Noam is always excellent and has a lot of considerate things to say about the political landscape we are in. Because it's a book of interviews, a lot of his answers are off the cusp which is both more impressive but also means the book lacks cohesiveness.

This is a collection of essays and interviews with Noam Chomsky, and is therefore not really new information. It is long, and covers a wide range of topics, so I would say this is a great read for someone who is already a Chomsky fan. For those who are newer to Chomsky, I would recommend one of his shorter, more direct works that is more invested in one or two areas, rather than one as broad as this. Regardless, Chomsky is insightful as always.

This is a timely collection of interviews with Noam Chomsky addressing the state of democracy in the United States. He addresses the influence of the US around the world, rising unrest at home and abroad, and recent conflicts and wars. His inciteful analysis has wide-ranging implications beyond what's explicitly discussed, especially given the outbreak of violence in Palestine shortly before the book's release.

Chomsky's understanding of the US and international relations continues to shed light on a complex situation. While this book doesn't work as a primer on US politics and requires prior knowledge to be understandable, the the thoughtful analyses Chomsky presents are always a valuable addition to the discourse.

As always, Noam Chomsky is a vital voice speaking out to expose the machinations behind the headlines and posit humanitarian angles and diplomatic solutions even and especially when they run counter to the narratives that politicians and the press promote; putting more global perspectives in an American voice - a rare challenge to our US-centric assumptions.
This is extremely timely, with several interviews on the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas situations. Though it was completed before the October 7 attack, there are several discussions of the conditions and background. Chomsky's empathy a grasp of the power moves setting up conditions for both of these, and well as other global struggles, is important to understand, even if it may be too eager to take anti-US sides. For example, just because Russia considers Ukraine joining NATO a threat, does that make it so; and even if it does, does that give them the right or justification to invade?
This particular book could have used some editing, as several points were made repeatedly in various interviews and some redundant ones could have been excised. Also, it's may have been more compelling to use Chomsky's own voice for the audiobook instead of a narrator reading both question and answer parts.
Overall, these are very thought-provoking call to look at the ulterior motives and power play behind the actions we see from governments and corporations, as they are often designed to benefit very few and manipulate many to be caught in the crossfire..

As usual, Chomsky spends 99% of his time criticizing & complaining about everyone under the sun, but he rarely offers practical solutions.

Still, I like to listen to his arguments. We all should. It's almost certain he will critique something you believe in.

It's a good sanity check.

I simply wish he expanded on his solutions. The devil is in the details. If we followed his advice, we'd finally get to complain about him. :)

Facing The Challenges

Fairly heartfelt book and an interesting read on authority and world power.

I want to note that this book was a collection of essays in writings - I don't believe it was anything new (if you follow along with his writing), nor written in the last year or so, although I could be incorrect in this.

I found Noam was a little misinformed with regard to China being a leader in green technology. A common misconception of misinformation that the CCP puts out. Instead, they are one of, if not the biggest polluters, and contributors of greenhouse gas emissions.
In fact, a lot of the views that were shared in this book reminded me of the book Principles For Dealing With the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail which I found had a slight leaning of misinformation in it - particularly around China.
I found in this book, especially the beginning half, Noam almost congratulating China. Although later he seemed to turn the tide and had a good chapter on China / Taiwan relations and the antagonism China has with other countries.

Either way. I found that Noam was very outspoken politically. He was very critical of current and past USA regimes.

Still an interesting read, and a few fresh perspectives on authority and things of politics.

Check it out, as Noam is a known voice and a big thinker!

3.7/5

As always, I enjoyed? (is that the right word for reading depressing things?) listening to my favorite linguist turned political thinker. Because this book is from interviews, there are some parts that get repetitive, but overall it is exactly the well-reasoned commentary that I am used to from Chomsky. I appreciated the background information on Ukraine, as that is a subject I am not well versed in. As usual, I appreciate Chomsky for calling out hypocrisy wherever he sees it and doesn't reserve it for one side of the political divide as so many do nowadays.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for a copy of the audiobook for review.