A review by kswerner27
Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America's Empire by Jonathan M. Katz

5.0

One of my favorite non-fiction books I’ve ever read. Katz does a fantastic job tracing the history of American imperialism through the lens of a single man. I learned about numerous conflicts I knew happened but never knew the details of. His portrait of Butler is both uncompromising and nuanced. I also especially enjoyed Katz’s stories of his modern day travels to places the Marines invaded in the early 1900s, which add a flavor to the book and make it more lively than a standard history book. Highly recommend!