I have recently written a novel about life in England during the Second World War. I felt some concern before I tackled this theme — the War...
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A difficult book, Giorgio Agamben's "State of Exception" is nonetheless a book that every American should read. In clear and precise prose, Agamben dissects the current "state of exception (or emergency)" that holds sway over not only the United States, but every Western "democracy." Exploring both the juridical status of the emergency clause in the constitutions of the Western nations, and outlining the history of its use since the 1930's, Agamben argues that the state of exception is now, in fact, the norm in law and government.
While couched in some difficult philosophical concepts - he presumes the reader has some knowledge of Michel Foucault, Martin Heidegger, and Walter Benjamin, among others - this is Agamben's most lucid and accessible book. He applies some of the themes raised in previous volumes - "Homo Sacer", for example - to our current situation. The portrait he paints of the normalization of emergency rule should give every citizen pause. For if we accept Agamben's judgments, the situation at Guantanamo Bay, and the promulgation of statutes like the USA PATRIOT Act, and the British Anti-Terror legislation, begin to look not like anomalies or temporary emergency measures, but the next logical development in state power, a power which is increasingly pushing past democracy and into a generalized bureaucratic tyranny. Absolutely vital.
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It would be a shame if, as rumored, this is to be Berger's last novel, for "Here is Where We Meet" finds Berger in top form. Sliding sideways through the ambiances and experiences of a post-historical Europe, moving from Portugal to Poland, Geneva to his longtime home in the French Haute-Savoie, Berger maps the personal atop the public, the political atop the quotidian. His silvery prose glistens, beautiful yet severe in its spareness and precision. Not a word is wasted. With the death of Sebald, Berger stands alone.
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(9 of 16 readers found this comment helpful)
Each day, there is a growing tension surrounding the intersection of Faith and Politics in America. The two topics that we were always trained to steer clear of when attending a cocktail party..., well, there will be no opportunity any longer to steer clear. May as well read up and jump into the fray.
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(44 of 86 readers found this comment helpful)
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State of Exception by Giorgio Agamben
Andrew, February 28, 2007
A difficult book, Giorgio Agamben's "State of Exception" is nonetheless a book that every American should read. In clear and precise prose, Agamben dissects the current "state of exception (or emergency)" that holds sway over not only the United States, but every Western "democracy." Exploring both the juridical status of the emergency clause in the constitutions of the Western nations, and outlining the history of its use since the 1930's, Agamben argues that the state of exception is now, in fact, the norm in law and government.While couched in some difficult philosophical concepts - he presumes the reader has some knowledge of Michel Foucault, Martin Heidegger, and Walter Benjamin, among others - this is Agamben's most lucid and accessible book. He applies some of the themes raised in previous volumes - "Homo Sacer", for example - to our current situation. The portrait he paints of the normalization of emergency rule should give every citizen pause. For if we accept Agamben's judgments, the situation at Guantanamo Bay, and the promulgation of statutes like the USA PATRIOT Act, and the British Anti-Terror legislation, begin to look not like anomalies or temporary emergency measures, but the next logical development in state power, a power which is increasingly pushing past democracy and into a generalized bureaucratic tyranny. Absolutely vital.
(10 of 20 readers found this comment helpful)
Here Is Where We Meet (Vintage International) by John Berger
Andrew, February 21, 2007
It would be a shame if, as rumored, this is to be Berger's last novel, for "Here is Where We Meet" finds Berger in top form. Sliding sideways through the ambiances and experiences of a post-historical Europe, moving from Portugal to Poland, Geneva to his longtime home in the French Haute-Savoie, Berger maps the personal atop the public, the political atop the quotidian. His silvery prose glistens, beautiful yet severe in its spareness and precision. Not a word is wasted. With the death of Sebald, Berger stands alone.(9 of 16 readers found this comment helpful)
God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It by Jim Wallis
Andrew, April 24, 2006
Each day, there is a growing tension surrounding the intersection of Faith and Politics in America. The two topics that we were always trained to steer clear of when attending a cocktail party..., well, there will be no opportunity any longer to steer clear. May as well read up and jump into the fray.(44 of 86 readers found this comment helpful)