The Army of the Republic: A Novel

Eerily similar to some of the things we see on the news. A collapsing economy, "Whitehall counterinsurgency program" parallels to "Black Water", corporate control, struggle for control over water for a large part of the nation, government denial, murders of key players, corporations occupying our government, increasing government control of everything imaginable (with "big brother" to tag along) and those fighting to keep America a democracy, the "insurgents", or something that resembles as much. The "test run" for dictatorship by corporate America is a bit too close to many things we see every day on the news (when/if we do watch, and if we don't, we no doubt hear it from someone we know.) A real page-turner, not for the squeamish! I wonder if his one really belongs in the fiction section (I'm sure names have been changed, etc., but it makes one wonder!) Great conspiracy theorists book! Enjoy!

I love blurbs sometimes. When they're not ridiculously banal, they're absurdly nonsensical. Take this one from David Maine's review of Army of the Republic: "Thomas Paine meets Rage Against the Machine." Ooooookay. Set aside for the moment that this description is, actually, fairly accurate. I immediately started making my own comparisons: John Locke meets The Apprentice! Oedipus meets Ani DiFranco! DNC '68 meets Seattle WTO! See how much fun that is? "Army of the Republic" presents us with America through the looking glass. It's a terrifying world, but it differs from ours only in degree, not in kind. (I hesitate to say that it's set in the future - a few things are left unmentioned that really should have been if this was still our own world.) Against this backdrop of corruption and resistance, we're presented with a small set of characters who represent a variety of groups, from corporate shills to peaceful protesters to armed revolutionaries. And what keeps "AOTR" from devolving into 300 pages of anti-corporate ranting and anarchist propaganda is that this is foremost a story about people. These people have ideals, yes, and that's what makes them do the things they do, and that's important. But just when Cohen is on the verge of descending into outraged shrieking about the complacency of the American public or the criminal tendencies of CEOs, he reminds us that these are real (OK, fictional) people we're talking about. Lando, Emily, James, and Anne are incredibly complex characters on their own, and when you start exploring their various relationships you get a web of conflict, conscience, and conviction that will make it impossible for you to not sympathize with them all. They're all at different points on the social/political spectrum - with Lando and James at opposite ends - and yet sometimes it seems like these guys all have more in common than they disagree on. It's fascinating and troubling, all at the same time, and it's what makes "AOTR" an enjoyable and thought-provoking book rather than just another screed. Cohen hits the mark on a lot of stuff, like the fact that the revolution will be brought to you by our coffee-loving compatriots in Seattle (and seriously, my fellow East Coasters: can we work on this? Those flannel-wearing sequoia-huggers are making us look bad. They even have Charlize Theron, for crying out loud). Other things aren't quite so convincing, like the Resistance's faith in the power of mass demonstrations. Um, if I recall correctly, there have been several anti-war demonstrations in the last 5 years that attracted tens of thousands at a time. Remind me how well that worked out? Regardless, this book will make you both think and feel - think about what it means to be an American, and what we want our country to be, and feel sympathy for a variety of viewpoints and understand the difficulties posed by people with such different motivations. Don't be scared off by the book's hyper-aggressive marketing tone. This

Assuming that you've read the description, there's no need to recap the plot...but with that said: One of the best books in a long time - a plausible scenario, and one that we slowly be on the way down as a country. (The resource, water, may change, but the premise remains the same - politicians make profits off of public resources, and Everyday Citizen can do nothing except keep paying taxes.) In fact, in the wake of the current "financial crisis" (of 2008), it makes the possibilities in this book even more real as we're doing it already: socialize losses, privatize profits. The style of writing took a couple chapters to get used to; the alternating viewpoints all expressed in first person. Using this device for writing also brings the reader closer into the story - nobody is omniscient, and you truly understand each character. Luckily, there are no references to the two broken political parties; instead, it is The People versus The Regime (or the Administration.) I would hope that people unfamiliar with this genre to read it to gain another viewpoint because, while fiction, each liberty and right we have that is removed is one step closer to the premise of this book. This also serves a valuable reminder that democratic governments/politicians are supposed to fear the people; the people are not supposed to fear the government. For some, we've already crossed this line. As far as details of the book goes, there are Militant Groups and Civil Groups, each against the Administration (which includes private Corporations) but choose different means to their ends. Teaming together on their strengths is a powerful story displaying what could be done to make a real change - but is equally powerful in telling how much some people in power don't WANT real change, and will stop at nothing to prevent change. A highly recommended read!

Other reviewers do a good job summarizing this book regarding its plotting, characterization, etc. Some of the opinions, however, are too concerned that the work is not an artistic masterpiece. I agree that it is not, but, So What? I don't think Sinclair Lewis' It Can't Happen Here is one of his best writings yet it's still valuable as an exercise in showing how what is happening now might play out in the future. That's what I take away from this book. Mr. Cohen shows what some of the anti-terrorism measures the USA has put in place since 9/11 would look like in operation. The rational behind the fact that groups like Blackwater want to get into domestic intelligence work becomes clear. Our collective NOW is one of fears and calls to patriotism and hate mongering and idealism and political ambitions and corporate supremacy and greed and violence as solution, etc. etc. This book puts it all into a coherent picture. It is therefore well worth reading whether a reader agrees or disagrees with the scenario.

...enough that I cannot put it down, spending an entire day pouring through the pages, finishing it in one sitting. Army of the Republic is most certainly one of them. Told from the perspectives of three people caught up in a near-future civil uprising against a corporate run America, AoR reads like a frightening memoir. All points of view are presented first person so as to show us everything going on with these characters interally that obscures the wide view that we, as privy to all three, know will come to bite them in the end. Whether it be revolutionary "Lando's" manipulation of those he loves for the cause, Community Organizer Emily's need to save everyone, regardless of danger, or CEO Sand's inability to let go of everything he's worked for to save his family, every caricature of modern America is believable even as you laugh ruefully at their conception. Just look at Tonk, the ex-quarterback, or Walter, the mercenary-nee-literature nut... or The Hammer, a mad cross between Jim Cramer and Terry Crews' character from idiocracy. The narrative focuses heavily on the side of the would be revolution, only giving a peripheral view of what "the Regime" and its corporate America conspirators are up to with via CEO Sands, who becomes a talking head for their propaganda machine once the novel starts moving, but I suppose that's the point... keeping the invisible menace of Big Brother, Ltd. large, amorphous, and ultimately much more frightening than the disparate militant groups that Lando pulls together on tenuous promises... groups most Americans really have come to associate as terrorists in recent years. Tree-spiking and Wal-Mart payroll robberies are mentioned in passing as sucessful operations innocently enough until the readers mind catches up to what they are processing and double take. Revolution isn't a subject that Americans have had to deal with unless they were on the extreme fringe. It is something that only seems to happen in "other countries," despite our very tumultuous early history as a country. A revolution is a frightening concept full of very difficult choices... and Army of the Republic does an effective job making it seem real and making the reader question the possibility of it really happening. I do have a few critcisms, though. For starters, the strict first person narrative, while immersive, does make those early chapters confusing to follow until your begin to get the knack for easily spotting the refences telling you whose inner monologue your following. Second, its rather loose with its moral distinctions in some areas while doing its best to be cut and dry at the dramatic moments... such as during a climatic confrontation between two former allies in a would be sniping position late in the novel. My last criticism deals with the ending. I'll try not to spoil, but I think I can say that, while things come full circle, (mercenary-nee-lit nut) Walter's firm resolve to pragmatically "outlast" them all left me holl