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A review by rickyblue
Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill
3.0
It really is a fascinating and horrifying story but I'm not sure the dashing Mr. Scahill is really cut out for this kind of writing. I would agree with some of the other reviews that sometimes it's hard to focus on what's important because every tiny detail gets the full treatment. It's almost like a catalogue of data. It's clear that he's not in it for the storytelling anyway. Sometimes it's not quite easy to tell what his point is. Like, okay, this seems a little odd, but explain to me the ramifications. Otherwise, while I do agree with his suspicion of many an American christianity, his big dramatic punchline will be that some guy invoked god at some official event. Yeah, it kind of creeps me out when military people start talking about god like they're on some kind of a holy crusade but it seems to me it's relatively commonplace.
That being said. There is a lot in this book to be concerned or even outraged about. Whether it's private contractors circumventing the law, cronyism in government bleeding our country dry in a wasteful and destructive manner, or armed mercenaries patrolling the streets of an American city. One prays that the military industrial complex will get so large it will implode into itself. And I guess that's what I would have liked to see more of, context in the broader picture.
Don't get me wrong, there is a heap of fascinating information here and several interesting characters. And I wouldn't quite say the writing is bad; his writing is fine. It just doesn't seem like he's trying to engage you in a narrative.
That being said. There is a lot in this book to be concerned or even outraged about. Whether it's private contractors circumventing the law, cronyism in government bleeding our country dry in a wasteful and destructive manner, or armed mercenaries patrolling the streets of an American city. One prays that the military industrial complex will get so large it will implode into itself. And I guess that's what I would have liked to see more of, context in the broader picture.
Don't get me wrong, there is a heap of fascinating information here and several interesting characters. And I wouldn't quite say the writing is bad; his writing is fine. It just doesn't seem like he's trying to engage you in a narrative.