Scan barcode
kevinm56's review
5.0
This book was published in 2010. Hedges eerily predicted the rise of a Trump-like character in politics, though he did not name him. Much of the anger and attitude that propelled the election of the Donald is explained here. While I do not think everything Hedges predicts will come to pass, it is worth reading and is a scary wake up call!
jpowerj's review
4.0
A bit rambling and tangential compared to "Empire of Illusion", but still an incredibly important work. Especially towards the end, where Hedges gives a slew of practical routes people who want to work towards social justice can take (starting with volunteering for Catholic Worker, which I may do now that I've read this book!)
nerdofdoom's review
5.0
Just great as always from Chris Hedges. Not a book for optimists or people who hold out hope that humanity is not on a speeding train into oblivion. It is a full throated denunciation of so called liberals in the United States and their utter failure to represent the working class, slow down the rape of the ecosystem, or so much as be anything but whinier versions of conservatives who bow to the status quo at every possible turn. Read it!
moorelaborate's review against another edition
4.0
Similar to his other book Empire of Illusion, this book focuses on American History and how the Liberal class was weakened and died over the course of American History. Well written and insightful, and since I know only a little bit about American History it was very informative as well.
joemacare's review
2.0
This has not aged well -- in the time since I wrote the review below I think the gaps in Hedges' analysis, to put it kindly, have only become more glaring.
Original review: Death of the Liberal Class is a must-read, full of important truth told without compromise, and highly prescient in light of the current Occupy movement. It's far from flawless, though. Hedges is pretty unabashedly puritan, and while that has its strengths - no one makes a better moral case against pragmatic compromise - I do wonder where, say, sex & atheism fit into Hedges' political cosmology.
I share Hedges' view of New Atheism Inc., and I support highlighting radicals of faith. But what about us plain old atheists? And I understand the argument that pop culture can be distracting... but a lot of activists I know still find time for it while doing important, radical work. I'm not sure Hedges has time for any art or entertainment that isn't didactic social realism. Or some kind of spiritual, classical art. And the book kinda goes off the rails when Hedges lays into the internet at the end - bizarrely just after saying that using Twitter in your activism is valid, which is just a weird discontinuity.
Original review: Death of the Liberal Class is a must-read, full of important truth told without compromise, and highly prescient in light of the current Occupy movement. It's far from flawless, though. Hedges is pretty unabashedly puritan, and while that has its strengths - no one makes a better moral case against pragmatic compromise - I do wonder where, say, sex & atheism fit into Hedges' political cosmology.
I share Hedges' view of New Atheism Inc., and I support highlighting radicals of faith. But what about us plain old atheists? And I understand the argument that pop culture can be distracting... but a lot of activists I know still find time for it while doing important, radical work. I'm not sure Hedges has time for any art or entertainment that isn't didactic social realism. Or some kind of spiritual, classical art. And the book kinda goes off the rails when Hedges lays into the internet at the end - bizarrely just after saying that using Twitter in your activism is valid, which is just a weird discontinuity.
jtisreading's review
5.0
Probably one of the best critiques on the neoliberal movement I've ever read. Hedges offers thorough academic analysis and thoughtful ideas on how to create change using impactful voices from our past. This is a must for anyone that desires a revolution from the corporatist system on display throughout today's America.
karakane's review
4.0
Clear and perceptive documentation of how power corrupts. Gave perspectives on liberal causes and movements that history books left out. A depressing read but a good one.