I correspond with a political prisoner, and in a recent letter he asked me:

"Young activists write me for suggestions on readings. I want to include a good basic primer on imperialism -- how it works and the results of that in human terms. But the books that were formative for me in that way are now dated. So I'm looking for a good current one to recommend. I know that Michael Parenti is a good writer and see that he has two titles that look apt: Imperialism 101 amd The Sword and the Dollar. Do you know these books and if so does either (or both) do the job?"

My question is not about the two books by Parenti per se (although I am going to check them out). I am interested in a few Rad Refers' recommendations on good recent books about Imperialism -- perhaps a brief annotated bibliography?

Many thanks.