CROSSOVER WITH OUR BFFs, RED BOOK CLUB! 

(Special shout out to Connor for editing and putting together this great description!)

In the second of our two-part collaboration with @redbookclub on 'A Great Love' by Alexandra Kollontai, we talk about Natasha's struggle through abuse and neglect and how her courage and disillusionment helps her to eventually break free. The second half of the book deals with an intensification of Semyon's abuse, his neglect of her needs, the belittling of Natasha's intelligence, how Senya's actions provoke self doubt and anxiety in her, Natasha's frustration and eventual disillusionment with their relationship and how after becoming jaded with Semyon's incorrigibility she courageously asserts her autonomy and finally breaks free. We also chat about 'crazy ex-girlfriends', how women are kept as toys and why drunkenness isn't an excuse for misogyny.   In our first time discussing a work of fiction we found no lack of important subject matter to be gleaned from the text. Considered by many to be a representation of a relationship between Inessa Armand and Vladimir Lenin, this essential and heart-breaking text gives us a deep insight into the physical and emotional reality of women revolutionaries before the October revolution and the harmful and misogynistic behaviour of men which remains unchanged to the present day.  This book, set in the world of revolutionaries exiled following the 1905 revolution, tells us the story of Natasha, an intelligent and dedicated party organiser, and her relationship with Semyon Semyonovich, a highly respected but deeply abusive official within the same party. Drawing from biographical experiences and those of her fellow comrades Kollontai paints a vivid picture of the profound pain and frustration which women suffered and suffer through in left-wing organising circles. From emotional abuse, dismissiveness and the downplaying of achievements to the ideas of transactional relationships, control in the institution of marriage and more.

CROSSOVER WITH OUR BFFs, RED BOOK CLUB!
(Special shout out to Connor for editing and putting together this great description!)

“All she wanted was to stand between him and the world, relieve him of his worries, help him bear his cross.”  This week we're collaborating with our comrades from Red Book Club podcast to bring the first of two episodes covering 'A Great Love' by Alexandra Kollontai.   In our first time discussing a work of fiction we found no lack of important subject matter to be gleaned from the text. Considered by many to be a representation of a relationship between Inessa Armand and Vladimir Lenin, this essential and heart-breaking text gives us a deep insight into the physical and emotional reality of women revolutionaries before the October revolution and the harmful and misogynistic behaviour of men which remains unchanged to the present day.  This book, set in the world of revolutionaries exiled following the 1905 revolution, tells us the story of Natasha, an intelligent and dedicated party organiser, and her relationship with Semyon Semyonovich, a highly respected but deeply abusive official within the same party. Drawing from biographical experiences and those of her fellow comrades Kollontai paints a vivid picture of the profound pain and frustration which women suffered and suffer through in left-wing organising circles. From emotional abuse, dismissiveness and the downplaying of achievements to the ideas of transactional relationships, control in the institution of marriage and more.  Kollontai's moving text gives us space to investigate our own participants' experiences of abuse and left-wing misogyny as well offering a chance to create ways to overcome problems such as abuse on the left, how to deal with the work of historically problematic men and how we can acknowledge our faults in order to learn and grow.

 In our first episode, Talia and Jess talk about electoral politics, why it's never going to give us the change we need, and what to do instead. 

Big thanks to our parent podcast Proles of the Round Table, who's stellar discord community brought Talia and Jess together.  We can't say enough good things about the hosts and the community as a whole. We love every one of you. We highly recommend following them and our sibling pods Proles of the Book Club and Proles of the Minyan for more great Marxist-Leninist content. Follow us on Twitter for episode updates. 

A correction: Jess said their Senator was a fascist. They might be, but they were actually referring to their State Representative.

Intro and outro sampled from the song Rebel Girl, written by Joe Hill for the IWW Little Red Songbook, and performed by Joe Glazer and Bill Friedland.