Cicero- a short, coherent apolitical argument for why we care about other people and our political life. Not strictly leftist, but probably some of the earliest 'communal' thinking we have in writing. v The Communist Manifesto - I foolishly assumed if you knew about leftism you'd have read this but I have been advised not. Short and relatively easy to digest. You can do it. v Why Socialism? for a concise, short, well written primer that helps distill the socialist theory of it all. v Foundations of Economics - Get economically literate. I do think it's deeply important to understand how modern economies work, or at least how people think they work before trying to argue with anyone about how to fix it. v Capital- dense but foundational. If you've read it before or if the old school writing is Too Much, read Piketty instead. Dense but SO thorough. You must choose one. Then read Debt: The first 5000 years. If you're going to skip Capital/Piketty then you must skip Debt. I think you should come back to this section though, if it's too intimidating to start with. v Caliban and the Witch - We've read Marx, time to bitchslap the theory. v A People's History - with the marxist/socialist foundation in place, time to read a social democrat's American history review. Skip if you're not American. v Understanding Power and The Conquest of Bread. I suggest in this order. Gets you thinking about power structures, and then a little sprinkle of anarchism. Do I endorse? Not really, but theoretically important. v Manufacturing Consent - Please read this before capitalist realism, it's not your fault that you didn't know about this stuff. v Capitalist Realism v The Shock Doctrine, Empire - Go in this order if you want to read both. Shock Doctrine is punchier and easier writing which will leave you wanting to know more and motivate you to read Empire which is much broader and Less Good writing. v The Wretched of the Earth, and Little Red Book- On reflection, I don't think non-western perspectives should be optional. To understand anti colonial thinking, and even modern geopolitics, you have to have these perspectives. Read in any order. I think Fanon is non negotiable here if you only pick one. v Abolition Democracy OR Socialism Past and Future OR Envisioning Real Utopias. Go in this order if you want to read them all. You should, they're all good. If you have to pick one, go with Abolition Democracy if you are in the US, Socialism Past and Future if you're in a country that had a powerful socialist movement that isn't relevant anymore, and Envisioning Real Utopias if you're already in a social democracy.

Optional- Legal Education and the Reproduction of Hierarchy - relevant in America where liberal legalism has us in a chokehold. Read if you work adjacent to law or gov't. Pedagogy of the Oppressed- I think extremely good if you are involved in education or have children in school. Worth the read in general. Anarchism and Other Essays - More anarchism if you're curious. The Dispossessed- a classic companion read to The Dispossessed, but honestly read it along with any of the anarchist books if you want a breather