Monty Python and the Holy Grail (w/ Zachary Marlow)

This book offers a dramatically new understanding of human history, challenging fundamental assumptions about social evolution, the development of agriculture, cities, the state, democracy, and inequality. Graeber and Wengrow argue that traditional theories of human history, such as those posited by Hobbes and Rousseau, are not supported by anthropological or archaeological evidence. Instead, they show that humans have lived in large, complex, but decentralized societies for millennia, often without ruling elites or hierarchical systems. The authors draw on extensive research in archaeology and anthropology to reveal a history that is more varied and hopeful than previously assumed, emphasizing human experimentation with different social arrangements and the potential for new forms of freedom and societal organization.

The Waste Land is a 434-line poem divided into five sections: 'The Burial of the Dead', 'A Game of Chess', 'The Fire Sermon', 'Death by Water', and 'What the Thunder Said'. It is a complex and erudite work that incorporates numerous allusions to mythology, classical literature, and religious texts. The poem reflects the spiritual disillusionment and moral decay of the Western world after World War I, portraying a sterile and fragmented society. It was initially met with controversy due to its innovative and often obscure style but has since become a central work in the modernist canon.

Silvia Federici's "Caliban and the Witch" examines the historical connections between the witch hunts of early modern Europe and the rise of capitalism. Federici argues that the persecution of women as witches was not merely a matter of superstition but a crucial element in the process of primitive accumulation. The book explores how the control of women's bodies and labor was essential to the establishment of capitalist relations of production. Federici connects the witch hunts to the enclosure of the commons, the commodification of labor, and the subjugation of women under patriarchal structures. The book challenges traditional historical narratives and offers a powerful feminist critique of capitalism's origins and ongoing impact.