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david_donhoff's review against another edition
3.0
Meh... highly polished dreck from the the ideology of celebrated victimization. All that sucks is "their" fault ('they' being the perpetual 'other guy'... especially big business/military/republicans/white people,).... all that is good comes with a "but"...
Maddow writes with amazing skill... but the spin of misery gets old quickly.
Maddow writes with amazing skill... but the spin of misery gets old quickly.
klauern's review against another edition
4.0
I don't like long reviews, but I liked this book. I'd love to see this become a national talking point, where we stop using talking points to put fear or bias into conversations and just look at how congress is (or more likely isn't) budgeting anywhere near what we would like to see.
sksrenninger's review against another edition
3.0
I wish Rachel had put this book out a year earlier, because I would have liked to read it while I took my Foreign Policy Analysis class last spring. Rachel covers the decision to use military force in the second half of the twentieth century. She was certainly biased, and at some points her lack of respect for the opposing viewpoint made it hard to continue reading. Her sarcastic comments, while funny - and probably something I would have thought myself - were distracting. I would have liked to see her present the case for the other side before dismissing it. Just the same, it was an interesting read and made me think: about the military and its role in America; about America and its role on the global stage; about American government in general.
tifftastic87's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
I have always loved Rachel Maddow's podcasts on recent political history but had never tried one of her books. Having this read by her made it such a good experience as she is a wonderful narrator for this type of work.
I am a bit undereducated on history, and especially modern history. So, this book discussing how the Reagan and Bush eras changed us from a Nation who's citizens felt the effects of war to "A Nation at Peace with War" was eye opening on many levels.
Maddow deep dives into congressional battles over who gets to decide if we go to war, the shifting of who makes up the military from volunteers, to drafts, to more permanent employment and military contractors.
coleycole's review against another edition
4.0
Overwhelming theme: War should be hard to get into, and we've made it easy.
Rachel Maddow reads the audiobook, so that's enjoyable.
Rachel Maddow reads the audiobook, so that's enjoyable.
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant book, very readable, very disturbing -- about the drift into the privatizing of the American military, and it's "benefits" for our leaders and profits for connected folks; as well as the downsides of not really being accountable to anyone. Maddow has a light and funny style, which makes the dark subject matter bearable. Took me a long time to read it, even with the light style, but reading it a chapter at a time did not blunt the impact.
osc's review against another edition
4.0
Drift is an interesting history lesson that diagrams our country's gradual slide into perpetual war, and how we might change that going forward. It isn't a book about liberals vs. conservatives, to its credit. The book focuses on pivotal issues that have changed how we wage war such as interpretation of The War Powers Act, The Abrams Doctrine, Iran-Contra, Iraq, Afghanistan and private companies like Blackwater (Academi), to name a few topics. Whether you agree with Maddow's opinions or not, it is definitely worth your time to understand the topics she presents in this book.
kellyjypark's review against another edition
4.0
riveting content aside, I think I spent most of my time swooning because I kept hearing every intelligent, snarky word in Rachel Maddow's voice.