Scan barcode
ellist's review
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.25
What could have been a good book with some very poignant and timely reminders of American overreach and lack of accountability in the legal, military, and human rights spheres if it had not been so horribly undermined by the author’s insane lies about being in the Army Rangers. Going so far as to write an introduction where he parachutes into Panama only to behold the fist of military might turned against civilians, turning him from hardened and true believing Ranger to anti-war activist is, in a word, embarrassing. It is possible, moral, and righteous to be anti-war without having ever seen combat; though I suppose not for someone like Wright in a post-9/11 world.
austinstorm's review against another edition
2.0
I thought about buying one of Micah Wright's modified posters awhile back, so when I saw this book at a thrift store I picked it up.
The posters are a clever idea, but generally poorly executed. Wright should take a cue from subversive pop artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey and hire a team to execute his visions. The revised posters often have poor type choices, especially compared to the meticulous hand-lettering of the originals. A few even seem to be made from low-res files! Even if this was a production error, it's an embarrassing mistake.
On top of the so-so execution, most are wordy and overly didactic - lacking the punch of the originals.
The accompanying text from the Center for Constitutional Rights suffers from similar problems. They explain what the parody poster is 'doing', which undermines any bite the parody might have. It also seems pretty indiscriminate in its attacks - simultaneously attacking American consumerism and criticizing the Bush administration for the damage protracted war will do to our 401-ks. After a point the overwrought rhetorical tone alienates even readers who strongly agree with the points being made.
But still a worthwhile read, because many Americans are unaware of the evil being done in their names and the dramatic erosion of our liberties. Despite the ham-handedness, it's chilling stuff.
The posters are a clever idea, but generally poorly executed. Wright should take a cue from subversive pop artists like Banksy and Shepard Fairey and hire a team to execute his visions. The revised posters often have poor type choices, especially compared to the meticulous hand-lettering of the originals. A few even seem to be made from low-res files! Even if this was a production error, it's an embarrassing mistake.
On top of the so-so execution, most are wordy and overly didactic - lacking the punch of the originals.
The accompanying text from the Center for Constitutional Rights suffers from similar problems. They explain what the parody poster is 'doing', which undermines any bite the parody might have. It also seems pretty indiscriminate in its attacks - simultaneously attacking American consumerism and criticizing the Bush administration for the damage protracted war will do to our 401-ks. After a point the overwrought rhetorical tone alienates even readers who strongly agree with the points being made.
But still a worthwhile read, because many Americans are unaware of the evil being done in their names and the dramatic erosion of our liberties. Despite the ham-handedness, it's chilling stuff.
More...