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Nathan J. RobinsonNathan J. Robinson
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Why You Should Be a Socialist Kindle Edition
by Nathan J. Robinson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (150)
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A primer on Democratic Socialism for those who are extremely skeptical of it.
America is witnessing the rise of a new generation of socialist activists. More young people support socialism now than at any time since the labor movement of the 1920s. The Democratic Socialists of America, a big-tent leftist organization, has just surpassed 50,000 members nationwide. In the fall of 2018, one of the most influential congressmen in the Democratic Party lost a primary to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old socialist who had never held office before. But what does all this mean? Should we be worried about our country, or should we join the march toward our bright socialist future? In Why You Should Be a Socialist, Nathan J. Robinson will give readers a primer on twenty-first-century socialism: what it is, what it isn’t, and why everyone should want to be a part of this exciting new chapter of American politics.
From the heyday of Occupy Wall Street through Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign and beyond, young progressives have been increasingly drawn to socialist ideas. However, the movement’s goals need to be defined more sharply before it can effect real change on a national scale. Likewise, liberals and conservatives will benefit from a deeper understanding of the true nature of this ideology, whether they agree with it or not. Robinson’s charming, accessible, and well-argued book will convince even the most skeptical readers of the merits of socialist thought.
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Print length
325 pages
Language
English
Publisher
All Points Books
Publication date
10 December 2019
Product description
Review
"Nathan Robinson's articles, and Current Affairs generally, have been consistently challenging and thought-provoking, with incisive critique and informative discussion, lucid and provocative, and focused on well-chosen issues of major significance. I find myself regularly recommending Robinson's articles to others, and re-reading them myself. Unusually valuable contributions." --Noam Chomsky
"Nathan J. Robinson and Current Affairs are consistently excellent, writing at a very high standard, and offering serious and compelling alternative perspectives. Very worth following and reading." --Glenn Greenwald, co-founder of The Intercept
"Nathan Robinson is one of the clearest, most insightful writers working today. Why You Should Be a Socialist is a scrupulous, carefully-argued work that will challenge liberals and confound conservatives." --Ryan Cooper, National Correspondent for The Week
"Current Affairs editor Robinson profiles the progressive movement shaking up the Democratic Party's old guard and makes the case for a new brand of socialism in this cogent debut." --Publishers Weekly
Review
A primer on Democratic Socialism for those who are extremely skeptical of it—now in paperback!
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Product details
ASIN : B07P8H7M2L
Publisher : All Points Books; Illustrated edition (10 December 2019)
Language : English
File size : 5008 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 325 pagesBest Sellers Rank: 753,054 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)258 in Elections (Kindle Store)
394 in Radical Thought
409 in Radical Political ThoughtCustomer Reviews:
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (150)
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Top reviews from Australia
There are 0 reviews and 3 ratings from Australia
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CMK
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent StudyReviewed in Canada on 15 August 2022
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Clears up a lot of misconceptions about democratic socialism and how it is a much better alternative to capitalism.
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Todd Bartholomew
5.0 out of 5 stars Proving you don’t have to be humorless to be a SocialistReviewed in the United States on 21 June 2020
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So many books on Socialism tend to be dreary deadly serious affairs, lacking in warmth and humor. Its obvious writers on the subject want to be taken seriously but their deadly seriousness makes for very dull and lifeless reading. Not so with Nathan Robinson, who injects a good bit of mirth and humor into his writing, but its never humor for humor’s sake, but it has a point. Early on he makes a point about dreaming big even if some of the ideas are absurd or implausible because it makes people think big and think outside the box. And he has a point as much of early Socialist thinking was so outside the box; things like kindergarten, universal education, and end to child labor, a 40 hour work week, and so on. What was novel then we have come to embrace for a century now. Along the way Socialist ideas have been coopted by both parties and worked their way into our society. As Robinson points out that has left Socialists somewhat bereft of novel ideas to advance in the 20th Century. And rather than dwelling on the obvious decline of Socialism in 20th Century America Robinson points towards the new ideas for the 21st Century and charting a way forwards advancing those new ideas. Robinson is clearly vibing with the many people who have supported viable and successful candidates who embrace Socialism and the revived energy of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The rise of many DSA chapters nationwide points to more people embracing Socialism and socialist ideas and approaches to governance. This is a lively read that is never dull or deadly serious and it’s a relief that Robinson doesn’t belabor Socialism’s fall from relevance in the 20th Century. If you’re interested in Socialism and socialist ideas this is truly a great read for you!
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Lolita Garcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent start to understanding socialismReviewed in the United States on 3 November 2023
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Ifo you are new to the idea of socialism or want an explanation of what socialists say socialism is, this is an Excellent start to understanding socialism
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth a read it you want a primer for leftismReviewed in the United States on 8 April 2020
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Personally wish it dove deeper. Hard to assess how well it performs on convincing sceptics, but there are some passages that I think are underwhelming in their scope and not totally convincing. There is also more disdain for those on the right than I personally prefer.
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T.
5.0 out of 5 stars A great introduction to socialism in the 21st centuryReviewed in the United States on 4 January 2020
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Socialism is back in vogue in a country that has long suppressed any tendencies towards meaningful economic justice. Nathan Robinson diagnoses a wide array of social ills, attempts to define socialism, and explains why it offers the best solutions to those ills. I say "attempts" because defining any concept as meaty as socialism is sure to miss something and anger someone. Instead of saying that socialism is X, Robinson defines it as a set of principles that should be deferred to when building movements and setting policy. At its core, Robinson's socialism (and my own) is rooted in expanding democracy, both in the political and economic spheres. This commitment would have prevented the descent into authoritarian violence that so many other "socialist" attempts fell victim to. Robinson also addresses the two other prevailing ideologies (conservatism and liberalism) and explains why they are cruel and inadequate respectively. He concludes by responding to common objections to socialism.
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