Empire of Illusion bookcover

Empire of Illusion

The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle
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Description

"A trenchantly argued critique of the near-destruction of the American Dream" (Philadelphia Inquirer) and the image-obsessed culture that has taken over society and culture

An instant bestseller, Empire of Illusion is a striking and unsettling exploration of illusion and fantasy in contemporary American culture. Traveling to the ringside of professional wrestling bouts at Madison Square Garden, to Las Vegas to write about the pornographic film industry, and to academic conferences held by positive psychologists who claim to be able to engineer happiness, Hedges chronicles our flight from an ever-worsening reality.

The cultural embrace of illusion and celebrity culture have accompanied a growing system of casino capitalism, which creates vast wealth for elites. Corporations have ruthlessly dismantled and destroyed our manufacturing base and impoverished our working class. Hedges exposes the mechanisms that undermine our democracy and divert us from the economic, environmental, political, and moral collapse around us. A culture that cannot distinguish between reality and illusion dies, Hedges argues, and we are dying now.

Product Details

PublisherBold Type Books
Publish DateOctober 05, 2010
Pages240
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconPaperback / softback
EAN/UPC9781568586137
Dimensions8.1 X 6.4 X 0.7 inches | 0.5 pounds

About the Author

Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. He spent nearly two decades as a correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa, and the Balkans, with fifteen years at the New York Times. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, including Empire of Illusion; Death of the Liberal Class; War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning; and Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, which he co-wrote with Joe Sacco. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

Reviews

"A trenchantly argued critique of the near-destruction of the American Dream by unfettered capitalism."--Philadelphia Inquirer
"Each chapter of Empire of Illusion makes a strong case for how different illusions...taken together are destroying the American mind, culture and the nation itself."--National Post
"Remarkable, bracing and highly moral, Empire of Illusion is Hedges' lament for his nation."--Macleans
"Thoroughly documented and written in a measured but take-no-prisoners tone.... It's bound to stir up its share of interest-generating controversy."--Booklist

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