llkendrick's review against another edition
2.0
I was hoping to like this book a little more because I really like Jesse Ventura. I just wasn't in the mood to read all the government documents so I pretty much just read his summaries. I also wasn't surprised by what I read. I believe the government is corrupt, that people within the government do bad things, that the government thinks money is more important than people, and that government/spy/assassin movies have some truth to them. I'd recommend this book to people who are into politics and like a conspiracy theory.
bloodravenlib's review against another edition
2.0
I gave it the two stars because overall, the book was just ok. It was not bad, just ok. For me at least, some of the material were things I had encountered in other readings. The other reason for the lower rating is that some of the document scans are a bit difficult to read. His commentary on the documents are the best part of the book. You can overall scan the documents as you see fit. Having said that, I think this is a book more people should be reading, especially people who may not be as well informed. Yes, the American government has done various misdeeds over time, and this book lays out a few of them quite well. You get a pretty good range of history from the 60s to the War on Terror. The earlier documents are unclassified items, many of them available online. Some of the newer items include WikiLeaks material, such as the infamous (to many) embassy cables, which often boil down to American diplomats being catty about their counterparts. Fans of Ventura, especially those who liked his tv show, Conspiracy Theory, will like this book. But you do not have to be a conspiracy theorist to appreciate this. Read it...then make your mind up. Book includes a list of websites and sources for you to read further.
Books with similar appeal:
William Blum, Rogue State.
Michael Ruppert, Crossing the Rubicon.
Michael Scheuer, Imperial Hubris.
Books with similar appeal:
William Blum, Rogue State.
Michael Ruppert, Crossing the Rubicon.
Michael Scheuer, Imperial Hubris.
bherrera's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent look at how crooked our government really is. Has the actual photocopied real documents and links to where you can look at them yourself. Obviously they aren't made up. My favorites were the docs on JFK, and operation northwoods. There is also some that show how we also gave safe harbor to nazi war criminals after world war 2 in exchange for the technologies they gained through experimentation. Definitely an eye opener. I always knew the government was corrupt but this is plain scary.
ladyonequestion's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting but ultimately an often difficult read due to reproductions of original documents that have degraded over time or were not that clear to begin with. This forces the reader to struggle when it would have made more sense to provide transcripts in addition. Maybe this is better with the print edition. I am pretty sceptical about some of the claims in here too.
gwentolios's review against another edition
2.0
I have always found myself interested in wikileaks documents, but this book wasn't what I was hoping for. I wanted a selection of important documents that I could read and form my own conclusions about, not read an author's rather forceful views that seem bent on stirring up trouble instead of contemplative thought. Many of the documents he was outraged at I couldn't bring myself to much incredulity towards. Instead, I found his opinions overbearing and distracting from my own reading of the original documents.
the_slackening's review against another edition
5.0
Scary and eye opening. Anyone who puts their trust in the government skills know about what they've done, and this book gives a few good examples.
gwentolios's review
2.0
I have always found myself interested in wikileaks documents, but this book wasn't what I was hoping for. I wanted a selection of important documents that I could read and form my own conclusions about, not read an author's rather forceful views that seem bent on stirring up trouble instead of contemplative thought. Many of the documents he was outraged at I couldn't bring myself to much incredulity towards. Instead, I found his opinions overbearing and distracting from my own reading of the original documents.
lemonadeaide's review
4.0
There's not much to say about this book. It presents declassified government documents and Mr. Venture comments on them.
It's a great book if that's what you want, and I did.
I would like to recommend it to anyone, but I don't much like to fight.
It's a great book if that's what you want, and I did.
I would like to recommend it to anyone, but I don't much like to fight.
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