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Summary: Timely advice for an arrogant country
Review: America should heed Mr. Hertsgaard's advice. Especially with the outbreak of war in Iraq, America is alienating itself more and more from other countries. Our attitude of "we own the world" is obnoxious and tedious. We cannot impose our will on other people/countries without dire results. Sept 11 is one of those results. We don't know what goes on in the world (our media makes certain of that) and what's more, we don't care as long as we have access to cheap food, TV and mindless consumerism. We don't have to. That seems to be the prevalent attitude. This book exposes who owns the media in this country, and how the election farce was engineered. Americans should be concerned about their dwindling freedoms -America has lost one half of their Bill of Rights due to the passage of the Patriot Act, passed with little press right after Sept. 11. If a country does not want to play ball with us, we declare war on them! But watch out if someone dares to retaliate against America! Notice where past coups have taken place and you will see that our wonderful government has installed its own little puppet dictator and actually ousted democratic rulers: Nigaragua for one. Now we will begin to reap the evil harvest we have been sowing for years. I think if every American read this book, there would not be a war. Too bad Baby Bush can't read. Another book to read is Spiritual Gyre by Richard Sellin, which shows how America will decline just as Rome did. We are not infallible. We cannot afford to be isolationists, the world is NOT ours to exploit. Let us hope America wakes up before it is too late. I highly recommend Mark Hertsgaard's book-it should be required reading for schools. Thank you for having the courage to write this book, Mr. Hertsgaard.
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Summary: Love It Or Hate It -- This Book Makes You Think
Review: I pre-ordered this book before it was published. After reading some of the reviews, I very nearly cancelled that order. I'm so glad I didn't! This book, in my opinion, is terrific. It made me look "beyond the box" and consider my own possible complicity in the way the rest of the world views us. How informed am I about world issues? How much to I pay attention to the agendas of the media? How involved am I in molding my own government? And, could I be perceived as an "ugly American" when I travel overseas? This book should be required reading for everyone, particularly Americans. It is NOT a "the rest of the world hates America" book -- as is perceived in other reviews. It is a book that will help each of us re-examine our role in society and the world.
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Summary: Contains Almost Nothing About What Foreigners Think
Review: This book devotes only a few pages to recounting meetings with just a few individuals overseas. Almost all of the book's 200+ pages are devoted to an unexceptional exposition of the author's opinions. The book sometimes implies, without providing any support, that these opinions are representative of what foreigners think of America, but usually not even that effort is made to connect the author's opinions with the alleged theme of the book.If you are an American who keeps up with the news, you have already heard what the author has to say. If you are a liberal you might even agree with it. If you are not, you will find this book especially tedious. Hertsgaard is preaching to the choir and seems to assume that you will believe whatever he says. Whatever your political view, you will not find any fresh insights in this book. I can recommend to all that they skip "The Eagle's Shadow."
Rating:
Summary: A must read
Review: This is a must read if you want to know how other people view America. You need to read it with an open mind though or you wont get anything from it. It shows the double standard that has always been in American government. Supporting one evil dictator while denouncing another. It also shows that the answer to why 9/11 happened is much more complex then 'they hate us for iur freedoms'.
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Summary: A Needed Thought Provoker For Homebound Americans
Review: The author did something that is important and added his own opinions and perceptions to what he discovered on this 15 nation journey. It's ok to insert one's opinion. Anyone can do what he did. For those that travel or live as an expat they will relate to the facsination, fury, coveting, scorn, praise, and the resentment toward the United States that is portrayed here. He wrote what he experienced. The rest of us have experienced this. So, we have our in books in our heads. We simply haven't written them down. When living in or traveling in other countries, one hears the world's citizens' (non-U.S. citizens) opinions about the American government, its' foreign & trade policies, culture, movies etcetera. THE WORLD WIDE SPREADING OF CULTURAL AMERICANA
T.V. perpetuates many myths as well truths. No, not every American lives in an enormous house with two luxury cars and a large swimming pool. Yes, a large part of current American culture focus on celebrities, Jerry Springer, "weird things," and shallow action movies. Rosie O'Donnell, Maury Povich, simplistically hollow CNN, fast food chains, MTV, crass-shock advertising, and myopic television sit-coms bombard homes from from Europe to South East Asia, to Tim-Buk-Too. Is this due purely on behalf of marketing, forcible consumption, or the demand the viewers have for this, that causes it to be spewed around the world? All of these are factors including more subtle ones not noted. It's a fact that the most commonly attacked American institutions around the world are fast-food restaurants, not military installations (read "Fast Food Nation," by Eric Schlosser). Today, the major export of the United States is MTV, crass materialism, mindless sit-coms like "Baywatch," and corporate brand names. PERCEPTIONS OF AMERICA AND AMERICANS
