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<em>Every day, new books arrive in the offices of </em>Utne Reader<em>.
It would be impossible to review all of them, but a shame to leave many
hidden on the shelves. In “Bookmarked,” we link to excerpts from some of
our favorites, hoping they’ll inspire a trip to your local library or
bookstore. Enjoy!</em>
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<a target=”_blank” title=”The Endless Crisis” href=”https://www.utne.com/politics/monopoly-finance-capital-ze0z1210zgar.aspx”>
</a>The increasing trend of monolithic companies taking over large shares
of industry has created a “financialization-stagnation trap” that’s
negatively affecting economies across the world, particularly in the
Global South. That’s John Bellamy Foster and Robert W. McChesney’s
argument in <em>The Endless Crisis: How Monopoly-Finance Capital Produces Stagnation and Upheaval from the USA to China</em>
(Monthly Review Press, 2012). In this excerpt from the book’s <a target=”_blank” title=”introduction” href=”https://www.utne.com/politics/monopoly-finance-capital-ze0z1210zgar.aspx”>introduction</a>, Foster and McChesney explain how understanding the rise of
financialization stagnation is essential to understanding global class
struggle. </p>
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<a target=”_blank” title=”Killer Stuff” href=”https://www.utne.com/arts/flea-market-zm0z1210zwar.aspx”>
</a>Millions of Americans are drawn to antiques and flea-market culture,
whether as participants or as viewers of the perennially popular <em>Antiques Roadshow</em> or the recent hit <em>American Pickers</em>. This world has the air of a lottery: a $20 purchase might net you four, five or six figures. But as <em>Killer Stuff and Tons of Money</em> (Penguin
Books, 2011) illustrates, you’ve got to know your history to find those
hidden gems. Author Maureen Stanton shadows charismatic autodidact Curt
Avery, a master dealer, to flea markets, auctions and high-end antiques
shows–and discovers a true behind-the-scenes look that reveals the deep
knowledge and obsessive passion necessary to earn a living selling old
objects. Through the eyes of Curt Avery, learn how objects’ histories
and aesthetics unfold in the flea market world in this excerpt taken
from Chapter 1, “<a target=”_blank” title=”Opium Bottles and Knuckleheads” href=”https://www.utne.com/arts/flea-market-zm0z1210zwar.aspx”>Opium Bottles and Knuckleheads</a>.” <br />
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