How to Hide an Empire
A History of the Greater United States
Ratings50
Average rating4.4
Extremely interesting non-fiction! As much as it informs current politics, the author sticks mainly to focusing on the Philippines and Puerto Rico, and the path to technical ownership. It's a principled view but I would have liked to see more on American influence over non-owned areas like Israel, South Korea and Taiwan as well. That being said this is a great read that goes down interesting tangents and makes both the history and the point compelling and logical.
Extremely interesting non-fiction! As much as it informs current politics, the author sticks mainly to focusing on the Philippines and Puerto Rico, and the path to technical ownership. It's a principled view but I would have liked to see more on American influence over non-owned areas like Israel, South Korea and Taiwan as well. That being said this is a great read that goes down interesting tangents and makes both the history and the point compelling and logical.
Not only informative but beautifully written, too, with gorgeous sentences and lively spirit and tension and clear-eyed compassion and the slightest touch of sardonic humor. Impeccably researched and ingeniously organized. REALLY ingenious: Immerwahr repeatedly takes the reader on what seems like puzzling tangents, and each time ties those tangents into the main theme in alarming and sometimes disturbing ways. It's almost like a legal thriller.
I was born in a U.S. colony and spent almost my entire youth there. A close friend is a legal scholar with several publications on territorial law. I thought I was well informed on U.S. colonialism and empire... oh, I had no idea. I learned soooo much from this book, not just about colonialism but about technology, culture, standards, music, health. This is a masterpiece, I can't recommend it enough, and it breaks my heart that all my friends are going to see the title and think, eh, sounds dry.
Not only informative but beautifully written, too, with gorgeous sentences and lively spirit and tension and clear-eyed compassion and the slightest touch of sardonic humor. Impeccably researched and ingeniously organized. REALLY ingenious: Immerwahr repeatedly takes the reader on what seems like puzzling tangents, and each time ties those tangents into the main theme in alarming and sometimes disturbing ways. It's almost like a legal thriller.
I was born in a U.S. colony and spent almost my entire youth there. A close friend is a legal scholar with several publications on territorial law. I thought I was well informed on U.S. colonialism and empire... oh, I had no idea. I learned soooo much from this book, not just about colonialism but about technology, culture, standards, music, health. This is a masterpiece, I can't recommend it enough, and it breaks my heart that all my friends are going to see the title and think, eh, sounds dry.
Interesting, informative and well-written. Audiobook is good too.
Interesting, informative and well-written. Audiobook is good too.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the History of the United States and how they established themselves as a world power during the 1900s. The bias of this book leans toward the revisionist side of history but balances toward actual historical fact instead of a Marxist view of history as seen in other works of American History (A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn).
The stories told throughout the book span from 1850 to post-World War II decolonization efforts and are backed by verifiable facts. Sometimes, our understanding of history needs revision due to skewed perspectives. Immerwahr does an outstanding job in conveying this throughout his telling of American Imperialism.
This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the History of the United States and how they established themselves as a world power during the 1900s. The bias of this book leans toward the revisionist side of history but balances toward actual historical fact instead of a Marxist view of history as seen in other works of American History (A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn).
The stories told throughout the book span from 1850 to post-World War II decolonization efforts and are backed by verifiable facts. Sometimes, our understanding of history needs revision due to skewed perspectives. Immerwahr does an outstanding job in conveying this throughout his telling of American Imperialism.
