"Lectures on Fascism" by Palmiro Togliatti is a Marxist analysis of the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany during the early 20th century. The book argues that fascism emerges as a political response to crises within capitalism, using nationalism, repression, and mass mobilization to preserve existing power structures.\

"Blackshirts and Reds" by Michael Parenti critiques the common equation of fascism and communism while arguing that fascist movements historically served capitalist interests by suppressing labor movements and leftist politics. The book also examines the collapse of communist states in Eastern Europe and challenges dominant Cold War narratives about socialism, capitalism, and democracy.

(Full text, not purchase link) "Socialism: Utopian and Scientific" by Friedrich Engels is one of the foundational introductory texts of Marxist theory, written to explain the difference between earlier "utopian" socialist ideas and what Engels and Karl Marx called "scientific socialism." The book outlines historical materialism, class struggle, and the development of capitalism while arguing that socialism emerges from material economic conditions rather than idealistic moral appeals.

"Capital: Critique of Political Economy, Volume 1" by Karl Marx is a foundational analysis of capitalism examining commodities, wage labor, surplus value, and class relations. Marx argues that capitalist systems are structured around the extraction of value from workers and that these internal contradictions produce inequality, exploitation, and recurring economic crises.

"The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals" by Richard Plant examines the persecution of gay men under the Nazi regime in Germany, documenting arrests, imprisonment, and deaths in concentration camps. The book explores how the Nazis criminalized homosexuality and systematically targeted queer people during the Holocaust.

"A Short History of Trans Misogyny by Jules Gill-Peterson traces the historical roots of transmisogyny through colonialism, segregation, policing, and state violence across multiple societies. The book argues that violence against transfeminine people is deeply tied to broader systems of empire, racial hierarchy, and social control."

"The Jakarta Method" by Vincent Bevins examines how the United States supported anti-communist mass killings and coups during the Cold War, beginning with the 1965–66 massacres in Indonesia. Bevins argues these interventions helped shape the modern global political and economic order through repression, regime change, and the destruction of leftist movements worldwide.

"Killing Hope" by William Blum chronicles dozens of U.S. interventions in countries across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East during the postwar era. The book argues that the United States repeatedly undermined democratic movements and supported authoritarian regimes in order to preserve geopolitical influence and capitalist interests.

"Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome" by Joy DeGruy explores the long-term psychological, social, and cultural effects of multigenerational slavery and systemic racism on Black communities in the United States. The book argues that centuries of oppression, violence, and institutional inequality have produced intergenerational trauma that continues to shape behavior, identity, and social conditions today.

"Black Fatigue" by Mary-Frances Winters examines the psychological, physical, and emotional toll that systemic racism and intergenerational oppression have on Black people in the United States. The book argues that repeated exposure to racism produces a form of chronic exhaustion that affects health, wellbeing, and social outcomes across generations.

"How to Raise an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi explores how parents and educators can teach children to recognize and challenge racism from an early age. Combining personal reflection, research, and social analysis, Kendi argues that actively teaching antiracism helps children better understand inequality and navigate a diverse society.

"The Black Holocaust For Beginners" by S. E. Anderson examines the transatlantic slave trade and its devastating impact on African people from the 15th through 19th centuries. Written in an accessible illustrated format, the book argues that slavery and colonial exploitation constituted one of the largest and most underreported atrocities in world history.

"How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" by Walter Rodney examines how European colonial powers economically exploited and destabilized African societies from the slave trade through formal colonial rule. Rodney argues that Africa's underdevelopment was not accidental or internal, but was produced through centuries of extraction, imperialism, and global capitalist expansion.

"The End of Policing" by Alex S. Vitale argues that modern policing is structurally tied to inequality, criminalization, and social control rather than public safety. The book examines the historical expansion of policing in the United States and advocates for reducing reliance on police by addressing underlying social issues through housing, healthcare, education, and community-based solutions.

"No More Police: A Case for Abolition" by Mariame Kaba and Andrea J. Ritchie argues that policing perpetuates violence rather than preventing it, particularly against marginalized communities. Drawing from abolitionist organizing and Black feminist thought, the book critiques reform-focused approaches and advocates for community-based alternatives centered on safety, care, and social investment.

"Abolition for the People" edited by Colin Kaepernick, is a collection of essays by organizers, scholars, political prisoners, and activists advocating for a future beyond policing and prisons. The book combines abolitionist theory, personal narratives, and historical analysis to argue that meaningful public safety must come through community investment, justice, and social support rather than incarceration and policing.

"Prisons Make Us Safer: And 20 Other Myths About Mass Incarceration" by Victoria Law examines the rise of mass incarceration in the United States and challenges common assumptions about prisons, policing, and crime. Drawing on research and interviews with incarcerated people, Law argues that prisons often deepen social harm and fail to address the underlying causes of violence, poverty, and instability.

"Stamped from the Beginning" by Ibram X. Kendi is a sweeping history of racist ideas in the United States, tracing how they developed from the colonial era through modern politics and culture. The book argues that racist ideology was historically created to justify systems of exploitation, inequality, and political power rather than emerging from ignorance alone.

"The Color of Law" by Richard Rothstein argues that racial segregation in the United States was not merely the result of private prejudice, but was actively created and enforced through government policy at the federal, state, and local levels. The book documents how housing laws, zoning, policing, and discriminatory programs systematically shaped modern racial inequality and segregated communities.

"How the Word Is Passed" by Clint Smith is a nonfiction exploration of how slavery is remembered, distorted, and preserved across historical sites in the United States and beyond. Through visits to plantations, prisons, memorials, and former slave-trading locations, Smith examines how the legacy of slavery continues to influence modern American society and collective memory.