Customer Reviews

Marcos Dynasty

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4 star:		(5)
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I almost would say that this book is as much about the Philippines as it is about the fun loving dictators the Marcos's. The book covers about 50 years and covers more then just the rise to power of these two, but also detail in what was happening in the country as a whole. I came away thinking the book could have been called the Marcos Crime Family, I guess if you are in power for so long it is easy to keep slipping more and more down that path. I was also interested in how much the USA was involved in keeping them in power, sure it probably seemed like the best thing to do, but the country suffered under his uninspired rule for so long how many years will it take for them to get up to the level of many of the other countries in Asia?

You can tell that the author is an investigative journalist because of the straightforward, detailed account he gives. This book comes at you almost like the author had an ax to grind. I would have liked a bit more on the end - what happened after they left? Overall the book was enjoyable and worth the effort.

This book manages to shed a light on the Marcos Dynasty & what they have done to the Phillippines. Whilst some incidents seemed to be far-fetched, for those who have lived in Asia for a long time, the incidents seem to make sense afterall. Connections & corruptions come hand-in-hand. The book also dented the shiny armour of USA of their involvement in local politics. The book is incomplete on its own. Rather, if we read all the book offerings by Sterling Seagrave such as the Yamato Dynasty, Soong Dynasty, & Marcos Dynasty, we would get a better picture. I suppose the author is running short of space. otherwise, I wouldn't mind knowing the aftermath of the Marcos Dynasty after they have shifted to the States & also the former wife that Ferdinand has left behind. Otherwise, this book is a very good effort, indeed.

This book by Sterling Segrave is a very nice modern history of the Phillipines. Starting with the Second World War the book brings the reader nearly up to date on events which have ocurred in the Phillipines since that time.

An investigative journalist who was raised in the Orient, Sterling Seagrave tells the story of the Marcos regime bluntly with no glossing over of the rough edges. All in all it is a delightful read.

What an excellent book. I heard the unabridged version of this on 13 cassettes and it was a fabulous read - one where the amounts of money stolen by the Marcos' from the Phillipines are so atrocious, that halfway through the book I started to lose sense and magnitude of billions of dollars and 1000's of tonnes of gold. I still came out wondering how could a person so untiringly loot his people and how much really is enough? Well and truly an Asian story of lost opportunity and time.

Excellent! This is a must read for Filipinos! I know it because I am a Filipino!

It could be said that Marcos was before my time. What I knew about him I gleaned as a high school student from watching late night comedy shows featuring quips about Mrs. Marcos (Imelda) and her vast collection of shoes. Cue the applause sign. In my twenties, I got a chance to visit the Philippines and thought I'd bone up on that frequently overlooked country, and that is how I stumbled on this book. There wasn't much applauding. Nor did I laugh. Not even once.

The rise and fall of the Marcos dynasty is a fascinating tale; a jaw-dropping account of how incredibly - nay, impossibly - black and deceptive the human heart can be. After coming to power illegaly, Marcos and his entourage of cronies and sycophants spent two decades robbing the struggling Pacific republic absolutely blind. During his reign, the Philippines became a major international player in just about every illicit activity under the sun, i.e. drug running, illegal arms sales, and especially child prostitution. While the underground economy boomed everything else simply ground to a halt and the people languished in poverty and even starvation. Riding on the back of the misery, authoritarianism, and insitutionalized corruption that he helped engender, Ferdinand Marcos became - wait for it - the richest man in all of Asia. Think about that for a moment. And here's the kicker: the US government was his biggest supporter. Indeed, the US would have courted the devil himself in order to garner "moral" and military support for Vietnam and with Marcos they came darned close.

Seagrave is an adept narrator and and an expert researcher. From Marcos's rise as a Japanese collaborator to his expulsion under People Power, the author takes us on a dizzying if not mind boggling adventure. This is an excellent read.

Troy Parfitt, author

This book by Sterling Segrave is a very nice modern history of the Phillipines. Starting with the Second World War the book brings the reader nearly up to date on events which have ocurred in the Phillipines since that time.

An investigative journalist who was raised in the Orient, Sterling Seagrave tells the story of the Marcos regime bluntly with no glossing over of the rough edges. All in all it is a delightful read.

Sterling Seagrave takes a mountain of information and makes it into this incredibly good and readable story with a point. Given that not everything has a point in real-life but still his spears all point in one direction.

Having grown up in the Philippines around this time, there were rumors and there were facts. This books sets the record straight and tells it like it should have been told without the hushed tones. I grew up being told that one piece of overheard gossip about the Marcos family is considered a subversive act worthy of jail. My dad had a habit of stringing stories together into a plausible yarn of a scenario. I guess this book fills-in the gaps.

Imagine all that Japanese gold being responsible for a good deal on CIA activity from the 50's till now. It weaves-in so well with the conspiracy theories of today.

Having read other books by Seagrave, I must say that this one must be his best.

Author needs to expound on the future disposition of Marcos's wealth inherited by his children. Also of the children of his first common law wife.