NeoLiberalism By Any Other Name
A list of books that may appear to be progressive from the blurb, but in fact espouse pro-capitalist, neoliberal views. PLEASE POST YOUR RECS! -- Inspired by @Allana's review of "The Privatization of Everything". --
created by ChengBogdani
last updated April, 2026
Comments
RAHHHH get em outta here đ đ»ââïžđ đ»ââïžđ đ»ââïž
Right?!?!? Please post your recs, I know there are dozens more titles that should be here.
On Tyranny. For sure. See @crybabybeaâs review đââïž
Thank you for making this list! I will nominate Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman, which is full of neoliberal effective altruism bullshit.
Thank you so much! It's added :)
Literally anything written by Rutger Bregman.
How to Hide an Empire I think. Based off of this review and this review
Ooooh, good call! Definitely adding this one!
Ooohh dodged a bullet on this one!
I will be cross referencing my reads on here for SURE. if anyone has any other similar nonfiction lists exposing other unsavory viewpoints please lmk!!
I found Fiction by Zionist Authors a while ago.
I'm sure there's a list of TERFy authors, but I haven't found it yet.
Please post any like-minded lists!
Hi! What is TERF? I keep seeing it around Pagebound but I don't know what it stands for/contexts it's used in
TERF stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist. of course, there is nothing feminist about spewing hate and division, but the term was originally coined by trans-inclusive feminists to distinguish the two in radical feminist spaces. nowadays, the term is used more loosely, referring mostly to those who claim otherwise progressive outlooks but are vocally transphobic. hope this helps!
Thank you!
it's an acronym for Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminist, it refers to people like JKR etc who believe that gender, especially womanhood, is entirely a function of physical features - specifically reproductive organs.
Thank you!
oooh i love this ill be keeping an eyeball!! on tyranny by tim snyder fits imo, its very much written to appeal to suburban middle class white obama liberals. heâs a great historian but thatâs not his best or indicative of his historian prowess at all imo
Added, thanks for the rec!
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i highly recommend his book bloodlands, i think it shows his historical accumen MUCH better. one of the best history books i read during undergrad, he really is a fantastic historian and it hurts me that on tyranny is what people know him for. itâs clearly written FOR the milquetoat centrists in the beginning of the maga era and is almost a decade oldâŠ.. like let it die please let it die
Immediately thinning my enormous Libby nonfiction tag with the help of this list thank yoouuu everyone đââïžđ«Ą
Glad we can help :) Post any recs if you have them!
so glad to see on tyranny here đ
This is a great idea! Thank you!!
I'm happy to run this list for the community :) Please post any recs, I know there's dozens of titles that should be on here!
Iâm curious why How To Hide An Empire is on here, can anyone explain? I started the audiobook last year but only listened to the first chapter
if you scroll down to @fitzfarseer's review, they link to a couple of reviews that indicate the author is... not concerned about colonialism in a liberation sense, but instead in an abstract "big man" view of history.
12/10 stars, no notes, will be following this list closely! thank you for compiling!
Please post any recs!
This is my cue to rec "Laziness Does Not Exist" yet again đ
Added! Sorry if I missed it earlier, my bad!
Hahah no no, I have unwillingly made it my mission to rec it on here at any suitable chance given. Or was it suitable? Because it definitely isn't neoliberal!
Edit: Yeah I definitely made an oopsie and misunderstood your request for recs!!
Ok, if it is NOT neoliberal than I'll remove it - I looked at the reviews and they seemed like its assuming an upper middle class privilege?
OTOH, "don't let the bastards extract any more labor/profit from you than possible" is a choice I stand behind
Can you explain how Laziness Does Not Exist is neoliberal? I have one of the author's books about autism, and though I haven't read it yet, I very much have not gotten neoliberal vibes from everything I know about it. But I would like to be primed to be extra critical if the author is Like That.
Oh sorry, maybe I mistook the question about recs to mean books that are not neoliberal fluff. Devon Price is very much anti neoliberalism!
Ah okay! Hey OP, you should take this one off the list then
Will do!!! Nothing off the top of my head right now but if I come across anything Iâll be running here STAT đââïž
Thank you for your service bc there a several here that wouldâve fooled me damn
thank you for this list! đ
My pleasure! Don't hesitate to add any recs if you have them :)
IMO Iâm sure most peopleâs gut reaction seeing books on this list would be to flat out avoid them without a second thought. However I think that would be doing yourself a disservice.
Engaging in media you donât agree with is something I find incredibly important. Doing so can help develop discernment, solidify your worldview, and train your objective thinking. Skills that are seriously beneficial as AI slop and global fascism is on the rise. You can also gain valuable insight into your ideological enemies. Giving you better understanding on how they think, and therefore how to better engage with those people. Who knows, maybe youâll even have the chance to change hearts and minds using that knowledge.
(Thereâs oodles of nuance to this though, Iâm not saying to sprint out and buy Mein Kampf to be a better leftist or anything lmao)
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, much appreciated! I agree with you in principle. It is crucial to engage with differing viewpoints not just to practice empathy, but to expand and develop our own ideascapes.
The reality for most people, and I'll assume for the vast majority of PB users, is that we live in a world where neoliberalism is presented as self-evident and unchallenged throughout the mediascape. News, entertainment, the framing of policy debates at every level of government - we are completely steeped in the neoliberal viewpoint in our daily life. This is why it's so easy for authors to get published with books that purport to offer resistance, but in fact ask the reader to (I'm paraphrasing here) just go along and think good thoughts on the way.
For people who believe in liberation*, and are fighting for abolition* we are acutely cognizant of how often and how much we have to engage with viewpoints we don't agree with on a daily basis. The noise is incessant. Daily life is a nonstop exercise in discernment and critical thinking. Our family and friends may not always agree with us and we make hundreds of compromises every day just to get by and function in the society.
And this is why I believe it's important to call out books that say they have ideas about resistance, but in fact enforce the status-quo. We already know all too well how to let things keep going in their current direction, we need to invest our scarce resources (time and energy) on are resources that can help show us a way towards a better way of organizing ourselves.
*In the interest of time and space, I'll let the reader know I'm talking about all the isms: classism, sexism, racism, homophobia, intersectionalism, etc etc
For sure, and Iâm not insinuating someone whoâs of a marginalized identity should subject themselves to additional psychic damage theyâre already at the forefront of experiencing day to day (hence my oodles of nuance comment). I also think having a list like this is great, especially for readers who might not have the knowledge or understanding on how works like this can be deceptive and would just pick up something like On Tyranny because itâs popular, short, and (seemingly) has a good message.
My only reason for my comment was to mention the perspective of there still being value found in engaging with them when approached with the right framework.
