[Leaflet] Textbook Capitalism

Leaflet for distribution in front of university bookstores can be downloaded here.

At the start of every semester, millions of American college students head to the campus textbook store and scrape the bottom of their bank accounts to afford the textbooks required for their classes. Prices have skyrocketed an astronomical 812% over the past three decades, easily beating out inflation, the rising costs of tuition and fees, and house prices. College Board estimates the annual cost of books and materials at $1,200, and it’s no wonder that it has become routine for teachers to accompany their syllabus with an apology for the price of the textbooks, explaining that they have no say over the prices or often even what textbooks are required. They are correct—it is the profitdriven capitalist system that mandates this academic tradition of organized robbery, and until capitalism is overthrown, students will continue to be at the mercy of the textbook cartels.

The full article can be read here.