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Friday Nite Videos | June 29, 2018

Portside
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez: Trump Isn't Ready for a Girl From the Bronx. Does "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" Have a Hidden Message? Flirting with Fascism. Mr Forty-Five | Parody of Mrs Robinson. The Immigrants Deported to Death and Violence

Does "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" Have a Hidden Message?

In his introduction to “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” L. Frank Baum claims that the book is simply an innocent children’s story. But some scholars have found hidden criticisms of late-nineteenth-century economic policies in the book. Is it possible that one of America’s favorite children’s stories is also a subversive parable?

books

The Stubborn Optimist: Following the Persevering Example of the Writer and Activist Grace Paley

Nicholas Dames The Atlantic
Writer, poet, college teacher, political activist, peace agitator and feminist,Grace Paley was a well-known and highly respected commodity to those of us active in left protest during the 1960 and much later. This new collection of her writings should remind us of what we justifiably admired most, not just her talent as a writer but her commitment to the struggle and the long haul.

books

A Not so Distant Mirror

Howard Tharsing Threepenny Review
Jack London, who died 100 years ago last November, was one of the most prominent socialist writers of the early 20th century. Here is a look at some of his political writings.

books

The Sellout

Reni Eddo-Lodge The Guardian
This novel by Paul Beatty won England's Man Booker Prize last month. He is the first American writer to ever win the award. Here is a review of the book.

books

Rebirth of Venus

Dan Chiasson The New Yorker
The Voyage of the Sable Venus, the highly regarded debut poetry collection by Robin Coste Lewis, won the national book award this year for poetry. The title poem unites art history with the history of slavery and racism. Here, Dan Chiasson introduces this book, which has become a must-read across the literary spectrum.
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