, y'all! I'm Rara. If I had to categorize myself I would say I'm closest to Marxist-Leninist, but generally I don't get too deep on labels because I don't find it super helpful irl. I'm CHamoru from Guam and lived there most of my life before moving to the states in 2011. I read a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, but I am trying to dive deeper into political theory and history. Looking forward to learning and connecting with everyone in this group!

Hey everyone! I'm Alex, he/him. I'm 48 (it makes me feel very old just typing that) and a retired investment banker living south of San Francisco. I'm chair of the Education Committee of San Francisco DSA.

If I had to try to characterize my politics, I would probably say I'm mostly inspired by medieval and Renaissance civic humanism. The book I've probably re-read the most times is Plato's Republic, but on balance I would most likely say my favorites are Plato's shorter dialogues such as the First Alcibiades, Laches or Rival Lovers.

Alex we gotta talk! I do polied for Atlanta DSA!

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lindsi wrote: "Alex we gotta talk! I do polied for Atlanta DSA!"

Very happy to talk whenever works for you. Can you message me with your email, and we will take it from there?

Hi all, my name's Nyakim and I'm a public health and sociology student currently living in Australia. I use she/her pronouns. I identify as an Anarchist and an existentialist.

Currently I've been reading a lot of social ecology and communalist works (Mostly Murray Bookchin and Janet Biehl). I'm also reading "The Government of no one" by Ruth Kinnna and "Oppression and Liberty" by Simone Weil. My favourite authors include classic anarchists like Emma Goldman, Peter Kropotkin, Voltairine de Cleyre and Lucy Parsons.

Hi! I'm Five. I'm an Engineering student in the US state of Missouri. I use they/xe/he pronouns. I'd identify myself as an Anarchist who thinks that there is no liberation without decolonization. One of my favorite books of all time is Homegoing. Recently I've been reading Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents and "Freedom of the Land: a Critical Pedagogy of Peace" by Jevne Mohr.

Hi everyone, I’m Adi. I’m an Indian in the US trying to navigate this system and identify my place within society. I found this group on twitter since I’m seeing a lot of people use the term communism in an incorrect and ill- informed manner. I, myself don’t know as much about political alignments and I’m slowly learning. I hope to get along with everyone here and learn as much as possible. I studied economics and International affairs at uni and I currently work as a strategist/data analyst for a marketing firm. I hope to become friends with everyone over the course of these books.

I particularly enjoy non-fiction with history/psychology/economics as a focus. I’m currently branching out into environmental sciences, law and policy since I wish to work in disaster recovery in the long-run.

Cheers!

Hey comrades! I am Hans. Originally a plate worker at a company in Bergen, Norway. Having gotten the job through an eduction program at workplaces and ended up going directly to work as an employee(no finished eduction), at the workplace I was paid the least while becoming radicalized because of the social dumping. It lead me to the Labour Party and attempting to unionize and it most likely was the reason I lost the job.

After spending years unemployed and volunteering for the Labour Party, I became began questioning the party itself after my policy suggestions didn't get support despite being more classic labor policy than the neoliberal policies of today. So I read up on the history of the Labour Party and Norwegian history, this process took me to fritters such as Micheal Parenti's B$R book that fully convinced me alongside the blogs of Rainer Shea.

Currently in the CP chapter in Bergen and an active member, having become more well read on communism since then and favorite writers are Domenico & Ludo Martens, currently translating Marten's book on the USSR as well. And I'm a Marxist-Leninist.

Comrade Hans

Hey everyone! I'm Zak. Recently quitting my abysmally paying childcare job has left me with a bit more time to read and so i was thinking how cool it would be to have people to talk to about what I'm reading! I been generally leftist a while but around 2 years ago an anarchist friend insisted I read Emma Goldman's essays and since it's caused a snowball effect of being more and more fascinated with political books and history.

I do some stuff with DSA and other orgs but sometimes find myself a bit socially isolated due to disability. So this group really does seem like such a perfect fit!

Hello!

My name is Ryan (he/him). I currently live in Minneapolis. I've been nurturing my anti-capitalism (and related ethos) through various forms over several years. I have had a distaste for things like public protesting and I have decided to focus more of my energy towards taking an analytical approach to understanding the world through academics and applied history. I don't have a formal education background (no degree to speak of) so I've had to learn everything through my own means over time. I'm currently reading/listening to 'Enchantments of Mammon' and I can say that content of this book so far is exactly what my soul has been yearning for. I'm looking to deepen my understanding of the American project with regards to its position in the global history in order to understand where to align my efforts .. either through learning and teaching others or informing my own (and hopefully others') style of direct action.

I'm not the greatest debater or orator but I am hoping to meet others and discuss and learn and continually improve my skills in this area!

-- Ryan

Hey everyone!

