Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is the memoir/manifesto of John Perkins, who claims that as an economist for the firm Chas. T. Main, he was responsible for convincing underdeveloped countries to take out huge international loans that they would be unable to pay back, which would leave them open to political, economic, and military pressure from the United States. I found that there are two ways to read this book. The first, and most satisfying way, is as a sort of cloak-and-dagger spy thriller. Perkins gives much of the book this kind of slant, and his descriptions are very cinematic; I found myself trying to construct a shooting script and framing scenes in almost every chapter. The other, less satisfying way to read it is as an economic call to arms: Perkins belabours his point through repetitive statements, making the problems he’s addressing seem less and less urgent the more he talks about it. That could be due to my own faults as a reader, but by the end of the book I was less likely to recommend the book than I was at the beginning. (There is also quite a bit of controversy around the book, not unexpectedly, and it is hard to know who’s telling the truth, who’s making a smokescreen, and who’s unknowingly parroting false information.) Most of it is well-written and exciting, and my overall impression was favourable. I just wish the case Perkins had made for economic and political reforms was stronger and less overworked.

How does the world work?

...Is a question that can never be answered in single sentence, book, lifetime? Hopefully not the latter, but this book is a major piece to the puzzle that is rarely discussed.

Find out how the American government coordinates with multinational corporations to achieve mutual goals, while destroying other economies, cultures, etc.

Even if only 10% of this book is accurate, the information is essential to attain a full understanding of many American, Middle Eastern, Asian, South American, and global conditions.

Although, John Perkin’s style is a bit bland and overstreching at times of his talents as an author, the first person narrative he tells the story through keeps the reader very interested all the way through.

A+