Customer Reviews

Noam Chomsky: A Life of Dissent

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those who only know Chomsky for his revolutionary work in the field of linguistics and are not aware that he is also an untiring critic of media propaganda and government malfeasance this book is for you. In this enlightening biography of one of America's leading dissidents, Barsky beautifully illustrates Chomsky's dedication in his tireless fight against the forces of injustice and hate--at great personal risk to both his career and life. The ideal that Chomsky follows is not new, however, but based in the long tradition of social activism that finds its birth in the philosophy of Socrates, put to use by countless individuals from Thoreau, Ghandi and Martin Luther King, through their adherence to the fundamental idea of intellectual independence and a healthy skepticism of the dictates of power and authority.
In a society so full of apologists for militarism, who substitute mindless justification for military operations in place of a critical, reasoned view of world events, Chomsky stands out for his courageous opposition to totalitarianism, wherever it is found. Apparently, this hiding place is alittle to close for some. Regardless of his critics, Chomsky is destined to go down in history as one of the most important thinkers of the 20th century--an exemplary example of what an intellectual should be.

This is the most recent of several books I've read by or about Noam Chomsky, and I'm still waiting for an objective, critical analysis of the man and his thinking. Though quite enjoyable and full of interesting details (like cover photos of obscure political magazines that Chomsky read as a child), Barsky's biography comes clearly from the pen of someone enamored of Chomsky's ideas and work. The last paragraph of the book sounds embarrasingly like the voiceover from a low-budget propaganda film. Chomsky fans will enjoy the book, but anyone wanting a more balanced approach will still have to wait for the "definitive biography", which to my knowledge remains unwritten.

Barsky's achievement is respectable for at least one reason: he got some personal information out of Chomsky. I've been reading Chomsky for a while now and have always been impressed by his guarding of his personal life. David Barsamian, who has interviewed him probably more than anyone has - for sure more than anyone I know has - comes close once in a while. Usually it touches on how he feels about something; never anything to do with the stuff to keep biographers buzzing. As for the rest of Barsky's book I have to say that I was hardly moved by it. I appreciated the organization, and Barsky's quite obvious understanding of the issues that have arisen during Chomsky's "Life of Dissent". But I must refer to my disappointment at the immediate realization that this could hardly reflect the kind of life Chomsky has had. Hence, a 200 plus page book is not a biography. Maybe Barsky promised it was not a biography; I can't remember. To me, however, it doesn't matter. I'm always looking for good stuff by and about Chomsky. Sometimes I find really stimulating material; sometimes I find variations of views that I've seen already; sometimes I find worthless psychobabble. Barsky's book provided some new material (the strain the Faurisson affair on Chomsky was coming close to revelatory, as biographies do) but mostly it covered as much as it could about 40 plus years of intense public activity in the US (of all places) and public scrutiny in the same amount of space allotted for a court judge's decision on where domestic pets can and cannot defecate, and why. Barsky's book is excellent commentary on some significant events in Chomsky's life - in precis form - but comes up short of adequately depicting a life of dissent, especially Noam Chomsky's.

This biography doesn't have much to offer for those who are more or less familiar with Chomsky's work. On a side note, there isn't much to say about Chomsky's life beyond his work, which is obviously all-consuming. As such, the biographer is reduced to an amateurish overview of Chomsky's career and influences which are all together pretty dry and unsatisfying. It's much better to get an understanding of Chomsky's work from his own words, I highly recommend "Understanding Power, and "Language and Politics," for instance. Perhaps the only thing that kept me reading is the author's overview of Chomsky's political development as an activist and scholar. There are some excellent selections going into the various political literatures that helped shape Chomsky's ideology as a young person. Unfortunately, the biographer takes it upon himself to subjectively defend Chomsky in some of his more controversial endeavors. I'm referring now to the Robert Faurrison affair. The author should have simply let Chomsky's defense of the matter speak for itself but instead he chooses to attack an author who was critical of Chomsky by explaining an encounter he had in which he heard the author speak give a lecture on the topic in which he didn't seem to have a handling of the material which the biographer decides is proof that he didn't actually read his book. This is a task for another text and shouldn't have been included. An average read on the whole, though it may be useful as an overview for those who are new to Chomsky.

...

As for this biography, I suggest taking a copy out of a library and check it out before purchasing. It does cover some ground, and is an enjoyable read, if you're a fan.

Obviously anybody with a triple-didget I.Q.
can see by even a casual read that Chomsky
is a complicated man. Thus many of his books
are at least somewhat complicated reads. I
highly recommend this as a potential 'Best
of...' book for Anti-Statist fans who also
like other controversial jewish authors books
like Murray N. Rothbard (my favorite of the
genre!), Art Koestler (The Thirteenth Tribe),
et, al. Also check out Art R. Butz 'Hoax of
the Twentieth Century', and Walt Sanning's
Dissolution of Eastern European Jewry...