Kritische Theorie Book

Two great things about this book:
1) It's kind a skeleton key for a lot of other Adorno. Since these are lectures, they're a lot more conversational and accessible. You might think, yeah, but sociology? But that's just it: Adorno's idiosyncratic approach to introducing sociology, which might seem too particular, becomes an excellent way for him to spin out his many nuanced concerns about "society" and subject/object thinking, science and social science, reification. It's right near the end of his life, too, so he's referring back to a lot of his earlier work and placing it in context.
2) The lectures include asides, introductory remarks, announcements of talks that will be taking place on campus, suggestions concerning student protests, and when this is combined with the emergence of Adorno's more conversational verbal style (which, make no mistake, still weaves and whirls beautifully -- it's unbelievable the way the guy's mind worked) you get a more quirky and personal sense of Adorno.

When you read his knotted but brilliant written works you're forced to reckon with how your own mind is working. Here you have a little more space to revel in seeing how his mind works.