[Marxism] Books for kids?

[Matt Wappett]

> My 11-year-old son and I have struck a deal under which he has to read a 
> list of books of my choosing before I'll buy him an electronic gadget he 
> covets.
>
> Technically speaking, he can read at an adult level but isn't necessarily 
> mature enough to read adult books as such. So I'm trying to find some 
> roughly age-appropriate books, fiction or non-fiction, that either carry a 
> message of resistance or reveal some truths about history that he won't get 
> in school
I vividly remember reading The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings trilogy 
in fifth and sixth grade.  The idea of the small Hobbits standing up to 
the oppressive forces of Sauron and Saruman really impressed my young 
mind (...and if you'll excuse the diversion, I don't think that it's a 
mistake that when Peter Jackson made the films he equated Saruman's 
change to evil with his seemingly concurrent development of industry and 
ecological destruction...but that's a discussion for another time).  In 
fact LOTR was a touchstone throughout my studies in critical cultural 
theory.  Now, I understand it's pure fantasy and doesn't necessarily 
teach any "historical truth", and I am familiar with the underlying 
religious and messianic themes that surface here and there throughout 
the story and the attendant criticism, but for my money LOTR is a great 
introduction to the themes of oppression, resistance, and fighting 
against seemingly insurmountable odds.

Matt