JOHN GREEN recommends a German comedy that celebrates the old GDR values of solidarity, community and a society not dominated by consumerism
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John Green
JOHN GREEN welcomes an insider account of the achievements and failures of the transition to democracy in Portugal
Mountains of research show that hardcore material harms children, yet there are still no simple measures in place
Peter Mitchell's photography reveals a poetic relationship with Leeds
Odysseus’s homecoming myth is treated as a factual story, with strong resonances for our contemporary world. This is an implicit anti-war film that has an urgent relevance, writes JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN recommends an entertaining, if harsh and instructive, study of bullying, discipline and power dynamics in schools and at work
JOHN GREEN surveys the remarkable career of screenwriter Malcolm Hulke and the essential part played by his membership of the Communist Party
As climate change makes vast mineral deposits accessible, the island’s 56,000 residents face unprecedented pressure from Trump’s territorial ambitions while struggling to maintain their traditional way of life, writes JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN is dissatisfied with a book that fails to address the promotion of ignorance as a ruling-class strategy to maintain control
JOHN GREEN takes issue with a mainstream novel designed to denigrate the GDR
JOHN GREEN advises caution when reading a highly informative account of the way thousands of top Nazis escaped justice and found employment in the West
Driven on by novel forms of hard-right populism like Modi and Trump, European neofascists are skillfully rebranding themselves and taking power by copying the left's language — just as they did in the last century, writes JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN debates the potential of a book that explores fascism in US history and its contemporary impact to reach the audience it deserves
JOHN GREEN wades through the autobiography of Angela Merkel in search any trace of political vision or historical awareness
JOHN GREEN appreciates a stunning record of the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London
Despite its anti-socialist bias, JOHN GREEN recommends a new survey of British architecture that seeks to educate and provoke
JOHN GREEN recommends a history of the Black Sea peninsula, situated at a crossroads between Europe and Asia
JOHN GREEN marvels at the rediscovery of a radical US photographer who took the black civil rights movement to her heart
JOHN GREEN recommends a useful how-to guide for teaching children with special needs, aimed at those working in education
Behind the superficial glitter of the Republican election campaign, lie big money interests and an assortment of extreme right-wing groups – including white supremacists, anti-semites and bizarre conspiracy theorists, warns JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN applauds the clarity with which an upcoming exhibition and book make plain Britain's role in the slave trade
Covering the revolt for East German television 50 years ago, JOHN GREEN witnessed first-hand how the revolution blossomed and withered, as anti-worker and reformist forces aligned to keep the Communist Party from power
In part one of two articles, JOHN GREEN recounts his experience covering the fall of Portugal’s 41-year-old dictatorship in 24 hours, a remarkable moment of unity and hope, as the masses embraced freedom
With respect for the authors’ intentions, JOHN GREEN demonstrates the lack of class consciousness that undermines their critique of dysfunctional Britain
As more and more voices on the left contemplate the necessity and viability of a new vehicle for elections to fill the void left by Labour’s violent lurch to the right, JOHN GREEN assesses the terrain — and what not to do
JOHN GREEN finds an ideal travelling companion as he works his way from New England to Florida
Israeli tactics of obliterating the built and natural environments of Gaza remind JOHN GREEN of the methods he saw used by the reactionary forces of Renamo in Mozambique following its liberation from Portuguese colonial rule
JOHN GREEN recommends a stunning collection of images that is testament to the vibrancy of Palestinian society prior to occupation
JOHN GREEN recommends an excellent survey of the involvement of the British state, and British volunteers, in the Spanish Civil War
From working closely with Apartheid South Africa to develop its nuclear weapons to supplying the far-right terrorists in Nicaragua with their famous Uzis, Israel has always been a malevolent force internationally, writes JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN tells the largely forgotten story of Roosevelt’s progressive vice-president who wanted to pursue a more collaborative approach with the USSR — but was cheated out of the Democratic nomination by Truman
