Rating: 
Summary: One of Chomsky's best books
Review: It's better to read Noam Chomsky than to read what other people think of him.Some of his earliest political books take some effort to get through. But not this one. Ever since (roughly) the 1980s, Chomsky has made his political research more accessible --- shorter books, books full of interviews, etc. This approach reaches its climax with Understanding Power. It's all here, presented in a way that anyone can read. If you want footnotes, they are easy to find online. (And there's a *lot* of them. They constitute a whole other book unto themselves.) I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a view of US foreign policy and political history that is accurate and respectful of basic human rights
Rating:
Summary: Read this and wake up
Review: Before reading this you might want to check out the DVD "Manufacturing Consent". Rent it from Netflix.com if you must or buy it here. It's a good intro. Then dip in deeper into this book. It is a collection of bits from various lectures over the years. The segments are short and informal, that is they are in spoken and not written form, which makes it easier to read. The books is composed of audience questions and his answers. You will learn quite a bit. Don't make the mistake of thinking he is speaking of conspiracies. He's not, although sometimes the way he speaks makes it sound that way. It is an institutional analysis. That is, a description of the way things naturally unfold in the kind of political and economic system we live in.
Chomsky is a gem.
Rating:
Summary: review from a factory worker
Review: I work at a factory in South Carolina which is a "right to work" state, a total double speak term which means that my employers have the right to fire me without cause. I am definately a wage slave who works 12 hour rotating shifts with no provisions for breaks nor ability to participate in regularly scheduled events. This book is a bit of an introduction for me as I have tended to believe in the right wing talk radio view of unbridled capitalism as the foundation and salvation of our country. I would recommend this book particularly to those most likely NOT to be reading this review. It's well edited, thought provoking, logical and easy to read (though it took a good while to read due to the amount of thought provoking). Another piece in the puzzle of my alienation and "quiet desperation".
Rating:
Summary: Read It, the World will Suddenly Make Sense!
Review: ESPECIALLY RELEVANT given our warlike climate and current anti-American sentiment. Buying it will probably put you on the FBI watch list, but you won't be alone.
Rating:
Summary: Oppression. Horrors. Misdeeds. A controversial world view
Review: Noam Chomsky is a professor of linguistics at MIT and, over his lifetime, has become increasingly outspoken in left-wing views about American foreign policy. This book is a compilation of transcripts of his question/answer discussions on college campuses and lecture halls between the years 1989 and 1999. The focus is on the politics of power in general, and the United States Government and the media in particular. His words are low-key and conversational and yet they carry a sharp sting as he reinterprets events over the past 35 years. In addition to the 401-pages of the book, there are 500 more pages of footnotes on the Internet. I found the book fascinating reading. My eyes stayed glued to the page and I found myself stopping often to think about his seemingly simple statements. I learned a lot. And some of it was hard to take because it made me look critically at my own view of the world and broke up many of my preconceived ideas. If anything, he demonstrates that there are many sides to every question. And I had never taken a careful look at his side before. Most of it was easy to follow. However, a lot had to do with economics, which I always find confusing. I therefore have no idea whether his arguments on this topic are valid or not. But when it comes to human nature, I'm an expert. I understand the greed, the desire for power and the horrendous amount of death and destruction that has always existed. I also understand the need to try to fight oppressive forces and make the world a better place to live. This is what Professor Chomsky wants to happen. He gives examples of progress we've made in the past that might have seemed impossible at another time. For example, in 1790, it didn't seem that slavery would ever end. And we've come a long way in the United States in the elimination of segregation and the advance of women's rights. Environmental issues are also beginning to be addressed. This gives Professor Chomsky's audiences hope. But most of the book turned a flashlight on the horrors in the world. And it bothers me that he blames it all on the United States. Surely, the world's ills existed long before the Declaration of Independence was even formulated. The American government, itself, is based on positive ideals. Yes, we have been responsible for many misdeeds. But where, but in America, would Professor Chomsky be able to be so outspoken in his criticism? In some places of the world, he would be met with a firing squad instead of an audience who cherish his every word. The book raised a lot of questions for me. And, after careful reflection I can only say that I partially agree with some of his conclusions. Some don't quite ring true. And others just seem wrong. The problem is that he seems to believe his conclusions first and then finds the facts to support his beliefs. As I could never have the battery of facts at my fingertips to debate him, or the personality for debate, I cannot make any statements of the "truths" of his convictions. That doesn't mean, however, that he didn't open my mind to new possibilities. This book is certainly worth reading and I highly recommend it. It engaged my mind and stimulated my thinking. I don't believe there are easy answers and, in fact, neither does Professor Chomsky. As a matter of fact he purposely refuses to give any concrete proposals for rectifying the situations he discusses. Basically, he's just opening our minds. And perhaps that is enough.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding the world and the roots of injustice
Review: What an enlighting book! This book has totally changed my views of the world, really. It was my first encounter with Chomsky's works and views, and this book really delivered. I must recommend this book to any one new or already aware of activism and Chomsky. The footnotes which can be downloaded directly from the editor's website ... are a book in themselves, it has more than 300 pages worth of additionnal info and material complementing and supporting Chomsky's words to firmly ensure that they are not simply words out of a lunatic... Having a scientific formation I must say that this book and its footnotes were visibly made with a rigourous attention keen to scientific research. The editors and Noam Chomsky deserve all my gratitude for all the work that went into this book, but most of all, for their courage in encovering the real truth behind Power and in helping a new generation be aware of the roots of the injustices in our world and continue to struggle for a better one. As Chomsky said more or less, "honest History should be taught in high school/college/university", and for me it started with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: I decided to use my review space just to mention that I find it funny how anytime anyone says something that another side doesn't agree with, they suggest that they are completely driven by money. Someone wrote an earlier review asking why Chomsky didn't "step down from MIT, because he liked the money.." So if an author like Chomsky writes a book with differing opinions than what are shown in the mass media today, they aren't allowed to get paid? I don't get it.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding Power--by Noam Chomsky, et al
Review: A very insightful read, which puts one's current views in question. An important piece of literature, which should be scrutinized by the masses. A book for those who are interested about USA's foreign policies, and how it affects the world.
Rating:
Summary: READ
Review: This is a very articulate reflection on US capital and state policy which raises questions few if any people have answered in the popular western media. Chomsky has an amazing mind, and that is an understatement; in his ability to quickly connect real and often disparate facts to explain complex ideas--that tie the systems of power. With a respectably high scientific experience and method he has created a formidable legal, philosophical and concientious case against the structure of capitalism in our country and laid out a daunting and unexposed history that every student or citizen should be aware of. The book is easy to read. It is transcribed from his lectures over the years and is stuffed with accurate and easily accessible citations that allow one to make one's own decision over their legitamacy. Chomsky's writing is translucent and a voice that is far too unrecognized... That I am the first person to review this book scares me. There are reasons why wars are fought and planes go crashing into buildings--and in many ways it has nothing to do with the interests of democracy or freedom or "violent" religions.
Rating: 
Summary: what a fereng
Review: I reccomend this book as a study in hypocracy.
Chumpsky sets himself up as a cool defender of the people when he si in reality a tax-paid government bureaucrat without a brain in his non-creative head.
He's a simple communist who thinks those who are successful in america don't produce anything.
Reality shows differently.
it's amazing how this guys writings stink like a dead headgehog under the flooboards though as wave after wave of leftist college student chew on his fattening literary fare.
Basically this guy is responsible for lowering iq points of million of college students a year.
| 
