The tragedy of This Soviet World is very real. It's already bad enough to read it living under capitalism, but it's even worse after the darkness that befell the USSR after the communists lost power. It sometimes gets hard to read as I find myself tearing up at points

Does make me wonder if it means US war on China really is inevitable.

It really does feel like it is inevitable, the CIA didn't spend millions investing in successful anti-Chinese propaganda to crash the perception of China from 2018 onwards. China is preparing though, even if all they send is strongly worded letters and participate in diplomatic ceremonies with the US. Taiwan looks very Ukrainable.

Chapter 9 thoughts:

Chapter 9 is really infuriating. The fact that a much better world is not only possible, but can be achieved with such little effort is depressing. I'm also struggling with "finding a boss" and selling my labor to capital and getting a different career is just so expensive and uncertain. Higher education being unaffordable to the vast majority of people also contributes to this cultural anxiety around needing to find a career that works before it's too late.

Chapter 10 thoughts: Wow. Interesting seeing the discussion of the "Holodomor" long before that myth cropped up.

Kulaks friggin deserved it. Especially considering how "modern Ukraine" is a neo-nazi death cult it was literally only the USSR that made Ukrainian culture and society matter. Reading this and then reading about nazi collaborators in WW2 is very disheartening. Socialism has to really be defended from the barrel of a gun.

The slopification of people and society is intentional by capitalists especially with social media which I see as the final evolution of the numbness machine where you're placed into a simulacra of society that can be changed and morphed at an instant by the capitalist class with little recourse.

I definitely would recommend this book to others, and if I ever get the chance to share this in a reading group then chapter 11 would be a standout chapter to showcase along with chapter 10.