rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book really should have been two books. For half the book Taibbi is investigating how Congress really works (a topic that he reports on quite well and makes understandable, but that really could fill hundreds of pages on its own). For most of the rest of it, he’s in deep cover at John Hagee’s Cornerstone Church, exposing the craziness of the people who appear to have taken over government and public discourse. I would have loved to have seen more of this as well, and maybe he could supplement it with undercover stints at Saddleback or New Life. I enjoyed his style and his passion, but I think the squashed-togetherness of this book might have deranged me a little. Even a two-part series would have worked better.

Tags: irreligion, Matt Taibbi, politics

rating: 5 of 5 stars
There are moments in movies when the main character realizes that he’s surrounded by a conspiracy, when he realizes that whatever has been happening has been planned for all along. This is what I felt when I read The Shock Doctrine.

It is absolutely disgusting, what the people in charge are doing. Waiting for disaster, like Hurricane Katrina, then swooping in and making big money while pushing out the poor people. All based on the beliefs of economist Milton Friedman, who believed that all the state’s business should be privatized. Friedman and his followers have bankrupted nations, caused coups and juntas, further enriched the richest people, and further impoverished the poorest. And wouldn’t you just know it, Bush and his bunch are big fans of the prick.

This is a book that every American should read. The sad part is, the richest Americans who read it will wonder what the big deal is, and the poorest won’t be able to do anything about it.

Tags: economics, Naomi Klein, politics

I have never understood Communism. More to the point, I have never been interested in the history of any country after Communism took over–not Russia, and certainly not China. However, Chang’s account brings the successes of Communism and the subsequent horrors of Mao to life. Her writing is honest, sensitive, and heartbreaking. She begins with the story of her grandmother, who was a concubine to a warlord and later beloved wife to a Manchu doctor. Most of the rest of the book is the story of her mother, who became enthralled with Communist ideology and fought for its rise to power, and her father, a strict and morally upright Communist who was condemned when he finally spoke against Mao’s abuses and was driven mad by the subsequent persecution. The turbulence and the rapid changes, as well as the confusion and chaos they caused, are perfectly captured. I could sense Chang’s frustration every time she noted that even though she knew things were wrong, her indoctrination would not allow her to believe any wrong lay with Mao. Thanks to Wild Swans, I finally understand how 900 million people can come under the full control of one megalomaniacal madman and be unable to question him. It definitely isn’t a happy book, even though Chang and her siblings eventually are able to exercise their intellectual freedom by studying abroad, and her mother is once again accepted as a good Communist and a good person. It is, however, interesting and informative, and should be a must for any Asian scholar. Had I read this during my East Asia History class, I might actually have learned something!

Tags: China, injustice, Jung Chang, politics