I've always admired the insightful reports of Diane Johnstone, and looked forward to her presently published Memoirs. However, although I think her Memoirs are intersting and well worth reading, I have some quibles about what she says there. I list them below:
Most importantly, Diane Johnstone is skeptical about the effects of CO2 and the human causes of the increase of CO2, that which results in well established and consequential global heating of the earth system. She implies we should respect the "deniers" of this phenomenon, and even implies that perhaps it is changes in the sun which could be the cause of the heating. That is an ignorant position, and I was stunned to read it in her memoir. She evidently knows little about the science involved. This is a rude blemish originating, perhaps, in her wish not to ignore those who deny what is published in most of our media in general.
At the end of the Memoir, she berates the left as representative of Antifa, but never quite defines Antifa, except that someone, or a group(?), has attacked her (and others') positions on Russia, wars and China. But so far as I can tell, there is no organized Antifa that represents the Left, at least in the USA, even as Mr. Trump castigates them as being behind the current protests. I wish she had named names, been specific.
I also have a problem with her treatment of Yugoslavia and the NATO Yugoslav war, more specifically the attack on Sarajevo by the Serbs. Chris Hedges has affirmed that that was a slaughter by murderous Serbs on a vulnerable population, for no legitimate reason. It was just evil. Hedges was there at the time of the bombardments. But Diane Johnstone greatly underplays that, and I don't know, now, whom to believe. Certainly the western press said it was an atrocity, but one can't trust them, in general. Then there is the question of Srebenica. Here again, it is difficult to get the truth. Johnstone says that it was not genocidal, as the west claimed, because women and children were spared. Does that condone the Serbs?
Johnstone's reflections on other matters are detailed and well worth reading, personal or political. Her opinions on the morass/corruption of western propaganda and policies, are positions staunchly antiwar and invariably in favor of the wellbeing of the common people, not of the corporate wealthy and power elites. She has particular insight about affairs in France, where she's become a citizen, and she gives a sympathetic analysis of the Gilets Jaunes protests. She stands up for nationalism as pride of culture, and chastises the globalization of leaders such as Macron. She outlines how the Greens in Europe have become compromised in their politics and policies. Her initial hopes for them as an influential movement, when she worked for them, were gradually dashed.
I found the prose of her Memoir to be sometimes uneven, but it gets better as the book proceeds. I enjoyed reading it. Her voice is unique, and should be better known.
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Circle in the Darkness: Memoir of a World Watcher Paperback – February 1, 2020
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Diana Johnstone
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Print length444 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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Publication dateFebruary 1, 2020
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Dimensions6 x 1.11 x 9 inches
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ISBN-101949762130
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ISBN-13978-1949762136
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"...A compelling, fascinating, first-hand look at our world from WW2 through the Cold War and, ultimately, to our forever wars of the 21st Century." --RON PAUL, MD, Former Member of US Congress
“...a brilliant analysis of the major imperial wars of the last half century. The personal and political merge to provide a wealth of experiences and insights embedded in a profound theoretical framework." ―JAMES PETRAS
"...fiercely courageous and independent reporting, historical analysis, and activism ... With her eyes on the prize, Diana Johnstone has stayed the course to oppose U.S. and Western aggression, using her critical skills to expose endless horror and insisting that a truthful understanding of historical events remains a necessary tool against murder and illegality. We are deeply indebted to her." -- JOHN MARCIANO, Monthly Review
"Diana Johnstone's book Circle in the Darkness is a brilliant analysis of the major imperial wars of the last half century. The personal and political merge to provide a wealth of experiences and insights embedded in a profound theoretical framework."
