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Title: Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You by Norman Solomon, Reese Erlich, Howard Zinn, Sean Penn ISBN: 1-893956-39-3 Publisher: Context Books Pub. Date: January, 2003 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.08 (24 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A brilliant critique of lies behind the war on Iraq
Comment: What the authors have done is great. Solomon and Erlich actually paid attention to exactly how the US government and the news media talked the American public into accepting the 2003 war against Iraq. This book brings terrible truths into focus: the deceptive media practices from President Bush on down, and the inaccurate "information" provided by lots of supposedly fine American journalists, conservatives and liberals alike.
You have to wonder, reading this book, just how the situation got so bad that the reporters don't even seem embarrassed about repeating false statements endlessly! The misleading character of the media coverage about this war is brought home to the reader by Solomon and Erlich. Plus, there's a very moving introduction by the historian Howard Zinn. And Sean Penn in the afterword tells why he became so concerned about the war that was impending and now is history.
This is the kind of multi-layered book you can read easily and thoughtfully. And you can give it to people who might disagree with you and learn a whole lot from reading "Target Iraq." This book provides plenty of facts but it doesn't just pile them on; it puts them in an analytical context that demolishes the claims of the Bush Administration and its apologists.
Rating: 2
Summary: Good Points, But Disappointing in Execution
Comment: This Review refers to the paperback edition of Target Iraq: What the News Media Didn't Tell You, by Norman Solomon, and Reese Erlich and as introduced by Howard Zinn with an afterward by Sean Penn.
Target Iraq is a book of many aspects, covering varying topics relating to the recent Iraqi war from a pre-war perspective. The introductory chapters focus largely on the media and self-censorship, providing the reader with insight into how the larger media organizations conduct their operations. The book then goes on to describe the opinions of the Iraqi people, with both examples from public and private sources. After which it moves into the US propaganda campaigns and examples of why the majority of it is untrue, in the authors' opinions. Detailed in the later chapters is the use and visible consequences of depleted uranium, along with the UN resolution issues, and effects of the economic sanctions. Concluding the book is a chapter concerning US manipulation and discrediting of various aspects of the UN, followed by the motives for war. Also contained in the book is an introduction by Howard Zinn, afterward by Sean Penn, article by Seth Ackerman, Bush speech with analysis, and Resolution 1441 with analysis.
This book contains a nearly extreme bias at points; however, it does probe both sides of some aspects. It does manage to provide a decent overview of Iraqi public opinion, and properly warns that the opinions may change once the displacement of power takes place. There are also informative summaries concerning depleted uranium and the illegal no-fly zones.
The two authors, Solomon and Erlich, switch each chapter, giving the reader an interesting mixture of viewpoints. Solomon is the stronger literary presence throughout the book, yet is also quite lacking in his ability to back up his rather strong claims with proper evidence. The result is a shell of sorts, leaving the reader skeptical if they do not already have a proper background in the area. Erlich, on the other hand, wanders and is weaker in his content but stronger in his presentation of possible sources to collaborate his statements. Yet, Erlich has an intriguing literary form that allows the reader to come to his/her own conclusions. However, neither provides any form of a bibliography, forcing the unfamiliar reader through hours of research to verify their statements. There are also typographical errors in the appendices.
The private interview with the Iraqi civilian family is an invaluable insight into the opinions and thoughts of the Iraqi people. However, the literary styles and lack of sources subtracts heavily from the book. Overall, the book would have been a great and inspiring work, even after the war, had it been the recipient of proper source work and effort. Perhaps the authors could release an updated version with a proper list of sources.
Rating: 3
Summary: What The Authors Do Not Tell You
Comment: To put this review in context, I have read a number of books covering the lead up to the latest war in Iraq so my expectation level continues to increase in regards to the quality and completeness of any book on the topic. I thought this book was either going to offer a critique of the news media and their reporting, the propaganda, for lack of a better term, that was put out by the Bush team or even interesting facts about the current Iraq. Well, the authors tried to touch on all these topics, but did so is such a slap dash method that it left me wanting more in every regard. First off the book, like many of its kind, has a very anti war bias. That is about what you would expect from this area of literature, but it is always nice if the authors can reign in their comments to present a book that can a least have passing reference to fairness. These authors did no such thing and at times I felt they were actually egging on the anti war sentiment and playing up the whole Iraq sanctions horrors play book. Again there is nothing wrong with this, but it makes the book appeal to only the truly hard core anti war or anti Bush reader.
Back to the substance of the book and as stated earlier it was just that the authors either did not have the time or the patience to truly develop any of the themes they were talking about. They presented chapters with the broad overview, but left the reader wanting more. Given the very obvious bias to the book, I would have thought they would have at lest spent the time to fully develop or at least bog the critic down with page after page of facts. They did not. To cap it off they tossed n a speech of President Bush with rolling commentary. A great idea, but the execution was paltry at best. They relied on inflammatory statements instead of detailed factual rebuttals. In the end their comments on the speech were no better then the speech itself.
Overall I came away from the book thinking it was nothing more then a quickly put out money grab. There were some interesting details on what life is like in Iraq and a review of UN Security Counsel resolutions, but not enough. I would suggest you continue searching if you are looking for a well researched and formulated anti war book. On the other had if you have your mind made up and just want to read a book that will agree with your position then this book is a nice time killer.
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Title: War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You to Know by William Rivers Pitt, Scott Ritter ISBN: 1893956385 Publisher: Context Books Pub. Date: 25 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq by Sheldon Rampton, John Stauber ISBN: 1585422762 Publisher: J. P. Tarcher Pub. Date: July, 2003 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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Title: Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda (Open Media Series) by Noam Chomsky ISBN: 1583225366 Publisher: Seven Stories Press Pub. Date: December, 2002 List Price(USD): $8.95 |
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Title: The Lies of George W. Bush: Mastering the Politics of Deception by DAVID CORN ISBN: 1400050669 Publisher: Crown Pub. Date: 30 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.00 |
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Title: Dreaming War: Blood for Oil and the Cheney-Bush Junta by Gore Vidal ISBN: 1560255021 Publisher: Nation Books Pub. Date: December, 2002 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
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