Empire of Illusion

July 1, 2009
This is an angry book. America, Hedges says, is being destroyed from within by its powerful elite. The president and his degree-laden cabinet members, locked into their blind belief in a decaying political and financial system, will be unable to reverse the current economic trend. Universities arent interested in educating people; their goal is only to turn out more elite. Our obsession with celebrity and so-called reality television is a product of societys degradationwhen the real reality gets too hard to take, Hedges says, we turn to the medias fake reality, where idiots become superstars and ignoramuses engage in what passes for political commentary. Hedges pulls no punches, and perhaps he gets a little overenthusiastic from time to time, but he makes a strong case. How can you look at the television landscape, or at the financial irresponsibility of corporations and banks, and not nod your head in agreement? The book, thoroughly documented and written in a measured but take-no-prisoners tone, is a somber companion piece to Charles P. Pierces recent Idiot America (2009). Its bound to stir up its share of interest-generating controversy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)