Hedges is an erudite and important analyst of our culture and politics and deserves to be widely read. This 2009 book is now a bit dated (in 14 short years we recognize much of his forecast has come true!) but ever so relevant. Nonetheless the narration by Yen is poor. Yen's voice and style do not match the book's or Hedges' genre.

Chris Hedges is not one to mince words. His content is easy to follow and hard-hitting, informing the reader about another side to certain elements of our Western society that we might not always look deeply enough into. Although he seems to despair for the way the world is going, I think people would be wise to look into what he says so that their choices about finances, education, even what they watch, can be better informed and they can know the secret harm going on.

Chris Hedges is a mammoth mind his analysis of the American love of spectacle is numbered, sifted, weighed and divided with stunning clarity and insight. He writes well, admirably well and never sacrifices the need to communicate with the demands of entertaining structure. I have now read this twice and have underlined and asterisked passage after passage. If you want to see a precise cutting mind dissect the obsessions of American culture and then read the pathology report, then buy this immediately. He is a great mind with a great pen.

Good book for democrats and independents. Republicans won't get it . . . .