A review by samdradee
How to Hide an Empire by Daniel Immerwahr

4.0

this is a good book that starts out great and finishes well, despite a few stumbles near the end. the first half is driving, pulling you page after page and chapter after chapter. the driving narrative is engaging and new historical facts are being added like bricks to the argument that is taking shape. but then in the back half it just… petered out. there are whole chapters that feel like they only serve to increase the word count, adding interesting context but not advancing the argument. it also put me off a bit how many times the author adds subjectivity to skew how you perceive the narrative. the facts of the story are shocking enough, you dont have to relay them in a heavy-handed way for them to have an impact. also how many times does one book need to set up an important figure without naming them so they can be introduced later in the same chapter by saying “and that young man’s name? osama bin laden” (im exaggerating but only barely). overall good, engaging, and informative, but be warned that some of the second half will make your eyes glaze over.