How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States by Daniel ImmerwahrMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is depressing to read. It is extremely interesting. I grew up in Europe, but I imagine this will be most impactful to those who grew up in the US, since it discusses many points that were glossed over or ignored in the US curriculum (namely, the US territories that are colonies in all but name, and the treatment of said territories).
It is also depressing to read for another reason. It is one of those books that show you how everything you learned in history class was wrong. I can't help wondering how, even though we always feel that history will vindicate those who were in the right, this really isn't the case. So future generations could end up having extremely contorted views of what was right and wrong in these days in ways we can't foresee.
The second half of the book was a bit weaker. His discussions about James bond and the Beatles rang a bit hollow (and didn't seem to mesh very well with the rest of his thesis).
I would have loved an attempt to foresee what the next steps would be. If the US is an empire, and all empires crumble, how and when would it happen for the US (with the understanding that it would just be an educated guess)
Having said that, it is certainly edifying.
Fun fact:
Manhattan's stoplights, in 1927, used green to mean stop and yellow for go (I think. I can't find the exact passage now).
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