I had seen a copy of ‘Introducing Marx’ lying on the bed of a friend over a year ago. Somebody gave it to her as a birthday gift.
“Was Marx himself a ‘Marxist’? Was his visionary promise of socialism betrayed by Marxist dictatorship? Is Marxism inevitably totalitarian? What did Marx really say?” read the blurb of the book.
It’s an illustrated book that introduces readers to Karl Marx and his thoughts on communism, socialism and modernism. Just like the title suggests, it’s for people who do NOT know much about the 19th century German Philosopher.
If you consider yourself a ‘noob’ when it comes to Karl Marx, this book is for you. Even thought it is a small book, it took me about three days to finish it, which isn’t bad at all. It was an eyeopener to learn how disillusioned Marx was with the communist ideology.
The book succinctly explains how Marxist ideas were twisted by certain leaders and philosophers to their own cause. Loved a panel in the book that showed how Marx once famously said “if they are Marxist, then I am not Marxist”. Another enjoyable quote from the book is about how he called religion “the opium of the masses”.
However, throughout the book, it felt like most of his ideas were fleetingly covered and I would have probably preferred more insights as a reader. But like I said, if you don’t know much about the man, this book could be a good start. It’s a three on five from me.
P.S – On a completely unrelated note – I published my second book – ‘Love, Loss, Lockdown’. It’s a collection of short stories, so check it out if you are looking to read something new.