Review
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"A primer in Chomsky’s analysis of the faults of the
American political and economic system. Taking as its back
the idea that “a significant part of the American Dream is class
mobility: You’re born poor, you work hard, you get rich,” Chomsky
systematically documents the many ways the system is rigged from
top to bottom to ensure that corporations always
win."—Billmoyers.com
"Since Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century, income
inequality has not been novel material for a book. Nevertheless,
the latest book from famed activist and linguist Chomsky (Who
Rules the World?) seems fresher than almost any title on the
subject in recent memory. The book, based on the documentary of
the same name, is a compilation of interviews that the film’s
directors conducted with Chomsky from 2011 to 2016. Chomsky
observes the present-day United States with such lucid clarity
that readers may feel they are viewing familiar terrain for the
first time. He offers a “10 Principle” formula for how
plutocratic interests operate (Principle No. 7 is “Engineer
Elections”; Principle No. 3 is “Redesign the Economy”). Chomsky
observes that much of what made the 1950s and ’60s the “Golden
Age” of the U.S. economy was that, at the time, what was good for
General Motors really was good for America: “When the U.S. was
primarily a manufacturing center, it had to be concerned with its
own consumers.” Chomsky also touches, fascinatingly, on subjects
as diverse as “the psychology of nagging” (as employed by the
advertising industry) and the disappearing sense of solidarity in
our civic life. Chomsky and his collaborators have created a
perceptive and revelatory examination of the forces driving
America inequality."—Publishers Weekly
"Noam Chomsky in Requiem for the American Dream directs the
fierce light of his intellect on the utopian ideology of
neoliberalism, the absurd idea that markets should dictate all
aspects of human society. He dissects the disastrous consequences
of this ideology for our society, culture, and politics. He
explains how corporations indoctrinated the public, academia, and
the mass media to sign on for a project that has devastated the
lives of working men and women and obliterated the common good.
Every promise made by the proponents of neoliberalism is a lie.
Its power to write its own laws and regulations, Chomsky points
out, has ultimately created a mafia economic system and a mafia
political system that is exemplified in the rise to power of the
demagogue Donald Trump."—Chris Hedges, winner of the Pulitzer
Prize and author of Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of
Revolt
"While many books attempt to explain how we got to this political
moment (some successfully), Noam Chomsky’s latest, Requiem for
the American Dream, provides necessary historical context.
Zooming in on ten ways that government and corporate interests
have kept the American people down, Chomsky offers a compelling
history that explains today’s economic and political landscape.
At 157 pages, it’s a short, beautifully put together
book."—Huffington Post
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About the Author
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Political philosopher, activist, and linguist NOAM CHOMSKY
is beloved around the world for the strength of his personal
commitment to the truth as he sees it and for the brilliance of
his ideas. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on December 7,
1928, he studied linguistics, mathematics, and philosophy at the
University of Pennsylvania and received his PhD there in 1955.
Chomsky has taught at MIT for fifty years and is currently
Institute Professor Emeritus in the Department of Linguistics and
Philosophy. His linguistics work is widely credited with having
revolutionized the field, and his political writings have made
important contributions for decades. In 2001, he published 9-11,
which became his first international bestseller and was arguably
the single most influential post–9-11 book. Chomsky is the author
of many other best-selling political works, including Profit Over
People, Media Control, Hegemony or Survival, Failed States, Hopes
and Prospects, Masters of Mankind, What Kind of Creatures Are
We?, and Who Rules the World?
PETER HUTCHISON is an NYC-based filmmaker, educator, and
activist. His documentary work includes What Would Jesus Buy?
with producing partner Morgan Spurlock; Split: A Divided America;
Beyond Activism: Four Decades of Social Justice; and Awake Zion:
Rasta, Reggae & Judaism. KELLY NYKS is an award-winning
writer/director of documentary films and has worked across
Europe, Asia, and America. His prior films include The Age of
Consequences, Disobedience, Disruption, Do the Math, Split: A
Divided America, and Split: A Deeper Divide. Award-winning
writer, director, and producer JARED P. SCOTT's other films
include The Age of Consequences, Disruption, Do the Math, and The
Artificial Leaf. His films have screened at Tribeca, Hot Docs,
Sheffield, and IDFA, and have aired/streamed on Netflix, Starz,
PBS, and Al Jazeera.
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