―JAMES PETRAS
"Circle in the Darkness is one of the great personal accounts of the anguished decline of our uncivilization, both a riveting eye-witness account of many of the horrors and perfidies, and a primer for students of history and all those struggling to not only dismantle the beast, but to prepare us for what follows it. Read it and weep. And smile at the follies. And shout ‘Yes!’ as light bulbs flash in your mind." -ERIC WALBERG
“Johnstone’s recollections span the period between the Depression and the current moment, and bring to life in poignant detail the most significant events in Europe for the entire post-World War II era, and particularly the interface of the U.S. with Europe, with valuable reflections on events in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa as well." --RICK ROZOFF, Author and Editor, STOP NATO
"Diana Johnstone is a superb reporter of a kind and calibre that barely exists today. Her principled, eloquent memoirs are often touching, and wise, and bracing in their truth in an age of deceit. I salute her." --JOHN PILGER, award-winning Australian journalist, author and broadcaster/documentary maker
"Diana Johnstone’s just published book, Circle in the Darkness: Memoir of a World Watcher, is the best book I have ever read, the most revealing, the most accurate, the most truthful, the most moral and humane, the most sincere and heartfelt, and the best written. Her book is far more than a memoir. It is a history that has not previously been written. If you want the truth of the last 60 years in place of the contrived reality constructed for us by controlled explanations, it is in this book." --PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
“...a brilliant analysis of the major imperial wars of the last half century. The personal and political merge to provide a wealth of experiences and insights embedded in a profound theoretical framework." ―JAMES PETRAS
"...fiercely courageous and independent reporting, historical analysis, and activism ... With her eyes on the prize, Diana Johnstone has stayed the course to oppose U.S. and Western aggression, using her critical skills to expose endless horror and insisting that a truthful understanding of historical events remains a necessary tool against murder and illegality. We are deeply indebted to her." -- JOHN MARCIANO, Monthly Review
"Diana Johnstone's book Circle in the Darkness is a brilliant analysis of the major imperial wars of the last half century. The personal and political merge to provide a wealth of experiences and insights embedded in a profound theoretical framework."
―JAMES PETRAS
"Circle in the Darkness is one of the great personal accounts of the anguished decline of our uncivilization, both a riveting eye-witness account of many of the horrors and perfidies, and a primer for students of history and all those struggling to not only dismantle the beast, but to prepare us for what follows it. Read it and weep. And smile at the follies. And shout ‘Yes!’ as light bulbs flash in your mind." -ERIC WALBERG
“Johnstone’s recollections span the period between the Depression and the current moment, and bring to life in poignant detail the most significant events in Europe for the entire post-World War II era, and particularly the interface of the U.S. with Europe, with valuable reflections on events in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and North Africa as well." --RICK ROZOFF, Author and Editor, STOP NATO
"Diana Johnstone is a superb reporter of a kind and calibre that barely exists today. Her principled, eloquent memoirs are often touching, and wise, and bracing in their truth in an age of deceit. I salute her." --JOHN PILGER, award-winning Australian journalist, author and broadcaster/documentary maker
"Diana Johnstone’s just published book, Circle in the Darkness: Memoir of a World Watcher, is the best book I have ever read, the most revealing, the most accurate, the most truthful, the most moral and humane, the most sincere and heartfelt, and the best written. Her book is far more than a memoir. It is a history that has not previously been written. If you want the truth of the last 60 years in place of the contrived reality constructed for us by controlled explanations, it is in this book." --PAUL CRAIG ROBERTS
About the Author
Diana Johnstone, PhD, a native of Minnesota, raised in New Deal Washington, has spent more than half her life in Europe as a political observer and journalist, working for Agence France Presse, for In These Times as European Correspondent, and as press officer for the Green Group in the European Parliament. She holds a BA in Russian Area studies and a PhD in French literature. She is author of three books including Fools’ Crusade: Yugoslavia, NATO and Western Delusions., and co-author with her father, Paul H. Johnstone, of From Mad to Madness: Inside Pentagon Nuclear War. Planning.
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Product details
- Publisher : Clarity Press, Inc. (February 1, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 444 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1949762130
- ISBN-13 : 978-1949762136
- Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.11 x 9 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#1,040,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #855 in Historical France Biographies
- #1,918 in Journalist Biographies
- #2,728 in French History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
54 global ratings
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Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2020
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14 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2020
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I'm new to Diana Johnstone and purchased this book purely on the strength of a glowing testimonial from Paul Craig Roberts, but she strikes me as a highly perceptive independant thinker and witness to many decades of worldwide change.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a genuine seeker of truth in a world of lies.
Just excellent!
