DOUGLAS FIELD relishes the hard-boiled language, satire and humour of the third and last of the Harlem trilogy
Latest editorial
The case for blending reason with passion to inspire radical change
STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
MIK SABIERS revels in a band that ploughs an idiosyncratic furrow of expletive laden, guitar-driven alt rock
ANDY HEDGECOCK, MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Synthetic Sincerity, Our Hero, Balthazar, Heartstopper Forever, and A Year In London
The bard invites readers to a gig, raps for Clacton, and lays out the Burnham-Hurzeler conundrum
RON JACOBS recommends an important book that enhances the oppositional theories put forth by Fanon and, in doing so, remakes psychology itself
Passions and Politics
by Paul Ginsborg and Sergio Labate
(Polity, £15.99)
OPTIMISTIC, but not reassuring, Paul Ginsborg and Sergio Labate’s Passions and Politics maintains that politics can be more than “a mere experience of frustration” but only if we let go of cherished beliefs and develop a new critique of neoliberalism.
Well-formed logical arguments are always essential to political persuasion but we will need something more than rationality to challenge the seductive power of consumerism. The authors fling down a political gauntlet: we must, they claim, reflect on the rise of right-wing populism and consider whether its appeal to emotional values can be redirected towards progressive objectives.
Similar stories
ANDY HEDGECOCK welcomes an entertaining, useful guide to the threats and promises of mathematical rationality
JOHN GREEN’s palate is tickled by useful information leavened by amusing and unusual anecdotes, incidental gossip and scare stories
JOHN GREEN asks how can we take decisive action on population levels with a world leader who is a destructive ignoramus
ANDY HEDGECOCK recommends that these beautifully written diaries from Gaza be essential reading for thick-skinned MPs