Murder Incorporated - Dreaming of Empire

Overview

The prevailing myth is that America's prized possessions and greatest exports are democracy and the dream of freedom. The naked truth, according to Abu-Jamal and Vittoria, is that the American dream is illusory and America's greatest export is in fact murder – and that along the way to the kill, America thieves, suppresses, and tyrannizes. This book strives to set the record straight, to educate, to enlighten and to enliven the people against the corruptions of empire—corruptions that stretch from Columbus's first steps on Hispaniola through yesterday's murderous drone attack. More than a history book, this is a lively, irreverent, and spirited alternative to the orthodoxy of American exceptionalism.

Reviews

"The recasting of rampant American power as that of a world Mafioso is long overdue, and Mumia Abu-Jamal and Stephen Vittoria speak for so many with this bracing counterattack. Read and mark what they say; it is urgent."  —John Pilger, award-winning journalist and filmmaker

"Murder Incorporated is a searing, must-read for anyone wanting to know the roots, guts, and machinery of the American Empire Project from its very beginning. Having reported from the front-lines of empire in Iraq for more than a year and seen first-hand the blood-thirsty, rapacious nature of this insidious project of global conquest, this book pulls no punches in truth-telling that we need today, more than ever before. I cannot recommend it highly enough."  —Dahr Jamail, author, Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches from an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq

"The book's construction is insanely original, like nothing you've ever read, devoid of Lefty can't. It's excruciating—as the authors simply let America embarrass itself.  Events and eras are gouged open and revealed, sometimes in just one or two sentences. But that's all that's needed to give you what the authors call, 'the grim, black and white meat-hook of reality.' Wow. Read it."  —Greg Palast, author, The Best Democracy Money Can Buy

"Murder Incorporated is a three-book series by Mumia Abu Jamal and Stephen Vittoria, which I can highly recommend based on the first book. The other two are not out yet. Book One, Dreaming of Empire, is a critique of U.S. imperialism, a debunking of U.S. nationalist myths, a corrective or alternative history of the U.S. nation. Politically, a book like this would never be permitted in U.S. schools, and it's clearly not aimed at clearing that hurdle. It uses curse words, which would provide a handy excuse for keeping it out. It's also not straight history. It's part chronological, part theme-based. It mixes historical accounts with pop-culture, with quotations from scholars, historical sources, and analysts interviewed by the authors." —David Swanson, http://davidswanson.org

Author Biography

Mumia Abu-Jamal is an award-winning journalist. He spent more than 28 years on death row for allegedly killing a white police officer in Philadelphia. Despite his three-decade imprisonment, most of which was spent in solitary confinement on Death Row, Abu-Jamal has relentlessly fought for his freedom and for his profession. He is the author of nine books, including Death Blossoms and Live from Death Row, and thousands of radio commentaries. Stephen Vittoria is a film director and producer. His documentary films include Long Distance Revolutionary: A Journey with Mumia Abu-Jamal and One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern. He lives in Los Angeles, California. Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. He is the author of 11 books including American Fascists, Empire of Illusion, and War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.