Everyone should read this book, you do not have to agree with the information provided but, it is about time that the world realised that there are always two sides to a story and not swallowed what the state and media feed to us. The easy way out is to claim that it is anti-American but, that is not what it is all about ... the actions of a state are not necessarily representative of its' population.

Personally, I found the whole book very distressing because it left me with a real feeling of sadness about the horrors that we, as human beings, heap on ourselves and our environment. It left me wanting to know more and wanting to do more ... despite a feeling of complete uselessness in the face of state power. This, I would imagine, was the goal that Noam Chomsky seeks ... ask and seek more information.

If you hate this country and want to listen to others of the same mind set then this is a fantastic book! Otherwise Treason by Ann Coulter would be a better suggestion.

I've read several short things published by the author online and, as a respected professor at M.I.T., found them thoughtful and interesting. But not this rant. Comments of others, here, online and in the press have all been equally disturbing to me.

I'm not "liberal," "libertarian," or "conversative" and strongly dislike political labels. Dr. Chomsky clearly does not share my view.

Whether it be the economy, environment, education, or other concerns there seems to be no middle ground any more. Historically this is not true of America. We've always differed, but have historically found a way to resolve differencers, with "liberal" and "conservative" cycles here and there, but no really dramatic swings in either direction.

But the times they are a changing.

Now we have Dr. Chomsky, Russ Limbaugh and the like and everyone chooses his "true believer," dutifully lines up behind them, always blocking out the "bad" news TV channels or websites, minds closed and in lock step.

I've tried to listen to this book twice from the beginning and never gotten beyond the first fifteen minutes. I've also tried to start out in the middle somewhere with the same result. This book disturbs me like true believers like Russ Limbaugh. We must label and belittle our "enemies" in order to shine the light to the correct path.

I've tried to listen and understand whiy I see so many references to this book. It's been a very frustrating experience all around. I read (not listen to) several dozen books each year and often find them bland and boring, but rarely am I ever as frustrated as I've been with this book.

Beware those who engender only love or hate. This book is supposed to propose ideas which end the cycle of religious wars, racial strife, wars based on economics, and all the other foolish acts of humanity throughout history. Instead it finds a way to engender a new kind of polarization. Richard Nixon had an "enemies list. So does Dr. Chomsky.

I have read a fair amount of modern history, and was only vaguely aware (like most Americans) of the many of Chomsky's facts and assertions. Some were so startling that I felt I needed to verify. After researching four and finding them unassailable, I stopped trying to fault the facts. The indictment of US foreign policy that Chomsky devolves from these facts is at such variance with our view of ourselves that one is inclined to look for an explanation. If the facts are not false, then perhaps the interpretation is the problem, so I examined the logic by re-reading the book with careful attention to the relationship between facts and conclusion. There are weaknesses in some place where an argument depends on ?respected commentator? or some other unsupported assertion. However, even if one throws out all of the marginal cases, he is still left with a great deal to be dealt with--a paradigm changer for the honest and open minded, and something to be reviled and suppressed for those determined to believe that Americans are the good guys who go around the world altruistically stamping out evil.

Chomsky stops short of a monolithic conspiracy theory, but the pattern of behavior of the US over the last 60 years that is painted by this book is remarkably consistent and disturbing.

I found the ideas and concepts fascinating (if scary) but I had to force myself to continue listening because the reader was so bad. Would have been better if the author had read the whole thing instead of just an introduction. The person reading the book apparently got paid a bonus for reading as fast as possible, with extra points for butchered inflections. As a result, it was very tough to follow the reasoning of the author sometimes.

If you have ever wondered how those evil terrorists see the United States, or for that matter, if you have ever wondered just why do so many foreigners see things differently than we who were blessed to be born American, then this book will be a real eye-opener.

Suppose the proverbial "man from Mars" came to visit planet Earth. He doesn't understand anybody's language here; all he can do is see what we do. How can he tell the difference between acts of the terrorists who blow up buildings and buses, hurting and killing people, from the acts state-sponsored retaliation when the Israeli defense forces shoot missiles at homes from helicopter gunships, hurting and killing people?

The lesson of this book is to stop parroting the political catch-phrases our leaders and their ememies use to justify their behavior and look at the behavior itself. If you read this book with an open mind you will never be the same.

I decided to read this book in an attempt to discover founded arguments from a liberal point of view. What I found was a barrage of emotional arguments utilizing strong accusatory language without basis for his reasoning. After listening to the author attack several events without providing sufficient basis, I grew to a general distrust of his commentary. I have concluded that the book is designed to foster alarm in U.S. policies instead of true investigative journalism. Noam Chomsky truly disappoints in this work.

I can't say that I enjoyed listening to this audio book - but this is more because of it's topic - the drive of US administrations etc. for hegemony - than because of the narrative. I was very often appalled by what I listened to.
It was very revealing to hear about the openly led discourse in the USA on how to rule the world and the reasons for doing so.
Albeit it just a very small issue in the overall context, it was intriguing to hear how the USA counter any efforts of other countries to prevent the militarisation of space.

Even if you back US politics and diplomatic efforts around the globe - which this reviewer does only seldomly -, you should read or listen to what Mr. Chomsky has to say. At least for the benefit of future generations on this planet.

I'm probably giving this book a higher rating than it deserves, but I think there are enough important facts in it that we can forgive some of the more paranoid rantings. (He sees 'vast, long standing conspiracy' where there is likely only crass insider profiteering). It does provide exceptional reference as to some of the more outrageous crimes zeroing in on the Reagan, Bush crowd. The style is irritatingly smug and pseudo-intellectual and is filled with Noam's usual assertion that the US has never had a leader who wasn't evil and most of the worlds problems are the fault of the US. Very annoying but please drag though it anyway.

Noam Chomsky is probably a brilliant intellectual, brilliant enough to draw amazingly ludicrous conclusions about the world today and America's role in the world. Chomsky has spent his entire life in the academic world and has a rather distorted view of the real world. Perhaps Neville Chamberlain was one of Noam's heroes. Don't waste your time on this one. Hegemony??? Give me a break.