Book Review Blackwater, written by Jeremy Scahill, is an exposé of an elite mercenary force that until the release of this novel was secret to all but the few involved in it. Don’t let the secrecy fool you; Blackwater is no small organization. Possessing a fleet of twenty aircraft and its own military base one of the primary points of interest is that this had remained a secret for years. In order to keep such a massive operation secret, the American government had to make some major sacrifices. From having a tactical unit with extensive funding and freedom to the confusion in their military because they cannot know what Blackwater is, the real question comes down to; “is Blackwater worth it?” The story ranges from the inspiration leading to the creation of the mercenary group, to the eventual actions of said group. By providing such a broad view of a previously untouched topic it appears that the aim was to raise awareness and provide education. In reviewing the book, although Scahill puts forth an obvious effort to help the reader identify and remove any bias, there is still the critical bias that he, being American, is predominately considering the benefits vs. costs of Blackwater from an American viewpoint. The downside to this is that other countries/organizations are highly puzzled and have expended much effort to try and figure out what is going on here. By examining the issue from a purely American view you’re left with a bias of “if it doesn’t directly affect America, it isn’t a cost.” Due to the topic being one that few people had even heard of before his novel, Scahill is stuck with the task of teaching. He cannot do much more than that, because until people know about the topic on which he speaks nothing more advanced can occur. In this lie the book’s strengths and weaknesses. A highly informative book and one that tries to avoid opinions is in my opinion a good thing. Simply because it fits exactly what it needs to do, being a new topic. The downfall to this is that there is more depth to be desired in examining why certain decisions were made, or the process of making a decision. All in all, Blackwater is a great book to read, simply for knowledge on a topic that you wouldn’t get elsewhere. It is thought provoking if only for the reason that we question our own ignorance. Regardless, for a non-fiction read Blackwater both educates and intrigues; what more could you ask for?
Book Review
ReplyDeleteBlackwater, written by Jeremy Scahill, is an exposé of an elite mercenary force that until the release of this novel was secret to all but the few involved in it. Don’t let the secrecy fool you; Blackwater is no small organization. Possessing a fleet of twenty aircraft and its own military base one of the primary points of interest is that this had remained a secret for years. In order to keep such a massive operation secret, the American government had to make some major sacrifices. From having a tactical unit with extensive funding and freedom to the confusion in their military because they cannot know what Blackwater is, the real question comes down to; “is Blackwater worth it?”
The story ranges from the inspiration leading to the creation of the mercenary group, to the eventual actions of said group. By providing such a broad view of a previously untouched topic it appears that the aim was to raise awareness and provide education.
In reviewing the book, although Scahill puts forth an obvious effort to help the reader identify and remove any bias, there is still the critical bias that he, being American, is predominately considering the benefits vs. costs of Blackwater from an American viewpoint. The downside to this is that other countries/organizations are highly puzzled and have expended much effort to try and figure out what is going on here. By examining the issue from a purely American view you’re left with a bias of “if it doesn’t directly affect America, it isn’t a cost.”
Due to the topic being one that few people had even heard of before his novel, Scahill is stuck with the task of teaching. He cannot do much more than that, because until people know about the topic on which he speaks nothing more advanced can occur. In this lie the book’s strengths and weaknesses. A highly informative book and one that tries to avoid opinions is in my opinion a good thing. Simply because it fits exactly what it needs to do, being a new topic. The downfall to this is that there is more depth to be desired in examining why certain decisions were made, or the process of making a decision.
All in all, Blackwater is a great book to read, simply for knowledge on a topic that you wouldn’t get elsewhere. It is thought provoking if only for the reason that we question our own ignorance. Regardless, for a non-fiction read Blackwater both educates and intrigues; what more could you ask for?