Reading the Left #10
Book reviews by Chris Faatz
Click on book title to see if a New or Used copy
is available from Powells Books
WELL, IF FIRST THINGS HATED IT...
you'll probably love it. I'm writing about, of course, another
piece of dedicated Communist historiography, Paul C. Mishler's
_Raising Reds: The Young Pioneers, Radical Summer Camps, and
Communist Political Culture in the United States_ (Columbia
University Press, 0-231-11045-6). The conservative--
one is, at times, tempted to use the term "reactionary"--
Catholic journal "First Things" gave it a snide panning in a
recent issue. Ironically, the things that "First Things" hated,
such as Mishler's dedication to reveal the truth about what life
was as a red-diaper kid in the Party's heyday are undoubtedly
the book's biggest strengths for any serious reader.
Whole chapters one radical youth camps, on the history Red child-
rearing pratices, and other stuff are addressed in a lively,
provocative style. For me, the most fascinating chapter dealt
with books published in the movement specifically aimed at youth.
Yes, there are pictures, and lots of replications of propaganda
art from the period. Highly recommended.
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A BOOK DEMANDING TO BE READ
William Woodruff's novel, Vessel of Sadness (Brassey's,
ISBN: 1-57488-054-3) is one of the most powerful,
gut-wrenching anti-war novels I've ever read, right up there
with such classics as _All Quiet on the Western Front_, _Johnny
Got His Gun_, or the work of Tim O'Brien.
No sentimentality here--Woodruff portrays war in all its terror and
irrationality, and with the stink of fear rising from every page.
Morbidly beautiful and eloquent, _Vessel of Sadness_ is a collage of
vignettes--personal experiences, testimonials, journalism, poetry--
of the terrible days and weeks and months after the Allied landing
at Anzio in Italy. It's a bloody, dirty, gut level honest book; no heroes
no bad guys: everyone in this war is a loser. Death alone wins.
Anzio was one of the bloodiest messes of WWII. 100,000+ men were
landed in order to sweep around the back of the German defense at
Monte Cassino; instead, they were trapped in a pocket about five
by five miles, under constant attack for five months. This book
is full of blood and mud, of men going crazy, of salvation at the
last moment, and of an unending weariness and wondering "why?"
Hell *does* exist--read Woodruff's incredible novel, and then
try to deny it. Exceptionally highly recommended.
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PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION
This idea, one which would redesign the electoral system so that
parties would be allotted seats by their percentage of votes rather
than the current anti-democratic (yet pro-Democratic) "winner take
all" system, is increasingly being discussed on both the right and
the left in the US and UK. Reflecting All of Us: The Case for
Propotional Representation_, by Robert Richie and Steven Hill
(Beacon Press, 0-8070-4421-0) presents the argument for PR in the
US context with responses from a broad array of folks, both pro-
and con. It's a marvelous, if somewhat dry, opportunity to get
better acquainted with one of the means by which the left might
take steps to further advance a more real, more lively democratic
political culture on these shores. I'm sure the Labor Party, the
New Party, and the Greens are all looking at this with interest.
Worth taking a peek at (real skinny book).
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