CME BookTalks
Feeling inquisitive? Looking for good conversation? Love history and books? Join us for one of our many BookTalks that focus on books related to history and socialism. Recommend a book - email us at centermarxisteducation@gmail.com.
Saturday, July 14 | 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Stars Over Latin America Presented by the Author, M. Earl Smith What happens when two young men allow the world to change them? “Stars Over Latin America” shares the story of Che Guevara and Alberto Granado’s journey across South America. When two young men begin a journey across Latin America on a broken-down motorcycle, they have no idea how much the voyage will change their lives. The story of Che Guevara and Alberto Granado and their voyage across South America has been hailed for decades as a pivotal moment in the Marxist movement in Latin America. Guevara’s diaries from the trip were first published in 2003, followed by a film adaptation in 2005. But until now, the tale was mostly ignored by the children’s book industry. Stars Over Latin America, published March 9, 2018, by Michelkin Publishing, will finally share this important and inspirational account with young readers worldwide. Available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, the story, written by M. Earl Smith, is accompanied by vivid illustrations by the talented Gustavo Ferrés. Author M. Earl Smith is a historian, professor, and author from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He teaches English at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, while pursuing a master of fine arts degree in creative writing at Pine Manor College. He has previously written books for both children and adults as well as having numerous short stories and poems published in anthologies. Illustrator Gustavo Ferrés is a student of design at the University of São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil. Michelkin Publishing publishes both print and digital books and distributes titles via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, iBooks, and many other digital book retailers. For more information about the company, pleas visit http://books.michelkin.com. Little Karl
Saturday, January 13 | 1:00 – 3:30 PM Presented by the author, M. Earl Smith Many parents, teachers, political scientists, church leaders, and others in leadership roles have trouble explaining Marxism or Marxist theory in a way that children can understand, especially without allowing personal political bias to come into play. Little Karl frames Marxist theory from the perspective of a child and the world they see each day. Follow along with Little Karl as he and his mother encounter a homeless man looking for work, a skinny puppy starving from lack of food, and many other characters who make the young boy question why everyone can't live as comfortably as his family. The core thoughts of Marxist theory are presented through the voice of a young Karl Marx, allowing a new generation to explore Marx's concepts without preconceived fears. Little Karl allows readers of any age to understand Marxist thought. |
Capital
Capital is Karl Marx's magnum opus, and remains the best explanation of how capitalism works and why this system is prone to cycles of booms and busts. Join us for an engaging discussion of this still relevant text, twenty pages at a time. Join us for an engaging discussion of this still relevant text, twenty pages at a time.
CANCELED Sandeep Choubey We will be reading Chapter 14. |
The Black Jacobins
Thursday, June 8 | 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Eddie Carson, CPUSA, CME CLR James, author of The Black Jacobins, wrote at a time when fascism posed a global threat to democratic tendencies of the1930s; he juxtaposed his 20th century reality to that of the Haitian Revolution. This work, through a Marxist lens, was a call for global solidarity against the oppression imposed by capitalist actors vis-à-vis imperialism. Much like the Haitian slave rebellion – this work called for a rebellion of the proletariats. There will be space for questions, and audience participation is desired. (Download a copy.) |
State and Revolution
Tuesday, May 16 | 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Eddie Carson, CPUSA-Boston Delve into Lenin’s premier work on the role of the state, the dire need for a proletariat revolution, and the weaknesses of social democracy vis-à-vis a capitalist framework in granting the rise of a working-class state. Lenin addresses the criticisms of Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto, while offering a crucial critique of bourgeoisie power. |
The Communist Manifesto
Tuesday, February 21 | 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Eddie Carson, CPUSA-Boston The Communist Manifesto (originally Manifesto of the Communist Party) is an 1848 political pamphlet by German philosophers Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Commissioned by the Communist League and originally published in London (in German as Manifest der Kommunistischen Partei) just as the revolutions of 1848 began to erupt, the Manifesto was later recognized as one of the world's most influential political manuscripts. It presents an analytical approach to the class struggle (historical and then-present) and the problems of capitalism and the capitalist mode of production, rather than a prediction of communism's potential future forms. The Communist Manifesto summarizes Marx and Engels' theories about the nature of society and politics, that in their own words, "The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles". It also briefly features their ideas for how the capitalist society of the time would eventually be replaced by socialism. Buy your own copy for $2.50 Listen to the free Audio Book Download Free PDF |