Ghost Work – Mary L. Gray and Siddharth Suri
Do we know who are the people that moderate content on social media? Who caption, label, and tag to feed the ostensible omnipotence of artificial intelligence?
Carlos Slim – Diego Osorno
Carlos Slim: the Power, Money, and Morality of One of the World’s Richest Men, Diego Osorno, Verso, 2019, pp. 311, ISBN 978-1-78663-437-5 As Osorno states, “the powerful create a cloak of silence around them, which in countries like Mexico, is difficult to pierce.” It took Diego Osorno eight years, hundreds
Erdoğan Rising – Hannah Lucinda Smith
Erdoğan Rising: The Battle for the Soul of Turkey, Hannah Lucinda Smith, William Collins, 2019, pp. 395, ISBN 978-0-00-830884-1 Speaking in Ankara two weeks ago before heading off to Washington, Erdoğan repeated his oft-cited threat to allow the refugees to come to Europe. He was responding to the rebuke by the EU
The BBC – Tom Mills
The BBC: Myth of a Public Service, Tom Mills, Verso Books, 2016, pp. 266, ISBN 978-1-78478-482-9 The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) occupies a mythical position in the field of journalism. Praised as the standard-bearer of ethical journalism, it is to this outlet that people turn to get their information. As
Keywords – John Patrick Leary
Keywords: the New Language of Capitalism, John Patrick Leary, Haymarket Books, 2019, pp. 206, ISBN 978-1-60846-962-8 Valentin Nikolaevich Voloshinov, a Soviet literary theorist, published his influential book Marxism and the Philosophy of Language in 1929, in which he maintained that the word is an ideological sign par excellence. A sign
Brazillionaires – Alex Cuadros
Brazillionaires: Wealth, Power, Decadence, and Hope in an American Country, Alex Cuadros, 2016, Spiegel & Grau, pp. 346, ISBN 978-0-8129,9676-0 Luiz Inácio “Lula” da Silva thrice ran for the presidency of Brazil before finally being elected in 2002. He started his political career by involving himself with the metalworker’s union
The New Authoritarians – David Renton
The New Authoritarians: Convergence on the Right, David Renton, Haymarket Books, 2019, pp. 280, ISBN 978-1-60846-908-6 The right is on the rise in Europe and around the world. In 2016 and 2017, we saw the referendum victory of Brexit in the United Kingdom, the election of Donald Trump and the
Bibliodiversity – Susan Hawthorne
Bibliodiversity: A Manifesto for Independent Publishing, Susan Hawthorne, Fernwood Publishing with Spinifex, 2015, pp. 87, $10.95, ISBN 978-1-55266-747-7 A recent study on book publishing diversity done by the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP), the body that represents 115 Canadian-owned and controlled publishers, revealed striking imbalances in geographical, racial, and gender
Rodrigo Duterte – Jonathan Miller
Rodrigo Duterte: Fire and Fury in the Philippines, Jonathan Miller, Scribe, 2018, pp. 346, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-947534-34-6, also published as Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines The language of diplomacy is often bland, but always measured and appropriate. It aims to foster good relationships, build trust between the