I'd recommend this book to anyone who is a genuine seeker of truth in a world of lies.
Just excellent!
12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2020
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I am a retired Canadian university professor and I consider Diana Johnstone’s Circle in the Darkness to be one of the best thoroughly documented accounts of world affairs that occurred during the past half century. This book should get a major award for its analysis of every significant political event during this time. It is certain that the book will be translated into many languages. People everywhere are so much in need of Diana Johnstone’s analysis of what has transpired since World War II, with facts and truth clearly presented. We should all be much indebted to her for performing this greatly needed task.
In the words of Canadian law professor Michael Mandel, Diana Johnstone’s analysis is “an inspiring example of how to rescue truth from the battlefield when it has become war’s first casualty.” He wrote this in reference to a previous book that she wrote, Fools’ Crusade that dealt with the criminal and illegal war launched by the USA and its NATO allies on Yugoslavia, but his words apply equally well to Circle in the Darkness.
This highly readable memoir penetrates media deception and the government propaganda that amazingly managed to undermine many people on the “left” who then on the fallacious grounds of “human rights” began to support aggressive U.S.-NATO wars.
This is the kind of book that if widely read would advance the cause of peace in the world.
Read less
In the words of Canadian law professor Michael Mandel, Diana Johnstone’s analysis is “an inspiring example of how to rescue truth from the battlefield when it has become war’s first casualty.” He wrote this in reference to a previous book that she wrote, Fools’ Crusade that dealt with the criminal and illegal war launched by the USA and its NATO allies on Yugoslavia, but his words apply equally well to Circle in the Darkness.
This highly readable memoir penetrates media deception and the government propaganda that amazingly managed to undermine many people on the “left” who then on the fallacious grounds of “human rights” began to support aggressive U.S.-NATO wars.
This is the kind of book that if widely read would advance the cause of peace in the world.
Read less
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on November 13, 2020
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I began by reading the ending and was delighted and envigorated by how au courant it was, speaking to the very things that enter my intellectual world every day from Antifa in Portland to discovering Caitlin Johnstone. Wow! I'm over seventy and I thought only I could only relate to much younger people! Johnstone's even older than I am covers the great events of my lifetime. After the surprising ending of her book I began at the beginning and can't put it down though there is much more to go.
She observes like a scientist and splashes insigts and images like a poet. I'm not sure many would but I connect with her background on many levels (except for being flung out into the wide world early). She has observed first hand much of what I've only come to understand indirectly. She's the ideal travel guide from the 1950s to the absolute present moment.
She observes like a scientist and splashes insigts and images like a poet. I'm not sure many would but I connect with her background on many levels (except for being flung out into the wide world early). She has observed first hand much of what I've only come to understand indirectly. She's the ideal travel guide from the 1950s to the absolute present moment.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
Eigil Møller
5.0 out of 5 stars
Indispensable. Outstanding journalism. Fearless truth-seeking.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 17, 2020Verified Purchase
There are (a tiny handful of) other great journalists. But, I couldn’t name anyone, who so consistently, intelligently and fearlessly has sought the truth about war, peace and oppression for so many decades - and invariably has been proven right.
So, if You want to understand the mess we’re in, and how we got here, read this book. You won’t find an account anywhere as brilliant, true and thought provoking. Diana Johnstone’s work is absolutely indispensable.
So, if You want to understand the mess we’re in, and how we got here, read this book. You won’t find an account anywhere as brilliant, true and thought provoking. Diana Johnstone’s work is absolutely indispensable.
5 people found this helpful
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Jonathan Rooper
5.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting and moving account of our political era
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 30, 2020Verified Purchase
This outstanding personal and political memoir is in a class of its own. In more enlightened times Diana Johnstone would deservedly be a household name. Her observation of the politics of the left over many decades is so acute and straightforwardly honest. Her life and political times are woven perfectly together as a riveting and often moving account of our often turbulent times.
david booth
4.0 out of 5 stars
World political events over past 40 years ....
Reviewed in Australia on January 22, 2021Verified Purchase
An impartial observer of 40 plus years of world politics from the european perspective by a marxist American author , a unique and personal account.

