Welcome to Voice of the Proletariat’s Monthly Reads series. At the start of each month, a post like this one will go up, documenting some of my current reads, top reads from the past month, and a shortlist of newly acquired books.
Currently Reading
Homer’s Odyssey: An Illustrated Retelling by Barry Powell (2026), illust. Joanna Lisoweic
I heard a movie came out for this recently?
Thank you to Clarkson Potter and NetGalley for the ARC.
Spring and Autumn Annals of Wu and Yue by Zhao Ye (~56 AD), transl. Jianjun He (2021)
Completed This Month
Japan’s Infamous Unit 731 by Hal Gold (1996), narr. Joe Barrett (2020)
I consider this required reading for every single Westerner, especially those who have once questioned why we Chinese, Koreans, Russians, etc. hate Japan so much.
Upon learning what they have done—and, mind you, this work covers only a small portion of Japan’s countless war crimes during the World Anti-Fascist War (WWII) and War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression—one will understand why Japanese neo-militarism is so staunchly opposed.
For more on Imperial Japan’s history and legacy, see my collection “Imperial Japan: Then and Now” on Unlearning Capitalism.
The Taiwan Question and China’s Reunification in the New Era by the State Council Information Office and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the People’s Republic of China (2022)
This is an informative 26-page white paper on the shared aspiration of the CPC and the Chinese nation to realize China’s complete reunification. It reiterates the fact that Taiwan is part of China, demonstrates the resolve of China’s commitment to national reunification, and emphasizes the position and policies of the PRC in the new era.
Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-Tung by Mao Zedong (1965)
This edition, which pulled from the Marxist Internet Archive’s translations, was unfortunately a bit of a mess, with inconsistent formatting and some translation errors. Regardless, Chairman Mao’s “little red book” is an important collection that should be referred to constantly.
To keep up with all my reads rather than just some selected highlights, you can find me on The StoryGraph here. For graphic novels and comics, I can also be found on League of Comic Geeks here.
New Acquisitions
Capital: Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1 by Karl Marx (1867), transl. Paul Reitter (2024)
Education for the Revolution: The Legacy of the Black Panther Party’s Oakland Community School by Robert P. Robinson (2027)
Thank you to NetGalley and NYU Press for the ARC. This book releases January 12, 2027.
National Liberation: Essays on Theory and Practice by Rostislav Ulyanovsky (1976), transl. David Fidlon and Yuri Shirokov (1978)
I was quite excited when I found this book, which was printed back in then-Soviet Moscow.
As per the back cover, Professor Ulyanovsky:
…examines the role played by the classes and their parties in the national liberation struggle, the united anti-imperialist front and the more significant features of national-democratic states, the impact of developing countries and their parties in the bid for collective security in Asia.
You may recall my recent article, “On Patriotism, Nationalism, and Internationalism,” released on July 3rd.
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber (1904)
This edition was published in 2003.
All reviews are written independently and without compensation. I accept complimentary books and ARCs for review consideration, and the source will be noted and credited in the review itself. Publishers and authors are welcome to email me regarding submissions.
wonderful books that you recommened, thanks