Top 5 Influental Books of 2015 (Part 2)
Note before Reading: The books of the earlier list are not included here, as they're already there. This list is a new and independent list with no real ties to the older one, meaning that these books aren't better than the last ones. These are all books I've read in 2015. A list for 2016 will come probably at the end of the year.This is a countdown from least to best, with a commentary on each.
5) A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Originally published: 1980
Genres: History, Non-fiction
This is a meticulously researched and very well written alternate history of the US, showing that it's history is not all glory and banners, but a careless, un-empathetic, and often cruel history, although sometimes you can see the obviously left-wing attitudes and belief of the author, so it should be carefully read.
4) A Long Way Gone by Ishamel Beah
Originally published: February 13, 2007
Genre: Memoir
A heart-breaking, brutal, compelling and passionately written memoir of a young boy drawn into a bloody and merciless civil war, who lost his family and friends, and with the wish of being part of something strong was drawn into the army, where he started killing people, getting so high on drugs that he stopped sleeping and eating properly, and who then had to live through his nightmare of rehabilitation in a country where nothing was secure or stable. An absolute must-read for anyone who can stomach the bloody, brutal, and sometimes grisly reality of boy soldiers.
3) The Road by Cormac McCarthy
The Road is a 2006 novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. It is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey of a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed most of civilization and, in the intervening years, almost all life on Earth.
Originally published: September 26, 2006
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic fiction
Page count: 287
Adaptations: The Road (2009)
Characters: Burnt Man, Man, Thief, Woman, Boy
One of the saddest and unique books I've ever read, this masterpiece will hold you on the edge of your seat. Although it is set in such a dark, evil, and dangerous world, it still gives hope, saying that love and belief can still survive through the harshest conditions. Although the gore isn't often here, when it does come, it's stomahc wrenching, especially one scene which I will guarantee you will have trouble reading. But never-the-less, it is still a masterpiece, and is also an absolute must read for anyone who has lost hope in beauty, God, love, the world and about everything else.
2) The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is a 2007 book by the Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein. In the book, Klein argues that neoliberal free market policies (as advocated by the economist Milton Friedman) have risen to prominence in some developed countries because of a deliberate strategy of "shock therapy". This centers on the exploitation of national crises to push through controversial policies while citizens are too emotionally and physically distracted by disasters or upheavals to mount an effective resistance.
An international best-seller by the author of No-Logo, this book reveals harsh truths about the rich blue-bloods who are sucking blood out of the poorer middle-class, which are so confused or blind that they can't fight back.
1) Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control by Dominic Streatfeild
Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control is a 2006 non-fiction book published by Hodder & Stoughton about the evolution of mind control from its origins in the Cold War through to today's War on Terror.
Preceded by: Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Nominations: Samuel Johnson Prize
One of the best books on the subject, Streatfeild writes clearly and engagingly, although you should be careful in reading it, as his views are very hard to understand sometimes, demanding multiple reads. It's a clear 18+ with strong depictions of torture, electrocution, rape and so on, which can be painful to read. But still, an absolute must-read.
Amazon UK links:
A People History of The United States: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peoples-History-United-States/dp/0062397346
A Long Way Gone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Way-Gone-Story-Soldier/dp/0007247095
The Shock Doctrine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitalism/dp/0141024534
