“Culture: the cry of men in face of their destiny.”
                                             – Albert CamusÂ
Liberty Nation‘s Culture Corner: The place to sit back, get yourself a coffee, and find inspiration for the next book, play, movie, album to go on your To Do list.
Radical Son: A Generational Odyssey
By David Horowitz
Although Radical Son was first published in 1996, it still stands as one of the all-time great reads within the political book genre. Written in memoir form, Horowitz takes the reader through his youth in which he was bottle-fed on communism and socialism by his parents. This propelled him into the vortex of the hippie movement as a radical leftist, but he managed to ferret his way out of the darkness and come out swinging as a born-again conservative.
And is it ever a fascinating expedition.
Mr. Horowitz’s journey, as Mary Matalin writes in a cover review, “is a scathing indictment of the legacy of the 1960s.” He demonstrates courage and intellectual honesty by recognizing the moral and ethical bankruptcy of his hippie pals who were willing to lie, cheat, steal, and yes, even kill to serve the socialist beast that raged inside.
Radical Son is the perfect read for younger, left-leaning folks who are willing to question political movements based on reality and the actions of those who adhere to the political philosophy of socialism. The only other book to rival Radical Son is Whittaker Chambers’ Witness, which is why I found the following review by The American Spectator so startling: “Radical Son is the most remarkable testament of its kind since Whittaker Chambers’ Witness. A riveting work of literary distinction from first page to last.”
- Recommended by Leesa K. Donner
The “Angry” Young THEM – Them
This album by Van Morrison’s former band is more than just a fantastic exploration of blues and rock; it’s a launchpad for a type of music that shaped the decade after its initial release in 1965.
There’s something familiar about each and every track on this album – in a comforting way, rather than a derivative sense. Hints of Dr. John, blended with a Motown motif, this is a collection that defined much of Morrison’s later works. It offers more than a few classics, including Mystic Eyes and Gloria, and a resounding cover of Route 66 that rivals the Bobby Troup original.
If you are looking for an album that feels both familiar and fresh, this is a musical masterpiece that set the path for one of entertainment’s greatest assets.
- Recommended by Mark Angelides
France’s Classic Gangster Flicks
Martin Scorsese has become synonymous with the Hollywood gangster genre. For film historians and movie buffs, the iconic Warner Bros. pictures of the 1930s and 1940s, such as The Big Sleep, The Public Enemy, and Little Caesar, are the premier gangster movies. You cannot go wrong viewing a James Cagney feature, but another place and time produced incredible gangster films of its own: France.
During the 1950s and 1960s, when France swept the movie world with New Wave cinema, the country also gave us unforgettable and downright historic crime movies that struck the balance between popcorn entertainment and art.
While there were plenty of filmmakers who directed these incredible films, Jean-Pierre Melville helped usher in this iconic brand of cinema. Some of his greatest hits? Le Deuxieme Souffle, Le Samourai, The Red Circle, Bob Le Flambeur, and Le Doulos.
Of course, the list of other non-Melville classics is immense: Rififi, The Big Risk, The Sicilian Clan, Hand Off the Loot, and Borsalino. These are the films that helped modern filmmakers, like Scorsese, William Friedkin, and Brian De Palma put together their crime classics.
If you ever wish to expand your cinematic horizons, take a trip to France, grab your croissants and melba toast, and watch Alain Delon, Lino Venture, and Jean Gabin kick butt.
- Recommended by Andrew Moran
