stefhyena's review
3.0
This one is hard to put a rating to and three is pretty parsimonious of me. A lot about the book is still relevant and well worth reading even after all this time. Some of the earlier sections contain repetition with two or more articles written about the same thing so that you get overloaded and they lose punch (but they are very punchy articles to begin with). I would love to dismiss a lot of what Pilger says as paranoia and go back to a more naive and secure view of the world, but sadly a lot of this stuff is corroborated widely enough, essentially unless you are determined not to you can tell he is telling the truth.
At times his language is sort of sensationalist (but then he is a journalist), and he talks a lot about people (mostly men, mostly I dare say white men) who he really admires (although there is one tribute to his parents, mainly focussing on his mum). He gratuitously describes every little girl as "pretty" and every young woman as "beautiful" (oh please) and he verges on narcissism at times as well as constantly promoting his movies in a braggy way (I dare say they are probably excellent documentaries for all that).
There is much about his voice that irritates me, but the substance of what he is saying is very important and the way he finishes on racism (against Indigenous Australians) in this country is particularly astute. I remember growing up in the 90s, hearing names like "Khmer Rouge" and "Pol Pot" bandied around and now thanks to Pilger I know more about what all that was about. And yet there is not just 90s stuff, the first half of the book holds many observations that are chillingly true and relevant for today. Since neoliberalism is a project that is not completed and not yet inevitable, it is past time we read and were informed by long-time critics such as Pilger.
Another plus is that he is equally critical of left and right-wing extremists. None of what he says is about wings, it is about human rights. So a lot of excellent observation and analysis and some irritating traits. But more good than not.
At times his language is sort of sensationalist (but then he is a journalist), and he talks a lot about people (mostly men, mostly I dare say white men) who he really admires (although there is one tribute to his parents, mainly focussing on his mum). He gratuitously describes every little girl as "pretty" and every young woman as "beautiful" (oh please) and he verges on narcissism at times as well as constantly promoting his movies in a braggy way (I dare say they are probably excellent documentaries for all that).
There is much about his voice that irritates me, but the substance of what he is saying is very important and the way he finishes on racism (against Indigenous Australians) in this country is particularly astute. I remember growing up in the 90s, hearing names like "Khmer Rouge" and "Pol Pot" bandied around and now thanks to Pilger I know more about what all that was about. And yet there is not just 90s stuff, the first half of the book holds many observations that are chillingly true and relevant for today. Since neoliberalism is a project that is not completed and not yet inevitable, it is past time we read and were informed by long-time critics such as Pilger.
Another plus is that he is equally critical of left and right-wing extremists. None of what he says is about wings, it is about human rights. So a lot of excellent observation and analysis and some irritating traits. But more good than not.
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