|
The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire | 
 enlarge | Author: Matt Taibbi
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
Buy Used: $12.69
You Save: $11.31 (47%)
New (42) Used (11) from $12.69
Rating:  31 reviews
Sales Rank: 844
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 288
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0385520344
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.93
EAN: 9780385520348
ASIN: 0385520344
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: perfect unread FIRST EDITION-hardcover with dust jacket.
| |
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
A REVELATORY AND DARKLY COMIC ADVENTURE THROUGH A NATION ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN—FROM THE HALLS OF CONGRESS TO THE BASES OF BAGHDAD TO THE APOCALYPTIC CHURCHES OF THE HEARTLAND
Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi set out to describe the nature of George Bush’s America in the post-9/11 era and ended up vomiting demons in an evangelical church in Texas, riding the streets of Baghdad in an American convoy to nowhere, searching for phantom fighter jets in Congress, and falling into the rabbit hole of the 9/11 Truth Movement.
Matt discovered in his travels across the country that the resilient blue state/red state narrative of American politics had become irrelevant. A large and growing chunk of the American population was so turned off—or radicalized—by electoral chicanery, a spineless news media, and the increasingly blatant lies from our leaders (“they hate us for our freedom”) that they abandoned the political mainstream altogether. They joined what he calls The Great Derangement.
Taibbi tells the story of this new American madness by inserting himself into four defining American subcultures: The Military, where he finds himself mired in the grotesque black comedy of the American occupation of Iraq; The System, where he follows the money-slicked path of legislation in Congress; The Resistance, where he doubles as chief public antagonist and undercover member of the passionately bonkers 9/11 Truth Movement; and The Church, where he infiltrates a politically influential apocalyptic mega-ministry in Texas and enters the lives of its desperate congregants. Together these four interwoven adventures paint a portrait of a nation dangerously out of touch with reality and desperately searching for answers in all the wrong places.
Funny, smart, and a little bit heartbreaking, The Great Derangement is an audaciously reported, sobering, and illuminating portrait of America at the end of the Bush era.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 26 more reviews...
 Good insights, but ... May 16, 2008
B. Centre (USA)
84 out of 91 found this review helpful
I bought this book after reading the exerpt in Rolling Stone about the author's undercover immersion into the Hagee fundamentalist cult. I laughed myself sick and ordered it immediately.
Unfortunately, like most movie trailers, and exerpts published in periodicals, that chapter was the highlight of the book. I kept waiting for more of that sustained humor and bitting wit, but no other chapter came close. Thus, I was somewhat disappointed.
That said, Taibbi gives a good inside understanding of the inner workings of congress, the corruption that has become inherent in our system. His exposee on the 911 conspiracy theorist crazies, and cynical perspective of the Christian Zionist nut jobs and their pathetic flock is revealing and entertaining. Finally, he proffers how these desperate people and divergent groups of the far left and far right are actually a manifestation of American's disgust with, and powerlessness against, the deception and derangement that has become government.
I don't regret buying it, but if I had it to do all over again, I'd wait a few months and get it used at a deep discount.
 Truth ... stranger than reality May 6, 2008
Chris Martin (Indiana)
68 out of 84 found this review helpful
Got this book Monday, May 5th. Finished it once ... going back again. Matt reveals the absurdity that has this country by the throat. As a former church pastor, the narrative on Matt's adventure with John Hagee's nut bunch was point-on. This book is laugh-out-loud funny but what it reveals is very sad. This book should be required reading in every freshman high school and college civics/polysci course. It's interesting and ironic that Matt Taibbi, Don Imus, Bill Maher, and a very few others may save us from ourselves yet. Thanks guys ... from our kids ... and theirs.
pleasant surprise May 7, 2008
e.a. blair (killeen, tx)
49 out of 62 found this review helpful
i bought this for laughs and just plain meanness, but i was pleasantly surprised to find limited name calling and abundant compassion. taibbi truly goes soft here. he really gives the church a fair shake and explains why it is so appealing to so many. he doesn't pull any punches with the anti-environmentalist son of john hagee, though. He really touched on some good points during his trip to camp cuervo in baghdad. he was right about his military views and that the good things from the army are similar to the good things of the church. the church thing with laurie and janine was great and it reminded me of joe dirt telling his story to dennis miller. i want to know more and i need to find out if he ever spoke with laurie again. great book! of course, there are less serious moments like when he is about to "witness" at the mall and is standing outside the front door praying with his group. i cant give that one away. his description of the "way of the master" series was LOL funny. BTW, the left is comparibly insane to their counterparts on the right with the 911 thing. why do they get so fixated on that one anyway? why not fixate on the anthrax? you could actually get somewhere with that. this was awesome and easily his best work to date. buy it now, religious or not. it is truly for everyone(in my opinion).
an ok read May 21, 2008
Arik L. Warwick (DE, USA)
14 out of 28 found this review helpful
I found this book to be a bit disturbing, I wasn't sure where Matt was going until the epilogue (which was very good and I agreed). What was disappointing to me was how harshly M dealt with the "9/11 truthseakers". I certainly understand most of them need no help in displaying themselves as cooks, but there are some very legitimate questions that need to be answered. I will not go into here but Matt seemed to focus on the most absurd and sensational 9/11 theories and then throw all the conspirators in one basket. Theories, even crazy ones, are mostly born out of a lack of information or odd coincidences, and are easy to ridicule just because of the nature of having to guess at all the missing info because people insist on impossible air tight explanations. Matt- the real conspiracies are what we see on the news and coming out of the white house.
As for his work with the christian end-timers, the sad thing is most christians allow these so called christian leaders to lead them to so many untruths it is'nt funny at all. It shouldn't take an atheist to point out the absurdity in christianity today in America. No one seems to search the scriptures for themselves. Matt proved his point all too well.
Personally-Im not a fan of Matt Tabbi,but like I said the epilogue alone was worth 3 stars.
Exellent Read May 27, 2008
AG (Michigan)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful
Fresh view regarding the world at large. You laugh, you cry, it becomes a part of you. It may be an eye opener for some, but for me as I read, I was more relieved someone else was seeing it all besides me. If I had to guess, from Tabbi's accounts, thats exactly why he wrote this book, as if to say "Is anyone else seeing this.."stuff"..besides me?" Lol. He brings out the good the bad and the ugly of America. Well done.
|
|
|
|
| |
