222: American Splendor and More American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar

American Splendor and More American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar

From the book description:

"American Splendor is the world's first literary comic book. Cleveland native Harvey Pekar is a true American original. A V.A. hospital file clerk and comic book writer, Harvey chronicles the ordinary and mundane in stories both funny and touching. His dead-on eye for the frustrations and minutiae of the workaday world mix in a delicate balance with his insight into personal relationships. Pekar has been compared to Dreiser, Dostoevsky, and Lenny Bruce. But he is truly more than all of them—he is himself."

Why this is progressive/liberal: Harvey Pekar's appearances on David Letterman, where he openly criticized the network, demonstrate his progressive sensibilities. While an iconoclastic and independent thinker, Pekar's willingness to place art before wealth places him squarely in the progressive camp.

245: The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (Penguin Modern Classics)

Summary via Wikipedia:

"The Autobiography of Malcolm X is an account of the life of human rights activist Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little (1925–1965). It begins during his mother's pregnancy and describes his childhood in Michigan, the death of his father under questionable circumstances, and his mother's deteriorating mental health that resulted in her commitment to a psychiatric hospital. Little's young adulthood in Boston and New York City is covered, as is his involvement in organized crime that led to his arrest and subsequent eight- to ten-year prison sentence, of which he served six-and-a-half years (1946–1952). The book addresses his ministry with Elijah Muhammad and the Nation of Islam (1952–1963) and his emergence as the organization's national spokesman. It then documents his subsequent disillusionment with and departure from the Nation of Islam in March 1964, his conversion to orthodox Sunni Islam, his pilgrimage to Mecca, and his travels in Africa. After Malcolm X was assassinated in New York's Audubon Ballroom in February 1965, the book's coauthor, journalist Alex Haley, summarizes the last days of Malcolm X's life, and describes in detail their working agreement, including Haley's personal views on his subject, in the Autobiography's epilogue."

Why this is progressive/liberal: Malcolm X was one of the most important voices of the Civil Rights movement. He was also a complicated and contradictory man. This book has elicited scores of critical responses, condemning and praising the collaboration between X and Alex Haley. It has been labeled one of the most important autobiographies in American letters, and been dismissed as a complete fabrication. Regardless of the critical interpretation it remains significantly influential.

281: Witness by Whittaker Chambers

(During the month of September I'm recommending conservative titles with which every well-read progressive should be familiar.)

Witness by Whittaker Chambers

A Soviet spy who renounced Communism and named names. Whittaker Chambers was an icon of the right throughout the mid-20th century. In Witness he writes his autobiography explaining how he became interested in Communism and why he gave it up. This book frequently lands near the top of lists about the most influential conservative books written in the US.

Why this is libertarian/conservative: Ronald Reagan was such a huge fan of Chambers' that in 1984 he awarded Chambers a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. Reagan said that reading Witness inspired him to give up being a New Deal Democrat to become a conservative Republican.

Buy the Kindle version: Witness by Whittaker Chambers