I'm new to this app but I really love it, and I'm happy to join your group!
For a short presentation of myself, I'm Paolo (he/his), 21 years old, I'm half French and half Italian.
Politically speaking, I consider myself as a Leninist-Trotskyist, and I'm really close of the French political party "Lutte Ouvrière", which is member of the Internationalist Communist Union.
I didn't read that much theorical books about communism, but I really liked the fictions of B.Traven, especially Rosa Blanca.


Ih openI'll learn a lot with you all, see you!

Hi there!
I'm Theo (he/him), 17 years old living in the UK planning to study history at uni. I consider myself left wing, specifically Marxist but I don't care for labels all that much. I've read a limited amount of theory, but am keen to read more when I can, and look forward to learning more from people and getting some suggestions :)

Hi! My name is Hashoun I’m 17 (2004), i’m gay, and mixed (b&w). As of rn I have bought and am planning on reading Wretched of The Earth, Assata, Left of Marx, Black Marxism, Mao: On Practice and Contradiction, State and Revolution, Socialism: Utopian and Scientific, Open Veins of Latin America, Women, Race, and Class, and Are Prisons Obsolete.
Im very new to Goodreads and radical reading in general. I haven’t read any Communist, Socialist, or Maoist theory to categorize myself but i am firmly anti-imperialist and anti-capitalist so i just need to find where i fit! Super excited to read and meet other leftists as well as have conversations around leftist politics. If u have any recommendations pls lmk! Aside from radical reading I like all genres of books but am currently exploring gay and lesbian canons and planning on reading Dune. I also love manga so if u have any recs for that don’t be shy! Super happy to be here and meet u all!

Hi, I'm E, from Mexico, my pronouns are he/him but they/them is fine. Most of my theory is Marxist but I'm fine if the anarchists get rid of capitalism. Whoever does if first wins, yeah?

Aside from Left stuff I enjoy the great classics of literary canon and the trashiest Japanese light novels. I don't post about those on Goodreads because I don't want my real-life friends to know I'm reading "I went to another world and beat the demon king with my cheat skill volume 34."

I have a YT channel under the name Dakki Reads where I post my recordings of anticapitalist/anti-imperialist texts in the public domain.

Hello, everybody!
I'm new to book clubs on GoodReads, so bear with me.

My name is Sarah, and I'm currently pursuing my Master's in International Development in Washington, DC. My pronouns are she/they, and I'm twenty-two years old. I would consider myself an eco-socialist without any specific hardline ideology, but I think there are positives to Marxist-Leninism, Orthodox Marxism, anarchism, and Maoism depending on the context. I'm a huge fan of synthesizing the positives from every ideology and leaving behind the negatives.

I'm currently exploring the degrowth movement, looking into how indigenous ecology provides a de-commodified approach to cultivation. I also enjoy reading about Marxist-Leninist movements in the Global South in particular. I'm a huge fan of Black liberation works here in the United States, and I also enjoy reading about resistance movements in Southwest Asia and North Africa. I just think there's so much to learn from other people worldwide.

I'm most active on Twitter, so definitely reach out if you have similar interests and you'd like to talk!

Thanks for mentioning Twitter - made me realize we should have a place to trade social media handles! Started a thread here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

And can I just say how fking awesome it is reading all y’all’s posts and seeing all these comrades across the world come together? I’m truly so grateful for each and every one of you. ❤️

India mixed marxism and democratic principles quite well, we almost had a communist prime minister we've already had a socialist pm and our longest-serving cm was a communist. I think socialism is still somewhat workable if the Democratic pillars of a state are strong enough.

Hi all, I'm Alyss, a middle school science teacher from Portland OR. I use she/they pronouns. Living in the capitalist hellhole that is the post-Trump, still-COVID United States it's hard to think that labels are terribly helpful. I recently said I identify as anarchist, communist, anti-capitalist, leftist, Quaker, Democratic Socialist, Democrat, liberal, whatever else depending on who's asking and why. All I know is we set up a system that is anti-life and dismantling capitalism is the only way forward. Anyway, I read a lot of fantasy and am excited to read more theory and history this year. For a audio-learning experience, I highly recommend the Witch, Please podcast. They apply graduate level theoretical frameworks to the Harry Potter series. They're critical, feminist, smart as hell and it's the theory education I wish I had found earlier in life :)

Hi! I’m Brionna(she/her) and I live in the late stage capitalist hellscape that is the USA. I suffer from chronic illness and use reading as a way to escape. I particularly enjoy reading about human and civil rights but I’d like to broaden my horizons into more Marxist theory. I’ve become more interested in politics in the past several years and reading has taught me most of what I know but I’m hungry to learn more. I also enjoy feminist historical fiction, self-development and psychology. I consider myself a leftist, anti-capitalist, feminist, socialist and can’t wait to connect with like-minded individuals!

