Taibbi’s last book, Griftopia, got to me. Not like it made me mad, but you could tell
the seething rage that was behind his words and it was so heavy that it almost
detracted from his argument (The argument that you and I all got sold out).
Here, he’s toned it down.
In the Divide, Taibbi flips back and forth between the malefactors of
great wealth that can wreck a planet and a financial system AND then he looks
at the people who suffer great injustice at the hands of the law. It is a class thing, as well as a race thing,
and a gender thing. The concept of the
two Americas is alive and well, and Taibbi shows it well.
A couple of notes: if you have followed Taibbi’s reporting in
the Rolling Stone, some of these stories will feel familiar, but he does a good
job rolling what may be disparate reportage into a coherent argument. The
second note I am not sure if it says more about me or Taibbi or the system he
covers. The sections that relate the
great crimes the wealthy perpetuate are engagingly told, but they don’t get my
lather up. I did get that lather up when
he accounted for individual’s struggles against a racist immigration and justice
apparatus. I guess I can relate to those better, since I have been much closer
to the bottom in society than I ever will be to the top. I heartily recommend everyone needs to read
this book, but they should check with their doctor beforehand.
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