by Umberto Eco
First published 2007
As the 21st century dawns, the world has descended into a maelstrom of neoconservatism, terrorism, and 24/7 media frenzy. Renowned author Umberto Eco wields his incisive wit and razor-sharp intellect to dissect the rhetoric, myths, and absurdities that have consumed the global stage. From the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq to the rise of figures like Bush, Blair, and Berlusconi, Eco leaves no sacred cow unslaughtered, no cultural phenomenon unexposed. Through this series of trenchant essays, he lays bare the dangerous forces shaping our age, challenging us to confront the disturbing realities behind the veneer of "progress."
Genres: essays, political-science, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: social-commentary, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Afghanistan, Iraq
Period: 21st-century
369 pages · Hardcover · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt