Mr. Scahill offers an insight into the entire war profiteering business inside and outside Washington. I found it to be very informative.
It is interesting to see the decline of Blackwater in the days that followed the publishing of the book and I don't know that that there is a cause and effect relationship here. One thing I know is that Blackwater overreached and probably tumbled because of that!
I found it to be interesting that both Jeremy Scahill and Naomi Klein reference each other's books (Blackwater and Shock Doctrine) respectively from within their books. I guess it suggests they were collaborating while writing their books which is not unheard of in the business of writing books.

THIS IS A VERY UNSYMPATHETIC APPRAISAL OF BLACKWATER AND TOM WEINER, THE READER, IS WELL CAST FOR HIS ROLE. I LIKE HISTORIES BY ACADEMIC HISTORIANS NOT PROPAGANDISTS. IT IS CLEAR THAT THE AUTHOR DOES NOT LIKE BLACKWATER, ITS GENESIS, OR ITS FOUNDERS. PROBABLY BLACKWATER HAS A CASE TO ANSWER IN MANY AREAS BUT I FIND IT DIFFICULT TO COME TO ANY UNDERSTANDING GIVEN SUCH BLATANTLY SLANTED MATERIAL. THIS AUTHOR IS AS ABOUT AS OBJECTIVE ABOUT THE RIGHT WING AS RUSH LIMBAUGH IS ABOUT THOSE ON THE LEFT.

This was not a history of Blackwater. It is simply a thinly veiled left wing spewing of hatred. I am sure that Blackwater is many things,good and bad. This severely imbalanced book was like a 14 hour MSNBC Keith Olberman tirade against conservatives and Christians.

The author places a few Blackwater facts in each chapter, and then disgresses to rant about something tangential. e.g. Chapter 1 turns into a rant against the Christian Right because somehow Charles Colson's name comes up. Another Chapter against Bush judicial appointments (e.g. "extremist Judge Bork" -- how is this relevant). Another Chapter indicts the embedded journalists vs the "free" press. Well narrated but junque.

The worse piece of c**p set down on tape. Don't waste your credits on this one.

This could've been a good book but it's not. I had to force myself to completely listen to book 1. Book 2 was at least bearable. The book should be called "Why I hate Christians"