The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World

Author Hertsgaard, in his odyssey around the world, recorded impressions of the ordinary citizens he met. Some of these foreigner's perceptions of the US will enfuriate Americans, others will fascinate. But all of them make clear the essential point of this book: that we need to pay attention to the rest of the inhabitants of this planet. America, notes Hertsgaard, is their shining symbol of freedom, and equally their symbol of wealth and glamor, gluttony and selfishness. Although the American people are admired and envied, our leadership is often scorned and feared. Let the voices of Hertsgaard's correspondents explain the causes of these contradictions. Then reflect upon their concerns. Hertsgaard's own voice in "The Eagle's Shadow" shows some honest self-examination and critique of American policy both foreign and domestic. In the xenophobia and pseudo-patriotic hysteria of today's post-911 political climate, there are those who would label any criticism "unAmerican" or even "treasonous". The author confronts the creeping Sovietization of American media and politics which seek to demonize dissent. And he explodes the myth of the "liberal" press. Although he skewers the hypocrisy of both major Parties, it is the current administration which comes most under scrutiny. Chapter Eight, "The Tragedy of American Democracy" ought to be read by every American citizen. For those who are interested in this book, I also recommend Cooley's "Unholy Wars".

Mark Hertsgaard is a journalist, an astute observor and communicator, and a very fine writer. Hertsgaard is also an American and his driver for gathering the information for this book appears to be a need to produce a 'wakeup call' for Americans. Well documented with conversations with people around the world, this book sets out to show how the people in the countries of the world relate to (and even mimic) Americans as people while finding our government, our consumerism, and our foreign policy (read empiricism) distasteful. Rather than driving this idea to a dulling end, Herstgaard manages to show how Americans can learn from the perceptions of people outside the USA, can examine the flaws present in abundance in our governmental control of the media, our "dumbing down" of our information about the rest of the world condition (social and environmental) by the corporate emesis of rampant consumerism and "fluff news" that flood not only our films but also our television, magazines and, sadly, our newspapers. He submits strong warnings of the sequelae of ignoring fundamental issues of human rights in our allowing the corporate homogenation of the world, depriving the growing lower class of jobs and much needed medical and monetary support. He writes about the embarassment of the 2000 presidential elections, the rush to war post 911, the frighteningly quick passage of the Patriot Act which dangerously impinges on human rights, and the growing negligence of the Global Warming Effect and other issues of Environmental significance.But while Hertsgaard is complete in his serious warnings about the current state of the American Mind, he does not look at the future with a hopeless eye. "The first challege for Americans is to do a better job of informing ourselves about what is going on around the world and our nation's role in it. This won't be easy, because the most readily available information comes from the media......If we are passive in the face of America's official actions overseas, we in effect endorse them." He concludes his excellent book with a question: "Why can't America be wise as well as powerful, generous as well as rich, magnanimous as well as great? For all its flaws, this country remains a place where amazing things can happen."This book comes at a critical time for the United States. Yes, Hertsgaard has a soapbox presentation, but reading a man's commitment to the betterment of America should be required reading for our populace who would rather sit numbly in front of mindless TV 'reality' and game shows than carefully observe what is happening in the global situation. Americans are not presented as Bad Guys, just uninformed lazy minds who need to change priorities before it is too late.

A necessary read. If we don't make changes now, the world will make them for us. And I doubt that we'll like them. U.S. corporate, military, and political greed and agendas must not continue to be ours. We have to read, learn, talk and take action. Many thanks to Mark Hertsgaard who informs in an articulate, direct, riveting way. A great book to buy and to share with friends and family members.

The Eagle's Shadow is a book that I would recommend to everyone no matter where they live on the planet. It is a well written look at the way we Americans are perceived by people who live outside the US. The book is very informative about how much American culture and policies affect everyone in the world. Hertsgaard has encountered people in very remote areas of the world who are quite knowledgable about American culture. American products reach every corner of the earth, thus, they affect everyone on earth. The book also explains how our policies on the environment, economics, and foreign affairs affect people throughout the world. As globalization becomes more and more prevalant, books like this one become more important in order for us to understand our role and how we affect others in this new society. We must understand our actions so that we may anticipate and change how the rest of the world reacts to us.Although it is clear from his writing that he is in support of the left wing, that does not mean this book is "left-wing propaganda." This book looks at the flaws of American foreign policies and our sometimes "cowboy mentality" when dealing with other countries and suggests some ways that we can change that and form better relationships with the rest of the world. However, it also looks at the wonderful freedoms, wealth, and potential that exists in America and how these can be gifts to the world if used responsibly. I think some of the people who gave bad reviews may have missed the point of the way the book was written. The book was not supposed to be a bunch of interviews without any insight or reasoning to how these perceptions about the US formed. The author gave a few specific examples of ideas that many people in the world share regardless of their geographic location. The majority of the book was about the source of these views, both good and bad. Hertsgaard takes his interviews and applies the history and the current events that shape the ideas that are expressed by the people he spoke with.Also, I think the bad reviews illustrate the author's views that Americans are largely ignorant of things that happen outside of this country, and the policies that our goverment and corporations impliment both at home and abroad. It is very hard for someone to hear that they are ignorant in any way. This does not mean Americans are ignorant. It just means we tend to be ignorant about certain things. As illustrated in the book, this is not entirely our fault. Our media gives us a very one-sided view of the world and how it works. The vast majority of mainstream media is owned by a handful of corporations who are naturally going to give us news that benefits their profit margins and image. This is not some conspiracy idea or anything like that. For the past few years, I have almost exclusively watched BBC and ITN news (on PBS). The amount of unbiased information that I received from these sources far exceeds that of network news and even CNN.

While this book could further explore viewpoints of citizens around the world, it does have a powerful and rarely heard message. We Americans really do not perceive the way the rest of the world thinks about us, or even care to consider why they do. Mr Hartsgaard exposes some of the reasons for this pervasive lack of perception. We are spoon fed what the corporate media wants us to hear, and we accept it as the gospel. To question offical policy one is now considered unpatriotic. In the guise of security and patriotism our civil liberties are now being eroded, our environment degraded, and our corporate leaders enriched. It takes courage to go against the current, but some of us want to know what is really going on, even if the answer is not flattering. As the author points out, our country was built on the premise of free speech and expression. A true patriot is someone who cares for our land and is willing to face up to the reality of our position in the world, and the direction we need to move to make it a better place for all. Mark Hertsgaard has held up a mirror for us to look into, but undoubtedly many will not like what they see.