Posted by Bob Lord
I just finished Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, by Chris Hedges and Joe Sacco. This one has been around awhile. I think it was released in early 2012. Nonetheless, it's a great read. I read the electronic copy, but I'd recommend the hard copy. The electronic copy I suspect does not capture the full flavor of Joe Sacco's many illustrations, as the hard copy undoubtedly does.
There are several takeaways from this book. The first and most important is the horrific devastation corporate greed has left in its wake. Hedges takes us first to the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, then to Camden, New Jersey, then to southern West Virginia, and finally to Imoakalee, Florida. Each step along the way you get a better understanding of the hopelessness that exists throughout America. It would be hard to get this type of perspective without actually visiting these communities yourself. Very enlightening.
The last chapter of the book analyzes the Occupy movement. It's a bit anachronistic, because the embers of Occupy were burning brighter at the time the book was released than they are today. But Hedges' analysis largely remains valid. Perhaps even more forceful today than when the book was released is Hedges' explanation that hope lies not in electoral politics, but in a populist uprising, whether it's a resurrected Occupy movement or some other uprising.
I don't know if this is Hedges' best work, but it is a very worthwhile read.
I have a hard copy of Hedges’ book. It’s intense. Haven’t read much of it yet but he gets his point across — about the consequences of corporate greed — very effectively.