Book Recommendations Thread

[macabre]

I figured I'd start a book recommendations thread. If you have any recommendations, post them here and give an overview of the book if you can. Here are a few that I highly recommend:

Karl Polanyi - Great Transformation (Great writer, I'm surprised he isn't up there with the great economists. He captured all the nuances of a market economy and made an extremely compelling case against the self-regulating market drawing upon anthropological, sociological, economic, and political evidence. The last chapter of the book is incredibly inspiring and I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to understand the historical significance of early capitalism and its effects on later movements.)

Robert Heilbroner - The Worldly Philosophers (An introductory economics book that is a great read and goes into the lives of the great economists. Heilbroner paints a vivid picture of each economist, incuding mannerisms and personalities, and explains each economist's theories with ease. Highly recommended if you want a better appreciation of economics.)

Paul Krugman - Return to Depression Economics (I couldn't lease the most recent edition from the library but reading the 1999 edition of this book makes Krugman seem like an economic prophet. He goes through all the major crises from the 80s on and gives insight to why some of the crises were made worse through bad policies, hedge funds, and the IMF. When he goes through the Japanese economic crisis, there are so many similarities between their crisis and ours that he could have replaced the word "Japan" with "the US" and the story would still have been true. In the last few chapters, he essentially predicts the US stock market collapse and subsequent recession. Extremely relevant book, given our times.)

[saysmydoctor]

Oh, I got some suggestions

Yevgeny Zamyatin's We
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d5/WeCover.jpg
Pretty much a science fiction version of 1984, but even as a huge of fan of 1984, Zamyatin's does it far better. I don't know what it is about that this book, but it's very eerie and scary. The inner struggle D-503 has is very real and fascinating.

Thomas Malthus' An Essay On The Principle of Population
http://www.prometheusbooks.com/images/principleofpopulation.jpg
I haven't read it in its entirety, it's a very hard to follow read. Malthus is pretty prophetic and his writing have led to modern constructs such as the Census. Guy was brilliant.

C. Wright Mills' The Power Elite
http://www.mchenrycountyblog.com/uploaded_images/Power-Elite-cover-785813.jpg
Pretty much equates the corporate executives, the governing elite, and the upper echelons of the military-industrial complex to be all interchangeable entities with virtually identical interests. Fascinating.

[Machu505]

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0375411356.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

[bung]

http://neuronarrative.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/doubt1.jpg
http://home.wxs.nl/~brouw724/images/Huxley4.jpg - Huxley's vision of a utopia.
http://a5.vox.com/6a00c2252802de604a00e3989db7bd0005-500pi - The book with the message that's applicable regardless of religion, creed or politics.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41WK7G1GGFL.jpg - Say "no" to anarchism!
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f6/Mao_Unknown_Story_US_cover.jpg/180px-Mao_Unknown_Story_US_cover.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51K7XBHYM7L._SL500_AA240_.jpg - Can be a tough read in some parts, but it's a great introduction to the idea of authenticity and how one's relation to society is an essential component to being authentic.
And of course...
http://www.mainlybooks.co.nz/a_peoples_history_of_the_united_sta tes_1492present-img-0060528427.jpg

[Broken Parachute]

Good idea. I just made a thread for this one: http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=1183312

[SpacePunk]

http://darkmission.net/images/DM-NYT-Correct-Color-Wilcock-Mod.jpg


Overview:

NASA lies about everything.

E.g. NASA found buildings/domes on the moon, so they started the MOON HOAX rumors themselves.

;-)

[eleven eleven]

The Stranger by Albert Camus
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/theraynesong/books/51x4gg2IeoL_SL500_.jpg

[saysmydoctor]

http://darkmission.net/images/DM-NYT-Correct-Color-Wilcock-Mod.jpg


Overview:

NASA lies about everything.

E.g. NASA found buildings/domes on the moon, so they started the MOON HOAX rumors themselves.

;-)
I don't know if you're being serious, but big time: pass.

[The Personist]

The Stranger by Albert Camus
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/theraynesong/books/51x4gg2IeoL_SL500_.jpg

This times ten.

Also: The Plague. I'm about halfway through now, and it's seriously genius.

[eleven eleven]

This times ten.

Also: The Plague. I'm about halfway through now, and it's seriously genius.

Just bought that. Will probably start it soon. Love his writing.

[The Personist]

Just bought that. Will probably start it soon. Love his writing.

Yeah. Camus is probably one of my favorite philosophers/writers. his Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays is pretty good too.

[iheartmusic043]

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch aka the greatest book I've ever read. It's a little short but it has a greater impact on people than pretty much any longer book would. I recommend this book to everyone. It's so good.

[Love As Arson]

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416DPY1RXDL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb -sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/417Y66WXPBL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YfEB8nrFL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb -sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41S5Q3AE70L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb -sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg

[Thriftstoresuit]

The Stranger by Albert Camus
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d83/theraynesong/books/51x4gg2IeoL_SL500_.jpg

agreed. I read it for political theory last semester. loved that class

[saysmydoctor]

I had to buy the Communist Manifesto for my Political Theory class. Looking forward to perusing that.

[Broken Parachute]

I read the Autobiography of Malcolm X for one of my classes. I really didn't enjoy it.

[open mind]

art of war-sun tzu
the prince-machiavelli
story of b-daniel quinn
anything by mark twain.

[Machu505]

The Truth (With Jokes) by Al Franken.

[x togepi x]

capitalism and scizophrenia by delueze/guatarri
thus spoke zarathustra by nietszche
discipline and punish by foucault
homage to catalonia- by george orwell
empire by micheal hardt and antoni negri
the medium is the massage- by marshal mcluhan

[GeeBee]

The Lucifer Principle

by Howard Bloom.

You'll never see the world the same again.

[My Broken Fever]

Perhaps a book that is slightly off-topic here but:

In Europe - Geert Mak

It's a book about the history of the entire 20th century in Europe, but told through stories of families that played a part in a specific part of that time, brilliant book.

[Machu505]

Somebody recommend me a book on the Roman system of government. Any era will be accepted.

[Animalhill]

The Lucifer Principle

by Howard Bloom.

You'll never see the world the same again.
HAHAHA You sound just like me. It's true though- everyone here should read this. It indeed changes the way that the world hits your face.

[paper halo]

Somebody recommend me a book on the Roman system of government. Any era will be accepted.

http://www.royalarmouriesshop.org/acatalog/hhrottenromans.jpg