Yet Another Reading List

So, apparently I'm a geek with what I read. Anyway, the following books have literally changed the way I see the world. I'd welcome suggestions on what to add to this list. The Beauty Myth, while I don't agree with all her theses, Naomi Wolf has some brilliant insights into the minds of women. I wish I'd read this before getting into my first serious relationship since I think it would have helped. Not by any means a light read though. Manufacturing Consent, the DVD version. It's also available as a book, but I actually think that for this particular set of ideas, video is a more effective transport. Again, this isn't easy going, but the ideas are disruptive. If you want some insight into the relationship between media and money, this is a good place to start. Hegemony or Survival, also by Noam Chomsky. An examination of American foreign policy that's painful to read, and very thoroughly referenced. I dream of the day when Chomsky puts together an accessible primer on the subject, but until then, this will have to do. The Rebel Sell by Heath and Potter helped me put some words to my discomfort with the whole "counter culture", radicalism and other flavours of rebellion. If you ever wondered why our much lamented consumerist culture doesn't seem to be affected in any way by the endless efforts of culture jamming and ad-busting, this might provide some ideas. Once I got past the self-congratulatory style of the text, I found this book quite accessible and a relatively easy read. Apparently it's also available in America under the title Nation of Rebels.