A great book because it dares to speak the truth. John writes with a smooth flow and with lots of powerful anecdotes. It is a book that will change your life, if you allow it.

Check out a great interview with John and about the book as well as his views of the state of America and its relationship to the world at www.smallacts.blogspot.com

Personally, I liked the original in German.

In a nutshell: This guy thinks he worked for NSA (he didn't) got orders from Washington to enslave the 3rd World (wrong again), and then had a change of heart (he didn't).

I tell ya I went through 3 boxes of tissues while this preppie suddenly discovered that credit and loans are bad. I really cried when he talked about all the beautiful women he had to bed down with and the exotic luxury hotels he lived in while doing the bidding of his company.

Anyone who ever says "America is the richest country in the world" automatically gets dismissed in my book. Only hucksters, snake oil salesmen, and politicians in Washington tell us that because they want our money. Fact: America is 7 trillion dollars in the hole. Fact: OPEC nations have benefitted greatly from American expertise in exchange for oil. Fact: Osama bin Laden is a terrorist who is not a Saudi (he is Yemeni).

This book was probably written by Michael Moore and reads like a scene from F-9/11. John Perkins (or whoever you are), don't flatter yourself. Find another hobby...

The early chapters of this book tell a vivid and compelling story, the middle chapters provide an eye-opening view of the geopolitical role of the US in South and Central America. At the end of the book, however, this former "economist" misses an opportunity to make a closing argument for a more enlightened foreign policy that addresses the problems he identifies.
He might have tried to assess the quantitative impact (remember he was an economist) of all this forced development on natural resources and poverty around the world. Or he might have cataloged the ongoing projects that we should be concerned about. Or he might have suggested how the US, the World Bank and the many other public and private agents of progress might go about bringing real quality of life improvements to developing countries while minimizing the resulting ecological destruction and economic servitude. And he might have offered specific solutions for the pollution and poverty he describes in Indonesia. Instead, he recommends some laughably naïve new age community activities such as "expressing feelings triggered by this....book [by e-mail]".
Ultimately, this author comes across as another self-absorbed frat boy who makes friends in high places easily, eventually sees the error of his ways and repents with endless mea culpas throughout this book. Having said all that, much of this book is still well worth reading as a sketch of some of the pernicious effects of unbridled development on more primitive and fragile cultures than our own and of the driving forces that cause them. But I suggest you look elsewhere for solutions.

John Perkins gives a first-hand account of a world in which US corporations wildly overpredict the growth that will follow big infrastructure projects in the developing world, convincing aid organizations to give big loans for these projects, resulting in big projects (and big money) for American firms and crippling debt for poor nations.

Part of the book tells of his own experiences, generating false predictions and both giving and receiving bribes. The other part is a history of the role that US corporations (and, more subtly, the US government) play in eliminating hostile but strategically important leaders of developing countries and co-opting their nations' resources. (Those same leaders, hostile to US business, are often the champions of the poor in their countries.)

The history this book provides opened my eyes and made me want to read more on the subject. Thankfully, Perkins also provides extensive references for those who would like to read more on this, both providing an avenue for the curious reader and showing that he isn't the only witness to the new imperialism. The last few pages of the book also provide some practical suggestions for a reader to "do something" (and refuse to absolve us of collective guilt).

On the other hand, while the book claims to be a confession, massive page space is dedicated to Perkins's misgivings about what he was doing as he was doing it, to the point that it really feels like he's trying to let us know that he's not that bad a guy. That tone and the amount of time dedicated to it really wore me down as a reader. (Okay, okay, you were really torn, I get it.)

But overall, this was well worth the time, and I only hope I can carry some of its lessons with me.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I was looking forward to a description of how the World Bank, IMF and the 'aid industry' was collaborating to keep LDCs from actually realizing improvements in their systems.

Instead, John Perkins gives us wild speculation and claims with absolutly no facts to back them up. He describes his first assignment in Indonesia, tells how he 'cooked the books' and then completly ignores any further discussion of the matter. As a reader I have no idea if his economic estimates:
1) actually resulted in any loans, economic programs, etc.
2) if his inflated projections ended up being right or wrong
3) if (or how) internation institutions then used this situation to bend Indonesia to their will

Instead, Perkins just tells us (over and over again) about his guilt.

I do have to admit, I didn't finish reading this rubbish. I did skim the rest of the book hoping to actually find something of substance to substantiate his claims but couldn't find anything.

The most frustrating thing about this book is that I believe the author's claims might be right. It's just very unfortunate that he didn't do anything to prove them.

If you must, pick this up when it's in the dollar bin.