by James Risen
First published 2014
James Risen investigates the devastating consequences of America's post-9/11 war on terror. He documents how the endless pursuit of enemies has created a cascade of corruption, from massive financial waste and theft to systematic abuses of government power. Risen reveals how the fight against terrorism has attacked normalcy, decency, and truth itself. The government has committed acts as shameful as historic wartime violations while working aggressively to hide these transgressions. Risen draws parallels between past presidential overreach and current actions, comparing Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus and FDR's Japanese American internment to the decisions made by Presidents Bush and Obama. The book exposes how unlimited warfare has corrupted American institutions absolutely. Risen offers readers a comprehensive accounting of what America has sacrificed in the name of national security, revealing the true price paid for perpetual conflict.
Genres: history, american, political-science, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: government-overreach, whistleblower
Setting: America, United States
Period: Post-9/11, World War II, Civil War
285 pages · Hardcover · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Content warnings: abuse, violence