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A review by aaronj21
Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life by Richard Beck
5.0
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for and advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life makes the bold claim that our current political and historical moment, everything from the election of Donald Trump to the Black Lives Matter movement, can be understood as a direct result of the 9/11 attacks and America’s response to them. This thesis, tall order that it is, is borne out in resounding fashion in this gripping and competent book. In an engrossing read that feels far shorter than its nearly six hundred pages, readers will find a saddening, disturbing, but ultimately convincing and timely account of how the aftermath of September 11th 2001 has shaped America, and indeed the world, for the worse.
Homeland beings with the attacks themselves and shows how in the subsequent climate of nationwide fear, increasingly direct and unilateral levels of power were given to the executive branch of the government. This sweeping authority was used to surveil Americans and harass those of middle eastern origin or Muslim faith all in the name of security and preventing another attack. From there the book describes the War on Terror and how America’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan was both different from any previous military conflict and set the tone for America’s use of military force in the new century, increasing numbers of private contractors, nebulous war aims, and ever less accountability to the American people. After a few brief chapters about the history of global capitalism and how its market pressures have impacted nations throughout time, the book goes on to detail how mass protests movements illustrate the character of post 9/11 America and its relationship to its citizens. Indifferent or aggressive official responses to movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter are examples of what author Richard Beck compellingly calls “Impunity Culture”, the glaring lack of interest the government has in even pretending to care about the will or opinions of the people it claims to represent. Finally, while Homeland doesn’t downplay the severity of America’s problems it also ends on a note, not of abject gloom, but of informed awareness.
This book set out to prove a point and succeeded ably. Much writing about recent history, even when done well, can come across as either bone dry and dull or read as nothing more than a sophomoric recounting of headlines. Homeland avoids both these pitfalls and threads the needle between informative and accessible with skill and verve. In reading I learned so much about post 9/11 security measures, things I didn’t know even though I lived through them. This book also makes a compelling case for its thesis and connects disparate threads from two decades of history into a coherent narrative. Not just recounting historical events and dates but interrogating the rationale and the impact history makes. Despite its length, Homeland never once loses sight of this central idea yet it brings everything together in a way that feels organic and commonsense. The original ideas expounded in this book are exceptionally persuasive as well. The author’s use of “Impunity Culture” to describe the fundamental shift in how the American government interacts with its citizens is a kind of eureka moment that perfectly encapsulates so much of what feels wrong with our country today.
With the subject matter being what it is, parts of the book were undoubtedly hard to read. It was however, rewarding, and history is often more painful than we would like to remember. The chapters about profiling after 9/11 and those dealing the War on Terror in particular, showcase instance of extreme and alarming hypocrisy and injustice. Past failings America needs to acknowledge and atone for going forward. After turning the final page, I feel like I better grasp the significance of the tumultuous and difficult years since 2001. Whereas before I had a vague but persistent sense that things had overall gotten worse since 9/11, I now have a better understanding of what exactly happened to create the America I live in today and how it might be improved.
Homeland: The War on Terror in American Life makes the bold claim that our current political and historical moment, everything from the election of Donald Trump to the Black Lives Matter movement, can be understood as a direct result of the 9/11 attacks and America’s response to them. This thesis, tall order that it is, is borne out in resounding fashion in this gripping and competent book. In an engrossing read that feels far shorter than its nearly six hundred pages, readers will find a saddening, disturbing, but ultimately convincing and timely account of how the aftermath of September 11th 2001 has shaped America, and indeed the world, for the worse.
Homeland beings with the attacks themselves and shows how in the subsequent climate of nationwide fear, increasingly direct and unilateral levels of power were given to the executive branch of the government. This sweeping authority was used to surveil Americans and harass those of middle eastern origin or Muslim faith all in the name of security and preventing another attack. From there the book describes the War on Terror and how America’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan was both different from any previous military conflict and set the tone for America’s use of military force in the new century, increasing numbers of private contractors, nebulous war aims, and ever less accountability to the American people. After a few brief chapters about the history of global capitalism and how its market pressures have impacted nations throughout time, the book goes on to detail how mass protests movements illustrate the character of post 9/11 America and its relationship to its citizens. Indifferent or aggressive official responses to movements like Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter are examples of what author Richard Beck compellingly calls “Impunity Culture”, the glaring lack of interest the government has in even pretending to care about the will or opinions of the people it claims to represent. Finally, while Homeland doesn’t downplay the severity of America’s problems it also ends on a note, not of abject gloom, but of informed awareness.
This book set out to prove a point and succeeded ably. Much writing about recent history, even when done well, can come across as either bone dry and dull or read as nothing more than a sophomoric recounting of headlines. Homeland avoids both these pitfalls and threads the needle between informative and accessible with skill and verve. In reading I learned so much about post 9/11 security measures, things I didn’t know even though I lived through them. This book also makes a compelling case for its thesis and connects disparate threads from two decades of history into a coherent narrative. Not just recounting historical events and dates but interrogating the rationale and the impact history makes. Despite its length, Homeland never once loses sight of this central idea yet it brings everything together in a way that feels organic and commonsense. The original ideas expounded in this book are exceptionally persuasive as well. The author’s use of “Impunity Culture” to describe the fundamental shift in how the American government interacts with its citizens is a kind of eureka moment that perfectly encapsulates so much of what feels wrong with our country today.
With the subject matter being what it is, parts of the book were undoubtedly hard to read. It was however, rewarding, and history is often more painful than we would like to remember. The chapters about profiling after 9/11 and those dealing the War on Terror in particular, showcase instance of extreme and alarming hypocrisy and injustice. Past failings America needs to acknowledge and atone for going forward. After turning the final page, I feel like I better grasp the significance of the tumultuous and difficult years since 2001. Whereas before I had a vague but persistent sense that things had overall gotten worse since 9/11, I now have a better understanding of what exactly happened to create the America I live in today and how it might be improved.