Simon Waxman reviews Karen Houppert’s new book on America’s broken public defense system: you may have a right to a lawyer, but no one said you’d get a competent one.

“Lean In is really waging a battle for work and against unmonetized life.” Kate Losse in Dissent.

Henry Farrell reviews Mark Blyth’s book on austerity, asks the question everyone’s thinking: “why did politicians ever think that austerity was a good idea in the first place?”

Crooked Timber runs a seminar on Erik Olin Wright’s Envisioning Real Utopias, thus far garnering responses from Bill Barnes, John Quiggin, Diane Coyle, David Estlund, and more.

Hazem Kandil considers the state of the Egyptian revolution in London Review of Books.

Theresa Runstedler, the author of a new book on heavyweight champion Jack Johnson, is suspicious of the motive behind an attempt to pardon the African American boxer.

“It’s not racism. They just shouldn’t be here.” Dave Zirin details the arresting anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry in Israeli soccer.

Hurdle the Harper’s paywall and you can read Terry Eagleton’s review of a new Marx biography.

Noted labor historian Melvyn Dubofsky asks, “Can the labor movement reverse its decline?” and answers in the negative. Ready yourself for a depressing read.

RIP Chinua Achebe, Nigerian novelist and seminal figure of post-colonial literature.

From the MIA: E. P. Thompson’s “Socialist Humanism”

Herbert Marcuse in conversation on a horrible couch.