Books that weave history like a narrative, perhaps about China or other eras of the Soviet Union? Could be about any part of history, really, just want something that’s similarly informative and exciting to read by someone who doesn’t have brainworms.
John Reed’s 10 days book is a good choice. Anna Louis Strong’s also a good writer.
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I’m busy rotting my brain with other books currently
Farm to Factory by Robert C Allen is a wonderful text on the development of the Soviet economy and the broad aspects of the economic planning that allowed for a peasant kingdom to become the second world power and first industrial producer.
Red Plenty, about post-war development of the ussr
the one about cybernetics? it’s partly fictional, and the author’s the kind of man to publish an entry into the chronicles of narnia. he doesn’t like the left
i think its a fair assesment of the soviet union at the time. not having brainworms =/= being communist
well if you say so i just find the guy to be a lib. of what i read it’s pessimistic about the whole project and the principle of communism.
spoiler
the man who gets lung cancer is described as getting sicker and sicker the more his body goes from being chaotic to predictable as per the cybernetics of the overarching narrative. the literal tumor grows as it diverges from the natural godly mystery to rigid marxism.
i know he uses the word “unplanned” to refer to the cell’s biology but this man has since become a born again anglican, so there’s little doubt in my mind that he subconsciously wove intelligent dsign into a swipe at planning anything, like an economyjust fair warning, there are worms.
thats a fair reading. i perceived the pessimism more as the author trying to set up foreshadowings of 1991, and less the whole project. i do admit i read it a while ago and mostly only remember the interesting descriptions of soviet life.
the last chapter describes the 1990s with “the dance of commodities resumes”. market mysticism is one of the tells that i’m dealing with the kind of evangelistic ghast i need to keep at arm’s length. how many times have you seen a chud online lecturing someone like they’re a child about the “miracle of markets” with this creepy reverential tone?
honestly, the most lecturing i see is from liberal politicians lol. i get your point
