I have been meaning to write a review for this book for a very long time... For me, this is the quintessential beginner's book on Chomsky... As both my husband and I are avid political activists, we have been occasionally frustrated, and quite often saddened, by the fact that so many people we meet have no idea who Noam Chomsky is... It is no good preaching to the choir, we are out there to give folk the opportunity to expand their political awareness, to entertain some new ideas, to think from a different perspective... Indeed, to even begin to 'think' at all...
When we are met with, 'Noam Chomsky who? huh?', this is the book we recommend, and have given out over the years I don't know how many times; we just keep replacing it, *lol*
Why is this book so invaluable? Because it is succinct, (153 pages), visually funny and, in a nutshell, entertaining from beginning to end... But do not mistake the 'fun' for 'fluff'... This book packs a most powerful punch in that it is essentially a primer for looking at the way one thinks, and how one goes about the process of beginning to think 'critically' instead of thinking 'emotionally'.
Given the State of the Union these days, more and more people are questioning not only the trustworthiness of their leaders, but the very process of governing itself... They are asking, 'How did it come to this?'... Through this book, they can see how the 'messaging' takes place through the use and manipulation of the media and political spin... they can see how they've been, and are continuing to be, influenced... and once this revelation takes place, they are much more prone to relegating 'emotion' to its rightful place while simultaneously beginning the journey of 'critical thinking'...
All of this takes place in this perfect little beginner's book... Giving someone just stepping into the fray of politics a book such as, 'The Essential Chomsky', (500 pages), will daunt them to the point of regressing back into their shell of complacency... Giving them, 'Chomsky for Beginners', will teach them, entertain them, and spur them on to finding out more... and when that happens, we then recommend the 'Real Story Series' with books such as, 'The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many', 'The Common Good', 'Take the Rich Off Welfare', or 'What Uncle Sam Really Wants'... all books that are also packed with a punch, but very succinct, (100-200 pages), and easy to understand...
I cannot recommend highly enough, 'Chomsky for Beginners'... David Cogswell and Paul Gordon have gifted us with a brand of genius that teaches through the art of tweeking our funny-bone... Huzzah! for their brilliance, *vbs*
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Amazon Customer
Very good introduction
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2014
Mr. B. M. Hansen
Trews is the news if the news was true.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2015