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Title: The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates And Infuriates The World by Mark Hertsgaard ISBN: 0-374-10383-6 Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux Pub. Date: 23 October, 2002 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $23.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.3 (44 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: The title is STILL misleading...
Comment: I wrote the "Great Idea, But Poorly Executed" review of this book some months ago. After recently reading over some of the criticisms of my review, I think many reviewers missed my point. I DON'T necessarily disagree with at least some of Mark Hertsgaard's opinions in "The Eagle's Shadow". At times Americans can be overly greedy and materialistic, we probably should be paying more attention to our environment, and compared to most of Europe, our political instincts are definitely more conservative and "right-wing". I don't agree with some of his other statements, but the point of my review was that the subtitle of Hertsgaard's book, "Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World" is inaccurate and misleading. Hertsgaard is essentially guilty of false advertising. I bought this book believing - as the cover title and introductory chapter indicates - that it is an account of how foreigners view the United States. What I got instead was a book with (at most) twenty quotes or comments from foreigners about the USA, and the remaining ninety percent of the book is all about Mark Hertsgaard's opinions of the USA. I'm all for learning about how Europeans, Africans, Asians and Latin Americans view our nation - but I don't really give a flip about what Mark Hertsgaard thinks - if I did, I'd have bought another book. As I wrote in my first review, Hertsgaard should have advertised this book for what it truly is - a platform for his personal (and, yes, generally left-wing) views of America. Maybe Hertsgaard thought that no one would buy a book about his personal views of what ails America - I know I wouldn't have. If your idea of learning about why many foreigners distrust and resent America is to study one guy's opinions on the subject, then by all means read "The Eagle's Shadow". As for myself, I'd rather hear the comments of, you know, actual foreigners. Not recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: Listening to the rest of the world
Comment: Author Hertsgaard, in his odyssey around the world, recorded impressions of the ordinary citizens he met. Some of these foreigner's perceptions of the US will enfuriate Americans, others will fascinate. But all of them make clear the essential point of this book: that we need to pay attention to the rest of the inhabitants of this planet. America, notes Hertsgaard, is their shining symbol of freedom, and equally their symbol of wealth and glamor, gluttony and selfishness. Although the American people are admired and envied, our leadership is often scorned and feared. Let the voices of Hertsgaard's correspondents explain the causes of these contradictions. Then reflect upon their concerns. Hertsgaard's own voice in "The Eagle's Shadow" shows some honest self-examination and critique of American policy both foreign and domestic. In the xenophobia and pseudo-patriotic hysteria of today's post-911 political climate, there are those who would label any criticism "unAmerican" or even "treasonous". The author confronts the creeping Sovietization of American media and politics which seek to demonize dissent. And he explodes the myth of the "liberal" press. Although he skewers the hypocrisy of both major Parties, it is the current administration which comes most under scrutiny. Chapter Eight, "The Tragedy of American Democracy" ought to be read by every American citizen. For those who are interested in this book, I also recommend Cooley's "Unholy Wars".
Rating: 4
Summary: A careful snapshot of American flaws
Comment: Democracy is a work in progress. On that note, "The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World," by Mark Hertsgaard is a careful snapshot of what people outside the United States consider "American flaws." Still and all, the author is quick to report that throughout his travels he discovered a remarkable paradox...that nearly all the foreign critics admired our wealth and longed to come here.
America is a subject that never fails to get people talking, according to Hertsgaard. The world harbors plenty of complaints about us...particularly the Bush administration, he adds. The heavy-handed invasion of Iraq, the withdrawal from the Kyoto Treaty, the withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missle Treaty and our refusal to join the International Criminal Court top the list of complaints. Moreover, the author reports that, "no one wraps self-interest in moral superiority quite like Americans do."
America is without question the richest and most powerful nation in the world...but its glaring ignorance of the rest of the planet reflects badly on the United States, according to Hertsgaard. Include the climate of intimidation orchestrated by the Bush administration and you have the variables that explain why the United States has lost the world's admiration and respect, he adds.
Nevertheless, the critics of America all admit that we are still a land of opportunity. To this end, Hertsgaard examines our shameful treatment of Indians and Blacks...and points out that the world's proudest democracy is too self-righteous. He then concludes that the United States is a democracy in progress and urges Americans to nurture a global spirit of clarity and reason. This book is an eye-opener. It is well written and offers sound advice on how to make this great nation better.
Bert Ruiz
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Title: Earth Odyssey : Around the World in Search of Our Environmental Future by Mark Hertsgaard ISBN: 0767900596 Publisher: Broadway Pub. Date: 28 December, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: Why Do People Hate America? by Ziauddin Sardar, Merryl Wyn Davies ISBN: 0971394253 Publisher: The Disinformation Company Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy by William Greider ISBN: 0684862190 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 01 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: Rogue Nation: American Unilateralism and the Failure of Good Intentions by Clyde Prestowitz ISBN: 0465062792 Publisher: Basic Books Pub. Date: 13 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: The End of the American Era: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Geopolitics of the Twenty-first Century by Charles Kupchan ISBN: 0375412158 Publisher: Knopf Pub. Date: 29 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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