Heroes

Further down, someone - presumably dissatisfied by the fact that John Pilger doesn't try to explain away the crimes of Western politicians as acts of historical necessity - referred to the author's "monumental left-wing bias". Indeed. Pilger is heavily biased, there is no doubt about that. Pilger is biased in favour of the innocent, the harmless, the poor, and the victims of atrocity. This unfortunate bias certainly distorts everything he writes, making it impossible for him to sneak in the self-serving excuses of the Western pigs who have benefitted from decades of brutality and oppression which they have either directly perpetrated or had perpetrated on their behalf by their paid minions and stooges. The section dealing with Cambodia is particularly harrowing, and I spent a great deal of time alternating between tears and vituperation as I read it. What I like most about Pilger's journalism is that he relies, for the most part, on quotes from officials and from official documents, allowing the anti-human pigs who run the world to indict themselves with their own utterances. It is shocking, almost mind-boggling, to conceive that such despicable, black-hearted, savage scum are sitting at the top of the world's food-chain, merrily cannibalising the human race to feather their own sordid little nests. Pilger is, in many ways, the successor to Orwell (I mean Orwell's non-fiction). He writes clearly, with purpose, and without hyperbole, simply stating the facts and allowing them to reveal the truth without the need for vitriol or dissimulation. The effect is much more distressing and gut-wrenching than any amount of rote left-wing activism could ever be.

You can't deny that John Pilger has witnessed more than his fair share of social injustice, abuse of power and bloodshed on a variety of continents and he covers many in this excellent collection of essays. Unlike so many of today's journalists, he's actually put in the leg-work and been to these events and seen first hand what's going on (rather than re-hash second-hand reports), so he knows what he's talking about. His reporting is accurate and well researched and he regularly challenges the accepted norm: in this fine book, he really does make you stop and think about the folly of current World leaders who time and again fail to learn from past mistakes. You can only wonder why they don't take the time to understand the consequences of their decisions, (made behind closed doors in comfortable surroundings), on innocent people and in our names....whether we're talking about wars and armed conflicts or shady political and financial deals. A great read and one that should be on everyone's bookshelves, it'll leave you wondering who the real problem countries and people are, especially in the current World climate.

This book describes Pilger's interpretation of some of the most significant and tragic world events of the last forty years, but instead of focussing on presidents, generals and politicians, Pilger's account is told as it ought to be, through the lives of ordinary people, unfortunate enough to be caught up in extraordinary and sometimes horrific situations. It serves as a reminder that no human being in the world is any more or less important than any other human being - something which world leaders apparently need to be reminded of.

This is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read. It is informative and interesting. It gives a wonderful first-hand telling of some of the most important events of the past four decades.

Mr Pilger is a talented journalist who is able to take everyday people and make them appear much more than ordinary. This is a series of essays guaranteed to keep your attention and make you want to read more of his work.