JOHN GREEN appreciates a meticulous dissection of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency that exposes political and economic structures in the US
JOHN GREEN is unimpressed by a novel that simply borrows the civil war as a backdrop
Far from being opposed to it, capitalism depends on debt as a way of enforcing loyalty to the profit system from those that have the least to gain from it, explains JOHN GREEN
The recently discovered collection of artworks at the Wismut mine from GDR period challenges ‘received wisdom’ about socialist art, writes JOHN GREEN
Three internationally renowned female photographers, whose work combines visual innovation, aesthetic brilliance and militancy, talk to JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN welcomes a new history that makes the reader question both origins and national identities
JOHN GREEN marvels at a vision of working-class lives in the industrial Midlands, pre-Thatcher
Capitalism drives modern warfare — but our species has waged determined and passionate campaigns of murder against each other long before its arrival. How can we begin to explain this, asks JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN looks at the Britain’s canal network, its historical arteries
JOHN GREEN pays tribute to the activism of a man of political fearlessness
Where do swallows go over winter, asks JOHN GREEN
The King was probably attracted to the organic farming methods at the largest ‘biodynamic’ farm in Germany, rather than the politics behind them, muses JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN takes issue with a well-researched but politically naive history of the evangelical churches in Latin America
JOHN GREEN reports on rewilding attempts in the capital and beyond in order to give a boost to rare or endangered wildlife
JOHN GREEN is fascinated to read a crime thriller written from the point of view of Europe’s northern indigenous people
JOHN GREEN yearns for the real-life stories behind a fairy-tale photobook of rural Russian life
On the anniversary of playwright Arthur Miller’s death JOHN GREEN explores the impact of anti-communist paranoia on his work
JOHN GREEN recommends an exposé of dangerous malpractice at the oldest and largest nuclear site in the US
None of the poets in this collection reveal any understanding whatsoever of the politics involved or the context, writes JOHN GREEN
Tapping with your phone, using chip and pin, paying online — it all seems so much easier than notes and coins. But nothing pushed by big tech and the financial industry giants is in our favour, argues JOHN GREEN
(February 24 1943 – November 22 2022)
JOHN GREEN sees uncomfortable parallels between the demise of ancient Greece and the accelerating decline faced today by Britain and the US
JOHN GREEN previews an exhibition that celebrates the human interrelationship with water
JOHN GREEN reports from the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival 2022
John Green talks to EMILY INGRAM whose moving documentary charts the remarkable resilience of Doncaster women at the time of the miners’ strike of 1984
The Shrewsbury 24 case was a travesty of justice on a unprecedented scale, writes JOHN GREEN
Jean-Luc Godard: December 3 1930 - September 13 2022
Goran Tomasevic’s photography impresses JOHN GREEN but he doubts some of the surrounding hype
Constancia de la Mora was a heroine of the Spanish Civil War whose story offers lessons for us today, writes JOHN GREEN
As sanctions on begin to hurt business in the West, it’s clear the disastrous economic impact will result in years of chaos and economic crisis – so why is Europe doing this to itself, asks JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN recommends an insightful look back at Jeremy Corbyn's leadership of the opposition
The Daily Worker and Morning Star foreign editor was a pioneering communist journalist whose reports from the Spanish Civil War to the rise of Solidarnosc in Poland record a life lived on the front line of history, says JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN recommends a book which punctures many a myth about Stalin
Those who believe the US and its allies can be held accountable if they go to war need only remember that despite the millions of victims, the US has never accepted responsibility for its 20th-century war crimes in Asia, writes JOHN GREEN
A book that will be relished by those who can’t wait for another socialist nightmare story, suggests JOHN GREEN
