Reading for Radicals

Travel Guide for the Intellectual Explorer

There are millions of books, magazines and movies available to the curious mind. To save you from wasting your time reading bad books or watching awful movies, I've pulled together a listing of some of the most accessible and insightful material available in history, psychology and other important topic areas.

Psychology/Human Nature/Society "1984" by George Orwell (fiction) "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller (fiction) "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury (fiction) "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding (fiction) "Neuromancer" by William Gibson (fiction) "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger (fiction) "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley (fiction) "Watership Down" by Richard Adams (fiction) "Lord Jim" by Joseph Conrad (fiction) "On Human Nature"by Edward Wilson "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand (fiction) "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad (fiction) History/Politics "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared Diamond "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond "The World As I See it" by Albert Einstein "Brave New World Revisted" by Aldous Huxley "People's History of the United States" by Howard Zinn "Outline of History" by H.G. Wells "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media" by Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky (book and movie) Audio/video: "Bullworth" (movie) "Schindler's List" (movie) "Welcome to Sarajevo" (movie)
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Economics/Globalization "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman "The Lexus and the Olive Tree" by Thomas L. Friedman "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand (fiction) "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair(fiction) "Natural Capitalism" by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, and L. Hunter Lovins "Chaos or Community" by Holly Sklar "The Disposessed" by Ursula Le Guinn (fiction) "Economics Explained : Everything You Need to Know About How the Economy Works and Where It's Going" by Robert L. Heilbroner, Lester C. Thurow "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser "The Overspent American" by Juliet Schor "How much is enough?" by Alan During Crime/Justice "Dead Man Walking" by Helen Prejean "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Ken Kesey Audio/video: "Shawshank Redemption" (movie) "American History X"(movie) "In the Name of the Father" (movie) "Dead Man Walking" (movie) "Clockers" (movie)
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Science/Ecology "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed" by Jared Diamond "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins "Earth" by David Brin (fiction) "The Lorax" Dr. Seuss (fiction) "Ecotopia" by Ernest Callenbach (fiction) "Walden" by Henry Thoreau Audio/video: "Blue Planet" a stellar documentary by the BBC "The Life of Birds" BBC documentary "The Life of Mammals" BBC documentary Activism/Social Change: "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" by Malcolm Gladwell "Organizing for Social Change" from the Midwest Academy "Rules for Radicals" by Saul D. Alinsky "Art of War" by Sun Tzu "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card (fiction) "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli
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Some Cool Tunes (to listen to while you're reading) “World on Fire” by Sarah McLaughlin “Oh My God” by Michael Franti and Spearhead “Right here, right now” by Jesus Jones “Pride (One)” by U2 “The World I Know” by Collective Soul “Every State Line” by Ani Difranco “Mother” by Pink Floyd “Imagine” by John Lennon “We Didn't Start the Fire” by Billy Joel “Saltwater” by Julian Lennon “Gulf War Song","River Valley” by Moxy Fruvous "World Falls" by Indigo Girls “Learn to fly” by Foo Fighters
Who made this list and why? This list was made by me (Matt Howes) with help from other professional activists and various friends. An MIT graduate in environmental engineering, I've worked for the American Civil Liberties Union and Media Matters. A self-confessed bookworm, I've also travelled a great deal (including ten months in China) and done internships with the Worldwatch Institute, a leprosy hospital in eastern India, and the United Nations Environment Program in Nairobi, Kenya. I've spent a lot of time reading bad books. To save other progressives time, I compiled this list and will continue to evolve it as I find more great books -- by stumbling onto them on my own or thanks to recommendations. Have a suggestion or comment? Click here to email me.