Customer Reviews

What Every American Should Know About Who's Really Running the World

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

What I liked about Rossi's book was its overall design. What Every American Should Know About Who's Really Running the World is set up as a survey of what she considers to be the groups and individuals that comprise the world's ruling class. It was intersting to read through a sort of "survey course" of the world's movers and shakers. ...And yet.

Yet, what I disliked was the shallowness of Rossi's analysis. In fact, the book became somewhat tedious. Too often, Rossi's arguments were based on insinuation rather than evidence. I was dismayed at this to say the least, since I am aware of the evidence that supports her arguments. And that left me wondering why she didn't take the time to include such evidence.

What's worse, Rossi's work is terribly ethnocentric. Nearly all the world's problems begin and end with the U.S. It's a sort of self-obsession that makes me really wonder if all those Euro-snobs who deride U.S. culture as being essentially narcissistic are on to something. In fact, on the whole, Rossi's main arguments tend to hang in a historical and political vacuum, as if the problems she presents only just began with the Reagan administration.

I tend to agree with the conservatives who've reviewed this book and were taken aback at its biases. While I would characterize myself as a socialist, reductive physicalist (very much the polar opposite of a conservative christian), I still found it odd that she blamed republicans and conservatives for so much and liberals for so little. After all, Clinton was the [...] who sold the U.S. on NAFTA. Instead of being partisan, I wish she had laid the blame for the world's problems where it squarely lies: on the selfish, greedy, decietful, and murderous nature of our ruling elites throughout the world who every day wage class war on the majority of the world and remain a very real peril to the life and livelyhood of nearly all of us.

Rossi should be speaking truth to power, but instead she ends up schlepping for her party. I'm not impressed with gang mentality.

This book is jam packed with information I didn't know about our government and corporations. Ms. Rossi is a bit shrill in tone and because of that I'm sure she ended up just preaching to the choir. Even moderates will be turned off by her finger-shaking. If you can ignore that, you can learn a lot. I'm a liberal but I didn't appreciate her sarcastic approach.

Melissa Rossi's research is impeccable. She has provided the evidence I wish I'd had access to when Bush began his assault on this democracy and then on the rest of the world in 2001 with the pre-emptive war against Iraq. After that, Rossi illustrates that, beginning with his proposed "faith-based initiatives" program, Bush ignored the Senate's refusal to approve the bill by signing it into law by executive order in 2002. Since then, he has continually encouraged his Christian Evangelical base to push for additional changes at the state and local levels.

Rossi is articulate, informative, and accurate regarding the ways in which individuals, organizations, and corporations that we would not want running our country are influencing the Executive Branch to do things their way. The evidence is overwhelming and frightening, but yet we're better off knowing the truth than blindly accepting that our rights and freedoms are being protected.

Despite its enlightening tone, readers who would not like to wade through 378 pages filled with a myriad of facts and figures to absorb would have difficulty getting through this book. However, they could still find information about specific events and movements that would be useful to them if they want to understand how our future is being jeopardized.

This is a very good book. It's easy to read, gets straight to the point and is just packed with real info. It's not the definitive word, but it is very good stuff. It has really helped me to understand who is pulling the strings behind the current events. TV news is just Mc News, there's nothing there. Not really. No depth. There is never any perspective given on how things work and how they are interlinked. Because nobody is going to come out and tell you what they are up to. Especially on their own corporate media channels! So you have to figure it out for yourself. Open your own eye and stop living in the 'Matrix'. This book will help. This book is a very good starting off point. Buy it. Read it. Understand. Have an opinion. American republic yes. American Empire hell no!

This book has a lot of truth in it and does, in my opinion, correctly identify some of the organizations which do have a big part in running the world, the Council on Foreign Relations and Walmart for example. However, I disagree with the constant bashing of the Bushes, the Right and the Christian Right. It seems to me that over the last 50 or 60 years the USA has as a society moved considerably in the liberal direction so I am not too sure that the Christian Right has wielded a strong power. Furthermore, I do not believe those of us who have a real concern about the power and intentions of China deserve ridicule. Neocons (I assume this means New Conservatives) are attacked throughout the book. Bush is accused of using the threat of North Korea with Nuclear missile capability as a reason to build the National Missile Defense System. I seriously doubt that Bush was the first president in history to use such tactics. Overall, the book was interesting to read and I believe quite informative.

I like to have it around the house for the short breaks that I have in my busy day. There are a lot of interesting points in the book. definitely makes one wonder what is really going on in our world and who is behind it. Warning: this book can upset some people. If you are a Bush follower, you might not want to read this! I hate Bush so I found it rather interesting.

This book was a curious buy for me, wondering just how much this Melissa Rossi gets it. Well, Melissa Rossi GETS it. She tells you about the Vulcans, the latest gang to burn our Constitution and she tells us about the Bushes, the latest gang to bury our Constitution. She pulls no punches, even telling about the cocaine habit of one Mr. Bush, who had nothing better to do during his privileged upbringing. She tells us about DARPA, the CFR (even its incipiency with Col Edward M. House), the media liars (aka mainstream media), the Carlyle Group and the Saudi conflicts of interest. The subjects in the book all have one thing in common-pure, raw, unadulterated power. Any one part of them can lie, cheat, steal, and murder, all in the good name of the United States of America, and not only will we never know the truth, but if we ever did gain a hint of the truth, there's absolutely nothing we can do about it. That, my friend...is power.

I like the idea behind this book, but it's just too light on the facts.

If you read the paper or blogs or listen to Air America, you know most of the stuff in here. It reads more like the summary of a hundred political thrillers than a factual book that could help you to a deeper understanding of how the elite manipulate politics and the economy.

The author gets an A for effort, but a C- on execution. A fine introduction for people who don't know much about who's running things but would like to know more. For those who are aware of these kinds of things already save your money, or buy it for your relative who watches Fox news and thinks their learning something.

If you haven't read this book you need to. I actually bought a copy for everyone I know. It is fully of facts that simply spell out what everyone is already thinking. Only a few people at the top of the social-economic ladder are making the decisions for the rest of us. The more you know about who is really running this country the better informed you will be at election time. It should be required reading for all literate Americans!

Melissa Rossi's book "What Every American Should Know about Who's Really Running the World" is exactly the kind of book I've been looking for. Through mainstream media it is difficult to get a clear perspective on the mechanics of global politics, corporate influence and the complicated issues that affect our world.

Rossi's book offers a wealth of information on these subjects while remaining entertaining and readable.

In these complicated times, this truly is a book every American should read.