How the World Works (Real Story (Soft Skull Press)) / Noam Chomsky, David Barsamian, Arthur Naiman,

According to The New York Times, Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive. But he isn t easy to read . . . or at least he wasn t until these books came along. Made up of intensively edited speeches and interviews, they offer something not found anywhere else: pure Chomsky, with every dazzling idea and penetrating insight intact, delivered in clear, accessible, reader-friendly prose.

Published as four short books in the famous Real Story series What Uncle Sam Really Wants; The Prosperous Few and the Restless Many; Secrets, Lies and Democracy; and The Common Good they ve collectively sold almost 600,000 copies.

And they continue to sell year after year after year because Chomsky s ideas become, if anything, more relevant as time goes by. For example, twenty years ago he pointed out that in 1970, about 90% of international capital was used for trade and long-term investment more or less productive things and 10% for speculation. By 1990, those figures had reversed. As we know, speculation continued to increase exponentially. We re paying the price now for not heeding him them.