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Leftist Must-Reads
15
items A collection of the literature that has helped to inform my worldviews as both a trans man, and general leftist.These books will help you develop a sense of the world outside of yourself, and lead you to question the institutions we’ve been condition...
Sections
3
LGBTQ+
Opressive Regimes
Marxism
LGBTQ+
Barry explores the history of transness, not as one identity that has been around forever, but in the many forms, expressions, and labels it has taken over American history. This book is pragmatic in its framing, and brutally honest about the realiti...
Trans America: A Counter-History by Barry Reay, Paperback
A crash course on queer history, made accessible as heck with super bright colors, pictures, and some gorgeous artwork. This book does a great job at making some of the more difficult ideas digestible, and makes some of the tougher pills of our histo...
Rainbow History Class: Your Guide Through Queer and Trans History
This one is extra close to my heart, as Bessie is from my home city of New Haven. A coming of age story delving into the intersectionality of being BIPOC in the US, this story truly nails the experience of your body being politicized.
Libertad by Bessie Flores Zaldívar, Hardcover
A queer slice of life story that just makes you feel all mushy gushy inside. This baby is a necessity to take a cozy break from all of the gut wrenching stories, both fiction and non, we suffer through today.
A Banh Mi for Two by Trinity Nguyen, Paperback
Lovely graphic novel mainly for educational purposes but with a sweet story to go along. Establishes a base level understanding of pronouns for the uninformed reader. This is definitely one to share with the boomers in your life
A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns
Based on the massively popular podcast, Bad Gays explores queer history through the lens of our most iconic villains, freaks, and outcasts. I specifically appreciate this perspective on the intersection of early queer movements and red-baiting in Col...
Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey, Ben Miller, Paperback
In 1957, Frank Kameny was fired from his job as a government astronomer after being accused of homosexuality, a common practice during the Lavender Scare.Kameny fought back, becoming a pioneering figure in the early gay rights movement. The Deviant's...
The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America
This books is COMPREHENSIVE. Of course you have questions… Heck WE still have questions! If you are looking for a clear, deep understanding of the transgender experience in all aspects of life, from dating to hormones to outright myth-busting, this b...
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Trans (But Were Afraid ...
Opressive Regimes
One of the most important reads of our current day, Bradbury articulates an all too familiar opression of speech and expression
Fahrenheit 451: A Novel by Ray Bradbury, Paperback
A terrifyingly accurate portrayal of racism, class warfare, fascism, but using farm animals. It feels so silly until it’s absolutely terrifying. I reread this bad boy recently and had to put it down multiple times out of sheer dread.
Animal Farm by George Orwell, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®
Socialist party leader and icon Bernie Sanders cracks the nut wide open on capitalism. Speaking directly to billionaires and the ruling class, this work breaks down many of the systems, tactics, and institutions that are oppressing the working class
It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders, Paperback
I hate to call this a dystopian novel given our current state of affairs, but 1984 explores the threats of totalitarianism and the suppression of individual freedoms and rights. Very much a ‘big-brother’ dystopia, it portrays a future where the gover...
1984 - George Orwell|Hardcover
Marxism
Only the most integral read of the current day… If you haven’t picked up this book, please do. Many of these ideas are dated, all of them are rooted in hard truths that still punish us today. Pick it up before it’s banned.
The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Paperback
More commonly known as Das Kapital, this explains Marx's concept of the “surplus value” of labour and its consequences for capitalism. These theories can be applied today to explain US economic struggles and tensions, specifically within the poor and...
Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1 by Karl Marx, Paperback
Berlin's first book published, Karl Marx is a refreshing perspective on communism from the time. This is mainly due to Berlin's very secular perspective. This book was criticized heavily at the time for painting Marx to be much more liberal than he a...
Karl Marx: Thoroughly Revised Fifth Edition by Isaiah Berlin, Paperback