I'm Mateo (he/they), and my favorite leftist-affiliated book as of late is "Reform or Revolution" by Rosa Luxemburg (also my favorite Marxist revolutionary/theoretician). I'm a co-chair of the YDSA chapter at my high school (I'm a sophomore), although my politics tend to be more radical, generally aligned with Marxism, as well as some of the anarchist ideology of the CNT-FAI. My YDSA chapter has initiated a leftist book club, so involving myself in a club such as this serves as a good discovery page for myself and some of my dear comrades.

Hey comrades, I’m Emily she/her, 31yo living in SP - Brazil.
My favorite author since high school is Paulo Coelho which was and still is an important voice against our recent history with dictatorship and fascism - since ‘64 coup. Maybe the subject of his books doesn’t please some but I’m glad to share the same time/space with someone who uses his voice pro labor class.
About politics I’m Marxist-Lenist, totally supportive with MST here in Brazil. Glad to find some people around the world who cares about social politics, our country here is facing some dark times with radical right and fascists.

hey i'm lachlan he/him and i live in shanghai. i'm 15 rn and was introduced to marxism barely a month ago almost completely out of the blue when i picked up the state and revolution to show off. since then i've been on a determined but sometimes fruitless journey to learn about everything that has made the world so garbage and how to improve lol. i identify primarily as mlm, but again as mao says you can't criticize or analyze something if you don't know about it, and i still need to do a whole lot of reading to learn about marxism. otherwise i'm a pretty uneducated fool haha

hey all,

I am a masters student studying Biology. however, I've recently toyed with the idea of education to bring a more radical point of view to k-12 education.

I live in the Portland, OR area and currently identify as communist. if you want to connect via social media, I put my Twitter handle in the social media thread.

Hi!
My name is Justin, he/him.

I don't have any favorites just yet.

I honestly don't know that much about theory or the particular "isms," however I would say, based on what I've learned so far, that I most closely identify as an anarchist.

Really I'm just following my intuition, and it has brought me this far. Books have guided me along the way, so I'm really looking forward to sharing titles and conversations with everyone.

I'm Tim. He/him. Was invited here by my comrade Al. I live in the US and am almost 40. I guess I would identify as an ecocommunist now, but considered myself an anarcho-syndicalist for many years. My Marxist education has been mostly influenced by the World System Analysis and Monthly Review traditions/schools, but have more recently been learning a lot from the anthropologist Marvin Harris and his Cultural Materialism. I try to be ecumenical in my approach to theory, but admittedly have a certain intolerance for the Political Marxism school and "falling rate of profit" fundamentalists.

I am a big fan of the work of Gar Alperovitz and his DemocracyCollaborative/Next System Project, as they provide a lot of practical models for socialist change/decommodification that informs my work as a local activist (e.g. (re)municipalizing essential utilities, community land trusts, public banks, worker cooperatives).

Hey, my name is Noah (he/they), i'm 22 and live in vienna, austria. my favorite book is definitely stone butch blues (also because it features unions and workplace organizing)

i have been politically active in a socialist student organization for a while now but am relatively new to reading theory. i have been dipping my toes in more in the last few months and am very excited to learn as much as possible.

as for political leanings, i still have not quite made up my mind when it comes to the whole ML vs anarchism debate, so i usually just say i am a communist or a socialist. i definitely have strong queerfeminist and anti-imperialist values.

My names Akachi and I use They/Them. Don't really have a favourite author though I do enjoy the works of Pyotr Kroptkin. I'm a leftist that's still gotta lot of leaning to do. I'm a communist for sure though am not exactly sure where I fall along that continuum of ideologies. A large reason I'm here is to educate myself further.

So if you're reading theory too or got any recommendations. Feel free to friend me! Also just happy to have any leftist friends on here. :)

Hello comrades!

My name is Jenise and my pronouns are they/them.

I guess my politics are generally anarcho-socialist/demsoc but I'm not super educated in political science so it's just a general vibe. I have really enjoyed dabbling in reading Marxist/Hegelian/materialist cultural studies and theory lately as well.

I volunteer for a historic Marxist special library and work at a public library for my day job.

That's all, folks!

Hey y'all!

My name is Tucker (he/him)! I was educated in, live in, and work in Arkansas. I studied in Psychology and am greatly interested in it as a subject (specifically critical/marxist Psychology and anti-psychiatry to an extent. I'm 23 and work with a nonprofit helping to run an afterschool program for underprivileged kids! Michael Parenti is probably my favorite nonfiction author at the moment. I identify mainly with Marxism-Leninism and my favorite animal is the capybara :)

hey comrades, my name is yaz (she/they), im north african and a law student , I've been introduced into marxism 2 years ago while looking into feminist theory , I can say that im a proletarian feminist or mlm , also I like spirituality , history and lifting .