Quite often, whether in tourist areas or non-touristy parts of the world, I hear the pathetically boring and predictable question: "where are you from?" "I am from the U.S. originally," I reply and wait for the steady stream of redundant and shallow questions. "What do you think about this politician or that one, Iraq, or what-have-you." Many of these people have pre-conceived notions as to what my thought process and opinions are from my nationality. In sum, these people are making incorrect generalizations and engaging in dangerous stereotyping based upon nationality. Having not known where I've been, where I live in the world, what I read, I believe in, or my reasoning. From Hostels in the U.S. Where I lived with mostly Europeans, to Europe to South East Asia, I hear many opinions and complaints (mostly Euro-trash) from people who haven't read much of what they're talking about. They have very broad and general opinions and beliefs without unbiased reasoning. The United States is a punching bag for envious Euro-trash, failed communists, and Middle Eastern malcontents because it is now the only Super-power in the world. Because of this political, military, trade, and economic power, the U.S. draws scorn. Some of the scorn is rightfully due, while some of it is prejucial. Of the 15 countries Hertsgaard visited, he focused a lot of his time on the opinions of South Africans. That's fine, but in a country where Aids carriers rape children thinking it will cure them, should we really be concerned with their opinions of us? I think not. Hertsgaard also spends time and effort discussing the 2002 American Presidential election and undermined the value of his book's quest by inserting his own opinions more than what foreigners thought about the election and the post-election judicial process. (Most foreigners don't have sufficient knowledge of the American electoral college process, and the judicial and Constitutional concepts behind it--so why put it in the book?) The author alienates many of his readers by inserting his take on it. America has never been a democracy. Like most liberals, Hertsgaard wants to pursue unattainable idealism by having everyone sit down and sip coffee and talk about how much "they care," and discuss solutions. Tell that to the people in this world who spend all their time working just to feed their family. He is the personification of the very Americans he is writing about. Other related books: "The Twilight of American culture, Fast Food Nation (Eric Schlosser), Why Corporations Rule The World, (Steven Korten), No Logo" (Naomi Klein).
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Summary: Eyes wide open!
Review: I have travelled exceeding extensively. I have felt such depths of frustration seeing the difference between how the media portray how we THINK the world sees us, and how they do in fact.
I must say that in my entire LIFE I have never heard ANYONE express his views and perception of how we ARE in fact seen by the overwhelming rest of the world, as in this book! Mark has an accute awareness so very uncommon today. I TOTALLY recommend this book.
Rating: 
Summary: nothing new
Review: Most of Mr. Hertsgaard's points are accurate, though hardly novel. His work is mostly a rehash of college history 101. Indian Removal was certainly part of the dark side of American history--as if American is the only country with historical baggage. Most foreigners, however, have only a vague appreciation of it. And, like all self-respecting critics of American society, Hertsgaard joins the MacMovement...enogh is enough, already! On the whole, he could easily condense this 200-plus-page effort by focusing more on really important issues like American hypocrisy on trade/aggy issues and, something he glosses over, American military presence in the Middle East.
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Summary: Garbage in...garbage out.
Review: This book was given to me as a gift, and I read it hoping I would learn something relevant and thought provoking. Unfortunately, Mr. Hertsgaard chose to re-hash 40 years of liberal criticisms of our foreign policy, consumerism, corporations, bureaucrats, media, television, and the biggest evil of all...capitalism. What I learned is America is disliked because we are rich and arrogant and the solution to all these problems is to turn off the T.V. and start talking to each other, but more importantly, Mr. Hertsgaard states that the reforms necessary to solve our ills and improve our appearance in the eyes of the rest of the world are beyond the scope of his book. Perhaps I should have titled my review "Gargage in....nothing out"
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Summary: American or European reader?
Review: I am European; Danish. However, I have been to the U.S. and I find it amazing that this book is able to confront the same issues, which I found interesting and disturbing. The ones who ranked this book with only a limited number of stars, are primarily from the States. However, the book is indeed illustrating how I view the U.S. and perhaps it is because I view you from a distance, that I'm able to recognize many things in the book. Therefore Europeans will probably laugh and feel a bit sad when reading this book, but that is what makes it so good!! Nevertheless, Americans seem to have a different view upon it.
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Summary: Truthful
Review: This book is for fair minded people all over the world especially Americans who are true patriots. I bet everyone who reads this awesome piece comes away better educated about America and the world. Keep up the good work Mark.
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