Two crucial recent books. [View all]

[hifiguy]

I am a voracious and rather omnivorous reader and suspect a lot of other DUers are as well.

I cannot recommend highly enough two books from the past year or so.

First, Thomas Piketty's brilliant Capital in the 21st Century. Piketty has gathered together enormous amounts of historical data to explain the inevitability of gross economic inequality in capitalist economic systems, particularly in unregulated systems with de facto mimimal taxation of the wealthy. The gist of his thesis is extremely simple - the gains accruing to capital always, always exceed the rate of economic growth, always have, and always will, save in exceptional times like the early-mid 20th century as a result of two world wars and a massive worldwide depression. I don't know when I have read a more deeply thought-provoking and important book about economics and society. Unlike many, Piketty actually proposes ways to address this systemic problem. There's little math used and his writing, while a bit dry in the translation from the French, is eminently readable. His very reasonableness and measured tone only serves to make his arguments and conclusions the more powerful.

The other is Naomi Klein's This Changes Everything. I suspect many know Klein's writing here from The Shock Doctrine. Her latest book is a profound and passionate argument for using the climate crisis as an opportunity to restructure the world, including the phase-out of neoliberal capitalism. Again, this is a powerful and provocative book written with her customary vigor and lucidity.

Every DUer should read these remarkable books.