New Book List

The last time I did a book list was 2011 people been getting on to me for a new one!


So here are some other great bits that will keep you busy for at least a year. What you lot been reading? 


The New Jim Crow - Michelle Alexander

Damning The Flood - Peter Hallward

Death by Black hole - Neil De Grasse Tyson

Millennium - Felipe Fernandez Armesto

When China Rules The World - Martin Jacques

Assata - Assata Shakur

Revolutionary Suicide - Huey Newton

Ready For Revolution - Kwame Ture

Moses and Monotheism - Sigmund Freud

Black People In The British Empire - Peter Fryer

KMT - Ayi Kwei Armah

The Devil On The Cross - Ngugi Wa Thiongo 

The London Hanged - Peter Linbaugh 

From The Ruins Of Empires - Pankaj Mishra 

An Ordinary Person Guide To Empire - Arundhati Roy 

Black Genesis - Buaval and Brophy 

World Poetry (anthology) - Cliffton Fadiman (general editor)

Taoist Secrets Of Love - Mantak Chia

The Eastern Origins Of Western Civilisation - M. Hobson

Breath Eyes Memory - Edwidge Danticat 

The Sea And Civilisation - Lincoln Paine  

African Philosophy Of The Pharaonic Period - Theophile Obenga 


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15 responses
Would love to know Akala's reading process. I try to read as many books as I can so I read quickly but I wonder if there's a more effective way of absorbing the information considering how easy it seems for Akala.
— Liam O'Brien
A little later than promised but here's a few definitely worth reading. The Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams: amazing exploration of some of the earliest known human art. Relates art to human consciousness, religion (or rather, spirituality/shamanism) and social hierarchy. On Western Terrorism - Noam Chomsky and Andre Vltchek: taking the form of a conversation between the two, using comparable examples of Western atrocities with ones usually given much more media attention. My review of it here. Orientalism - Edward W. Said: Exploration of the "othering" of Eastern cultures by the Western imperialism/colonialism. Haven't finished this yet but very interesting. No Logo - Naomi Klein: Probably needs no introduction. Important book about the prevalence of brands and marketing which is still relevant more than a decade on. Island - Aldous Huxley: Great novel which describes a utopian society, some really insightful concepts about how we could have a more happy/healthy society. Contrasts markedly with the likes of Brave New World and 1984. Modernity and the Holocaust - Zygmut Bauman: Sociological look at the legacy of the holocaust and how it has shaped the modern world. "Under Western Eyes" Revisited: Feminist Solidarity through Anticapitalist Struggles - Chandra Talpade Mohanty: This is an academic article rather than a book but it's really amazing. Completely made me rethink my use of terms such as 1st and 3rd world...she instead suggests one third and two thirds worlds because two thirds of the world's population lives in the so-called third world. I can email you a copy of this. Gender Trouble - Judith Butler: quite a tough read but really insightful ideas about how we "perform" gender in relation to expected stereotypes. Eric Hobsbawm's the long 19th century trilogy i.e. The Age of Revolution , The Age of Capital, and the Age of Empire: trying to work my way through this, a little Europe focussed but important nonetheless.
— Nobull
Sorry, link to the On Western Terrorism review here: http://inkyneedles.com/2013/10/28/on-western-te... My hyperlink obviously broke.
— Nobull
Are any of these books actually worth reading, or do they fill the reader's mind with silly delusional ideas about things that never took place?
— i read books too
Reading 'King Leopold's Ghost: a story of greed, terror and heroism in colonial Africa' at the moment. Traumatic, but highly recommended
— rathernotsay
Thank you for this- have been a huge fan growing up in south London, and currently living in Hong Kong. Always keen to read the influential material behind the lyrics and beliefs.
— David
Haven't checked in for a while, happy to see another list. A couple of these are on my to read list. Reading "You talkin' to me?: Rhetoric from Aristotle to Obama" at the moment. So far a good read, some repeated information as expected but makes it a good book overall
— Mike
I can't just read one book at a time so I have an ever growing pile: one dimensional woman by nina power, collected poems of Sappho, the ark before Noah by Irving Finkel on the flood myth, outlaw culture by bell hooks, well everything bell hooks has ever written really, hatchepsut by Joyce Tyldsley, caliban and the witch by Sylvia Frederici on witch trials, capitalism & women's bodies, and a load of fiction stuff, trying to read more women sci fi & magic realism authors - Octavia butler & Ursula le guin are cool. Also wolf hall bc it was on the telly & Hilary mantel pissed off the daily mail.
— Chloe
On the Run: Fugitive Life in an American City - Alice Goffman The Prophet Muhammad: A Biography - Barnaby Rogerson The Mythology of Work - Peter Flemming
— Dani Thomas
The ethnic cleansing of Palestine - ilan pappe Publish It Not: The Middle East Cover-up - Christopher Mahew - Michael Adams A study of history - Toynbee
— Conrad Jones
Hey Akala, I know your a busy man. But could you post another booklist please? Your music and thoughts is one of my main sources for keeping a grounded perspective. With the next list could you organise the titles by genre? Peace! P.S. looking forward to seeing you in Bristol this autumn
— Jan Phillips
P.P.S No pressure.
— Jan Phillips
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