After Germany lost WWI and with it Namibia, its colonial crimes there were almost buried — until the efforts of the socialist GDR, who in 1974 sent JOHN GREEN undercover to document the nation's past and present struggles
JOHN GREEN recommends an impressive compendium of fascinating facts about our feathered friends who have been around for a mere 150 million years
‘Let our fate be a warning to you’ is cut into the stone of Majdanek Mausoleum a timely reminder of what may come in the wake of racial hate and xenophobia
JOHN GREEN takes issue with critics’ praise for a biopic that glosses over facts to paint a fake and revisionist picture
This fascinating but neglected history of working-class resistance to Nazi occupation is essential reading, believes JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN remembers the moment when Stepney Words, a book of poetry by working-class schoolchildren, rocked the East End of London
The ideology of the ruling class will always clash with the ideals of the oppressed — the left cannot and should not stay out of the fight. However it must pick its battles wisely and not allow identity politics to get in the way of solidarity, writes JOHN GREEN
Antipathy for communists mars the authors’ ability to see the wood for the trees, believes JOHN GREEN
It is not Matt Black’s individual, infinitely sad images that make up the overall picture – it is how widespread their themes of desperation are right across the country’s geography, writes JOHN GREEN
Bleak documentation of the remnants of the Soviet period is made soulless by an absence of human beings, writes JOHN GREEN
This is Cuba like you’ve never seen it before, captured stunningly by former welder Raul Canibano, writes JOHN GREEN
Powerful pieces visually reflect and aid the political determination of Stop the War, writes JOHN GREEN
The next administration will have to wrestle with the thorny topic of a crumbling EU and the demands from the US for a new Cold War — and sadly, the new government is unlikely to be left wing, reports JOHN GREEN
With increased surveillance monitoring of those working from home, greater job insecurity, and a lack of human contact in restructured roles, mental health problems are likely to rise among workers, says JOHN GREEN
Labour Party high-flier's downfall a bathetic tale of misjudgement and greed
JOHN GREEN recommends a unique documentary on the timely return of Friedrich Engels to the city
Salutary lessons to be learned from race riots in a ‘red wall’ Burnley
JOHN GREEN recommends a documentary on actor Sean Penn's support for progressive social and political causes
Damning indictment of unemployment in the Thatcher era
Affecting story of twin-brother Jewish refugees who escaped Nazi Germany and settled in Bradford
Timely reminder of the battle to overthrow a vicious attack on the working class by the state
JOHN GREEN recommends a revelatory account of global pandemics and the ways they can be prevented in future
JOHN GREEN looks at how Beijing has raced ahead in environmental initiatives leaving the West, held to ransom by the fossil fuel cartels, panicking in its wake
Wider political and social concerns never intrude on a domestic drama of fraternal discovery, says JOHN GREEN
JOHN GREEN recommends a book on the unique cultural and scientific society created over seven centuries in al-Andalus
Post-unification, an entire generation of GDR citizens had their qualifications devalued or disregarded in a sinister anti-left purge that was termed the ‘changing of the elite.’ JOHN GREEN reports
One of the major problems for engagement with progressive politics is the dominance of the right-wing, corporate media — a situation which is only getting worse with Murdoch's plans to expand. We must fight back on all fronts, writes JOHN GREEN
Excellent documentary on the street demonstrations against neoliberal authoritarianism and for a new constitution in Chile
In-built in the system is the deliberate playing on our fears and insecurity. No wonder we’re left feeling so miserable and conflicted, writes JOHN GREEN
A new exhibition in Oxford restores the reputation of HELEN MUSPRATT as one of the 20th century's great radical photographers, says John Green
The right-wing ‘war on woke’ is being used as a smokescreen for the dismantling of regulations on business and the economy, while workers’ rights and local government funding are eroded and cut back, argues JOHN GREEN
Fabian Scheidler's book pinpoints how the destructive history of militarised states, capital accumulation and ideological power is threatening our future, says JOHN GREEN
A new exhibition demonstrates why photographer David Goldblatt became an iconic documentarist of the apartheid system, says JOHN GREEN
Invaluable account of how Britain's industry has been destroyed
Engrossing biography of eminent archaeologist with a revolutionary impulse