''The Racket: A Rogue Reporter vs. the Masters of the Universe'' is a 2015 book by

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

investigative journalist Matt Kennard.

Synopsis

''The Racket'' is an investigative account of the business and political elite who run the world. The book features interviews with many high-profile figures such as Henry Kissinger from Kennard's unbridled access over four years to the global elite. Kennard writes that "The world as we know it is run by a squad of cigar-smoking men with big guns, big cash and a reach much too close to home" The book also investigates American imperialism and the mission to exploit the resources of the developing world.

Reception

Writer, political activist and newspaper columnist

Owen Jones Owen Jones (born 8 August 1984) is a left-wing British newspaper columnist, commentator, journalist, author and political activist. He writes a column for ''The Guardian'' and contributes to the ''New Statesman'', ''Tribune (magazine), Tribune ...

described the book as a "A crucial exposé of the powerful, of injustice, and of the war against the poor. It should inspire all of us to fight back" while author, political activist and filmmaker

Naomi Klein Naomi Klein (born May 8, 1970) is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses; support of ecofeminism, organized labour, and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism and Criticism of capitalism, ca ...

said "In this important book, Kennard explores the direct impacts of militarised, globalised American capitalism on some of the most battered parts of our world. With devastating precision and a formidable sense of urgency, he reports on corporate shock doctors in Haiti, imperialist drug warriors in Honduras, pillaging coal and mining giants in southern Africa and Appalachia—and so much more. Most importantly, he never loses sight of the growing numbers of resistors holding on to their creativity and self-determination in the face of these forces." The book was also praised by

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American professor and public intellectual known for his work in linguistics, political activism, and social criticism. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky is also a ...

, Antony Loewenstein,

Walden Bello Walden Flores Bello (born November 11, 1945) is a Filipino academic who served as a member of the House of Representatives of the Philippines. He is an international adjunct professor at Binghamton University, professor of sociology and public ...

, amongst others. In ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'',

Steven Poole Steven Poole (born 1972) is a British author, journalist, and video game theorist. He particularly concerns himself with the abuse of language and has written two books on the subject: ''Unspeak'' (2006) and ''Who Touched Base in My Thought Showe ...

argued that "it gets quite difficult to keep all the facts consistent with a single conspiriological explanation for everything" and is critical of alleged

Anti-Americanism Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment and Americanophobia) is a term that can describe several sentiments and po ...

in the book, but praises other elements such as exposure of capitalist hypocrisy and exploitation in the developing world. ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' described the book as "ambitious but only intermittently successful".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Racket 2015 non-fiction books Books critical of capitalism Books about international relations Books about foreign relations of the United States Books about imperialism Zed Books books