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kewin's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
2.5
Was supposed to be about geography but I found this a tenuous connection
arunendro's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
4.0
informative
caroparr's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating book about a number of places you won't find on Google maps - secret prisons, secret airstrips, secret satellites and so on. The chapters on Nevada were particularly well done, especially the descriptions of the desolate landscape. Oddly, the author doesn't draw any conclusions about the politics that have put us in this situation.
snowcrash's review
3.0
The book explores a theme of how secrecy permeates the very space around us. Each of the chapters could have been a book in themselves, if fully explored. As a whole, it feels like a group of essays. Taken separate, I learned more about stealth satellites and the history of secrecy in the U.S. Government.
ammonite's review
3.0
Full disclosure: I have a geography degree so I likely have a different perspective on what he's talking about and perhaps greater familiarity with certain topics the author refers to.
As such, I genuinely enjoyed the book, which, is true to the field, is interdisciplinary: history, political and economic policy and the study of the spatial components that bind these together were interwoven. I'm not sure that's quite what readers were expecting, given people equate geography with memorizing maps or just confuse it with geology.
I'll admit that the title seems vaguely sensational, but I chalk that more up to marketing than anything else. The content was valuable/terrifying in many respects.
As such, I genuinely enjoyed the book, which, is true to the field, is interdisciplinary: history, political and economic policy and the study of the spatial components that bind these together were interwoven. I'm not sure that's quite what readers were expecting, given people equate geography with memorizing maps or just confuse it with geology.
I'll admit that the title seems vaguely sensational, but I chalk that more up to marketing than anything else. The content was valuable/terrifying in many respects.
xterminal's review
4.0
Trevor Paglen, Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon's Secret World (Dutton, 2009)
The more I think about this book, especially in conjunction with Paglen's previous effort, Torture Taxi (which made my favorite reads of 2008 list), the more I think the guy just can't win. The niche he's carved out for himself is one that's destined to scare up dissatisfaction from both sides of this particular fence. The conspiracy theorists are going to hate Paglen's methods of research (which involve, you know, actual research rather than sitting around wearing tinfoil hats), while the skeptics are going to hate the subjects Paglen digs into, which are a conspiracy theorist's wet dream. In short, the guy's pretty much screwed. Which is a crime, because, like Torture Taxi, Blank Spots on the Map is a lovely little tourguide to parts of the map the United States government would prefer you didn't see. Which is all well and good, I guess, if you're down with the idea of “necessary state secrets” (and what a joke that idea is, and always has been), but consider this: Billions upon billions of your tax dollars are being funnelled down these black holes. Billions. Are you bugged about the vast amounts of money we ship to governments who don't need it every year? (Prime example: Israel.) That's chump change compared to what goes into Langley and just plain vanishes.
It's not like the skeptics can really keep their voices raised any more, either. Since the hijinks of September 11th, names like Guantanamo Bay, Groom Lake, and the Salt Pit have become cultural markers. There's no more plausible deniability. All Paglen is doing is outlining the geographies, making them easier for the public to see. He goes and looks. He goes and talks to the people that look. And he reports back. It's simple. It's the same formula he used in Torture Taxi (I can't remember whether it's explicitly stated, but I got the feeling that this book grew out of that one), and it works just as well here. There's a lot of black-ops history surrounding these sites, some of which (especially regarding Groom Lake) has recently been declassified. Did you know that? Of course not. Who's going to tell you? Trevor Paglen, that's who. And maybe Mike Gravel, if he drops another book any time soon. But don't expect to hear about it on CNN or Fox News. This is information you need to go searching for. Once you do, you may come upon Trevor Paglen, who's got it all wrapped up in a neat, readable little package.
To answer what seem to be some implied criticisms of the book, no, of course there are no answers here. Most of this stuff is still highly classified. What did you expect, the folks in Langley were just going to let Paglen drive up and give him a tour of a top-secret facility? (There's a great bit at the beginning about a guided tour of Groom Lake, however.) But you've always suspected it exists; stealth bombers and jump jets don't suddenly appear out of nowhere. All that can be done now is make the edges a bit clearer. That's what Trevor Paglen does, and he does it well. ****
(In the interests of full disclosure, yes, I know Trevor Paglen; I met him once about a decade ago while he was still in the band Noisegate.)
The more I think about this book, especially in conjunction with Paglen's previous effort, Torture Taxi (which made my favorite reads of 2008 list), the more I think the guy just can't win. The niche he's carved out for himself is one that's destined to scare up dissatisfaction from both sides of this particular fence. The conspiracy theorists are going to hate Paglen's methods of research (which involve, you know, actual research rather than sitting around wearing tinfoil hats), while the skeptics are going to hate the subjects Paglen digs into, which are a conspiracy theorist's wet dream. In short, the guy's pretty much screwed. Which is a crime, because, like Torture Taxi, Blank Spots on the Map is a lovely little tourguide to parts of the map the United States government would prefer you didn't see. Which is all well and good, I guess, if you're down with the idea of “necessary state secrets” (and what a joke that idea is, and always has been), but consider this: Billions upon billions of your tax dollars are being funnelled down these black holes. Billions. Are you bugged about the vast amounts of money we ship to governments who don't need it every year? (Prime example: Israel.) That's chump change compared to what goes into Langley and just plain vanishes.
It's not like the skeptics can really keep their voices raised any more, either. Since the hijinks of September 11th, names like Guantanamo Bay, Groom Lake, and the Salt Pit have become cultural markers. There's no more plausible deniability. All Paglen is doing is outlining the geographies, making them easier for the public to see. He goes and looks. He goes and talks to the people that look. And he reports back. It's simple. It's the same formula he used in Torture Taxi (I can't remember whether it's explicitly stated, but I got the feeling that this book grew out of that one), and it works just as well here. There's a lot of black-ops history surrounding these sites, some of which (especially regarding Groom Lake) has recently been declassified. Did you know that? Of course not. Who's going to tell you? Trevor Paglen, that's who. And maybe Mike Gravel, if he drops another book any time soon. But don't expect to hear about it on CNN or Fox News. This is information you need to go searching for. Once you do, you may come upon Trevor Paglen, who's got it all wrapped up in a neat, readable little package.
To answer what seem to be some implied criticisms of the book, no, of course there are no answers here. Most of this stuff is still highly classified. What did you expect, the folks in Langley were just going to let Paglen drive up and give him a tour of a top-secret facility? (There's a great bit at the beginning about a guided tour of Groom Lake, however.) But you've always suspected it exists; stealth bombers and jump jets don't suddenly appear out of nowhere. All that can be done now is make the edges a bit clearer. That's what Trevor Paglen does, and he does it well. ****
(In the interests of full disclosure, yes, I know Trevor Paglen; I met him once about a decade ago while he was still in the band Noisegate.)
latlansky's review
3.0
Interesting and altogether depressing read. Would have give more stars except (1) some parts got bogged down with an endless litany of dates and budget line items and (b) no maps. Seriously. A geography book without maps? I grew up in Los Angeles and spent my childhood driving up Hwy 395 to Mammoth Lakes or out I-40 to Kingman, AZ. We drove by so many of the bases mentioned, I would have loved to have a map to refer to as I read about them.
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