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"The Future Is Up To Us: A Revolutionary Talking Politics With The
American People"

by Nelson Peery.
http//www.Irna.org/speakers. $9.95
1-800-691-6888



Here is the book every political activist wishes they could have written. Within 150 pages every important juncture in American history is explained, summarized and presented with the impact of a John Woo movie.

"Future" explains the "birds and bees" of social life as lived by the American people and will leave your palms sweaty: I could not put this one down until completion.

Mr. Perry's incredible talent for story telling paints a picture of
the human drama lived by the individual, as a societal movement of
men, women and machine logic relentlessly producing new problems and
new ideas of freedom and justice for all.

"Future" is the "birds and bees" story of the societal advance, by one who has long ago mastered the art of foreplay in an arena where many social revolutionaries are stuck on "one-play" and one approach to the social struggle. This time honored "one play" approach says,  "Excuse me Ms. Proletariat but I was observing you from across the room and liked what I saw and was wondering if I could have your phone number? By the way did you know you were exploited?"

Peery's does not approach his subject matter as a High School teen with raging hormones. Rather, he delicately undresses the subject matter; examines the nakedness of process and prepares the reader for what is to be a very interesting experience. He states:

"It is impossible to maintain a long term relationship between things produced by labor and identical things produced by robotics. . .

"People understand this process . . . Remember the old folk song, John Henry? There is John Henry in every culture. It's not just a black experience. John Henry was the leader of a steel driving gang. Driving steel meant hammering down railway spikes with a ten-pond sledgehammer. After the development of the steam engine, it was only a matter of time until the principle was adapted to the hammer. The boss had to decide: was it cheaper to drive these semi-paid blacks harder to maintain profitability, or should they be fired and replaced with the steam drill? John Henry made an agreement with the boss. 'If I beat the steam drill, can the men keep their jobs?' The boss agreed, adding, 'You can't beat the steam drill.'

"John Henry laid ten lengths of track and the steam drill only made nine, be he laid down his hammer and he died. On a qualitatively higher level, this is happening to entire societies today. Some so called second and third world societies do not have the resources to deeply, rapidly and broadly invest in the latest technology. Hey find themselves in exactly the same position of John Henry, They are working themselves to death trying to compete with the robotics of the advanced countries."

Peery modes the picture of the process Ms Proletariat feels, which screws her over in every country on earth - against her will, only to be later discarded as "entropic" waste exported to the most backwards areas of the most technologically under developed areas of the world.

The book is divided into six chapters, a "Conclusion" and a one paragraph "Afterword,"  - talk about economy of words.

Chapter 3: Revolution & U.S. History: Class, Genders, Nationality is guaranteed to raise a few eyebrows with its description of women as class. The concept of class itself is reexamined in light of development of American society.  Class is formulated as . . . wait a minute, one must read this for them self and ponder if this matches what they are thinking and then wonder "how did he know that is what I was thinking?"

Everything is in "Future," including a summation that reminds the reader of the American governments commitment to maintain open borders with Mexico at the time of the treaty. In six highly compressed sentences on page 61, the significance of 1862 - Lincoln's dilemma and Cinco de Mayo are summed up in their political consequences for an America that was looking down the gun barrel of European reaction.

It's all there waiting to be mined and crafted into powerful navigation tools.

Chapter 2, Twentieth Century Revolution dispenses with the 50-year battle over the nature of commodity production in the Soviet Union; endless debate over the "significance of the theory of value" in the land of socialism and explains why the Soviet Union went out of business. "Went out of business?" Here's a point of view that allows anyone willing to sit a few moments an opportunity to unravel economic logic.

The character and problems of the Chinese Revolution or rather the revolution in China is in there. Everyone pretty much agree that "two heads are better than one" when trying to investigate different sides of an issue or resolve a practical problem. On-point-three-billion heads is a lot of head and causes problems and resolutions no particular head might want. "Future" relentlessly positions the salient features of the social process in China in a framework that allows anyone to grasp the dialectic of social change.  

A look at the Cuban revolution from a point of view you may have not considered adds flavor to Mr. Peery's revolutionary artistry and raises some important issues that have plagued all twentieth century revolutions.

Chapter 4 - African American History and U.S. History, paints a vivid picture of African Americans as U.S. History. Let's face front and proceed from an understanding that this is the guy that crafted "The Negro National Colonial Question" well over a quarter century ago when most folks - pardon . . . when I, could not separate the color factor in American history from popular notions of racial theory of development. Peery's view of the Civil War, the events leading to it and the role of Lincoln is pretty heavy stuff served with a gentle hand. One cannot help but get the distinct impression that the author has studied this question and the issues he addresses over a long period of time.

"How did the economic relationships within the South reflect the Revolutionary process of the Civil War," is asked on page 51. Mr. Peery answers in a baritone - without heavy panting, that gives the book a feel of a late hour chat with a close friend.

"There were real contradictions in the South because of slavery. The Virginias are a good example. West Virginia didn't separate from Virginia because of opposition to slavery; they were in opposition to the slave power. Since the slave power refused to pay taxes, the uplands poor whites paid all the taxes for the improvements of the roads and harbor system that benefited only the big planters. By the time of the Civil War, there was a West Virginia, West North Carolina, West South Carolina, and North Georgia. In other words, there was a hill country politically oppressed by and in economic competition with the big planters."

There it is again - that six-sentence paragraph, political summation. It is not as if the question of taxes has never been probed before in the pre-Civil War context. In the hands of Peery the taxman confronts the family farm and various money interest as an instrument bent to the will of the slave-power and an important arena of class conflict within the South as a distinct region and not simply the North-South conflict.

"Future" unfolds American history as a moving picture that allows the layperson to grasp key issues and has enough meat and potato servings to excite the professional economist to revisit our peculiar economic history. Don't be mistaken - what feels like meat and potatoes is actually a high fiber cuisine with an interesting assortment of vegetables.

Every important issue facing the American people and questions that have puzzled revolutionaries in our country for decades are addressed - pardon, puzzled me. The current drive towards a police state - fascism, is unraveled in "Future" and discussed without every leaving the arena of authentic Americano. The old political frameworks called the United Fronts and Popular Fronts are woven together and explained with an acute sense of the historical moment and a logic fixated on the books theoretical underpinning. This is no lightweight treatment of the current political climate but an understanding of the depth and breath of America's political landscape.

"Future's" underpin - axis, rests on the conception of the communist movement as - get this, a movement having very little to do with Marxism as the theory of the science of society. Peery's logic is impeccable and the communist movement is witnessed and felt as a movement of associated producers increasingly unable to secure the elementary requirements of civilized living, learning and culture.

"Future's" conclusion has the earmark of what will be a new beginning for many readers. The very last line in the Conclusion simply asks:

"What would you do with yourself if you no longer had to worry about your food, shelter and clothing? I know what I'd do."

I thought to myself, "Jesus, I could hang out at the dance hall and in the comic book store for a real long time."

Not only is "Future" a good read but also it is designed with the attention to details only skilled craftsmen can impart to their article of creation.  The cover of "Future" contains a generous use of colors that attracts the observer's attention. Chapters and distinct sections of the book contain drawings that evoke profound emotions.  The book is set in 10-point type with enough leading (space between lines) to make for easy and comfortable reading.

Here is a book whose first edition you are going to be glad you own.

Darryl Mitchell.