Jacobin has proffered a reading list for the beach-going proletarian. Not content to regale its readers with stories about the evils of our capitalist overlords, the self-sacrificing editors of the socialist publication urge them to read such classics as:
- The Hole, a Japanese work that re-creates “the dreamscapes we escape into when we sense that neither work nor the conventional family structure can supply us with a meaningful life under capitalism.” Perfect for the family summer vacation.
- Close to Home, a “class-conscious portrait” of a young Irish man meant to make the reader understand the plight of the literary-studies major trapped living paycheck to paycheck, working at a nightclub, and doing drugs all the time. Truly a victim of the bourgeoisie.
- Red Diaper Baby, a memoir of a Canadian socialist intellectual. His parents were both communists, so I presume the reader is meant to feel bad for the man. (Spoiler: It’s not about Trudeau.)
Shockingly, the greatest socialist fiction writer of all time didn’t make the list, but his works can be found here. Those who prefer more contemporary fantasies can subscribe to Jacobin, today’s leading fiction magazine, for just $30 a year.
Our own Michael Brendan Dougherty offered his own (admittedly less fiction-laden) summer reading list here. I would add that, if you’re interested in American political history, I reviewed an interesting book about the John Birch Society that is worth checking out.