Kylog

Just finished reading this book. Well, sort of. I gave up at page 263. Don’t get be wrong — this is an exceptional book filled with insight; it offers a balanced, nuanced read on the war. Assume you’ve read all the positive reviews and they’re all true! The problem is that George Packer is sooo subtle and sooo nuanced and sooo desperately in need of an editor. And really at the end of the day he doesn’t have a point. He has a personal journey, he has a travelogue, he has a myriad small stories of meeting people, he has so many thoughtful thoughts, he has a hundred small insights, he is such a talented, courageous guy. But it would be nice if he had a point, or a narrative, or a purpose. It just got old after a while.

One other thing: if you start reading and the intellectual history of neoconservatism that goes on and on pre-war starts to drag you down, never fear: just skip to page 150. When the war starts and George goes to Iraq, the book completely switches from background, intellectual-in-NYC mode to journalist-in-Baghdad mode. I actually liked the neocon history (although it was long and devoid of a point like the rest of the book), but others might want to skip ahead.

I’ll definitely keep an eye out for future books by Packer, though; he really has a unique talent. With an editor or if he were to take a stance, he could be a real force to reckon with.