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rototrav

rototrav@bookwyrm.social

Joined 9 months, 1 week ago

I like big books and I cannot lie.

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Johann Hari: Chasing the scream (2015, Bloomsbury) 4 stars

For the first time, the startling full story of the disastrous war on drugs -- …

Review of 'Chasing the scream' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I have really mixed feelings about this book. Hari's writing style is excecrable, and his account of the drug war is oversimplified. I can't emphasize enough how poorly written this book is - it reads like overly emotional, ham-fisted pap. And yet, I have to say that I think this book's popularity will be a net positive on the balance. It brings together a lot of good arguments in one place and makes them easily digestible and relatable to the kind of reader who might not otherwise be motivated to consider them. Is it dumbed-down, poorly written, and intellectually dishonest? Yes. But it will help change the conversation about drug policy in the more mainstream circles of American culture. That can't be a bad thing.