Marx made in Books

“Marx for Beginners” presents the ideas of world-renowned philosopher Karl Marx in a down-to-earth and hands-on manner. It was this experience that I found most interesting about the book and one that related to the overall message of Marx’s writings and he author’s intent. The book did a phenomenal job of introducing not only the ideas of Karl Marx, but also his biographical background and the ideas and philosophers that led up to his period in history. For an individual who has had very limited contact with not only the concept of Marxism, but also the many other philosophers and philosophies brought up within the pages, this reading was both eye opening and informative. Rius, the author, constructed a piece of literature that not only was able to educate, but also entertain. With this said, the many aspects of Marxism surprised me as well as did the form that this book took and the complexity of its simple nature.

Firstly speaking, the many ideas of Maxism caught me off guard, as they probably would for many readers who have not be introduced to the many topics surrounding Marx’s theories. The complexity was one factor that set the topic up to be one of a very intimidating nature and one that I did not approach lightly. Having only been in contact with the ideas of communism and socialism through boring and very off putting high school history courses and the occasional “commie” joke on television shows, the subject seemed very disconnected. Rius allowed the reader to step out of this mindset and into one of a very comfortable nature. He introduces Marx in an easy to understand manner, which tskes the apprehensive nature of some and turns it into the readiness of an open-minded individual. While reading in this state of being it seemed easy to comprehend the ideas of Marxism and the many other philosophies around it. Everyone would side with a necessity for justice and strive to help those who are being wronged. It became more and more apparent that this statement is not totally true however. For as Marx states, those in power may appear to be attempting to serve a sense of justice, but only those who are being wronged can fight for this state justice. With ideas like this and many others this writing makes readers aware that communism and socialism are not some foreign monsters, but states of thinking that could aid many all over the world and one’s that should not be so easily dismissed.

The other topic that should be addressed is the manner in which this information is delivered to the reader. As stated above it is in a very easily understandable state, but it goes far further than just “dumbing down” the language that is uses. In an intelligent choice the author decided to incorporate a humorous comic book themed layout design. This seemed to break the barrier between the reader and he content by creating a playful nature to the writing. It also subtly addressed that Marx’s writing was not meant for just those of wealth and intelligence it was intended for the working class and those who could help achieve a better state of living. This choice is one that brings up the topic of book making and the many different forms it can take. The author knew that by choosing this style he would create an environment that was welcoming and comfortable for the viewer to explore the complex and sometimes intimidating ideas of Karl Marx and others. With the many more traditional forms of the book available the author chose this particular structure most likely for these reasons and it is this choice that I find both thoughtful and successful. With this said not only was the text contained in the book well delivered, but so was the packaged product of the book itself. In this, the author created a piece of literature that brings up an urge to learn. An urge, that is lost in the many intellectual books and articles that are published on topics of this nature.