Spiral: Trapped in the Forever War - Rilegato

“Danner has been the most intellectually distinguished critic of America’s war on terror. Spiral is a masterly writer’s case for the prosecution, a patriot’s indictment of his own country’s folly. . . . He shows, with eloquent conviction and considerable evidence, that torture, rendition, domestic surveillance, foreign wars, and democracy promotion at gunpoint have made America more enemies than friends, and in the process have diminished America’s moral standing and security.” (The New York Review of Books)

“[Danner] has produced incisive journalism and books over the past three decades exploring the moral dimension of war and foreign policy. His essays . . . were among the first to reveal the bleak reality and moral vacuum of the George W. Bush administration’s torture policy. In Spiral Danner continues to render valuable service.” (The Washington Post)

“[A] poignant, thoughtful plea for accountability and a change of course . . . [a] chilling cautionary tale of Orwellian repercussions.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Lucid . . . a solid account of how the U.S. seems to be mired in a losing and intractable battle against global terrorism. . . . a clear-eyed and shrewd examination.” (Publishers Weekly)

“An excellent resource for those who want to understand Middle East unrest and the ISIS terrorism threat without being Middle East scholars.” (Library Journal)

“A timely, valuable book . . . Danner provides a vital service in this election season, reminding us that the job of president of the United States grows more complex with each passing year.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Eloquent  . . . [Danner] writes powerfully from the perspective of an American who feels both angry and betrayed . . . a bold, unsparing assessment of who Americans are when they can be so complacent in the face of so many ongoing iniquities.” (The National)

“Mark Danner’s Spiral lays bare the way a jihadist strategy of provocation, playing on America’s infinite capacity for oversimplification and overreaction, sucked the United States into endless wars. This is a book that must be read, debated, and deeply understood if we are ever to extricate ourselves from the world of quagmires created by the ‘global War on Terror.’” (Christopher Dickey, Foreign Editor of The Daily Beast)

“In Mark Danner’s eloquent and unsparing analysis, America’s War on Terror has degenerated into a downward spiral that has tarnished its laws, its reputation and its soul. There is no better account of what ‘the forever war’ has done to this country and what we need to do to get the battle against terrorism onto the right track.” (Michael Ignatieff Edward R. Murrow Professor, Harvard Kennedy School)

“In the growing mountain of books coming out about the War on Terror, Mark Danner’s Spiral is the one you have to read. In a small book, Danner offers clarity to the complicated with a combination of tough-minded reporting and an elegant sense of classical tragedy. Spiral will make you angry, make you sad, and make you understand.” (Mark Kurlansky, author of Paper: Paging Through History)

Mark Danner has written about foreign affairs and American politics for three decades, covering Latin America, Haiti, the Balkans, and the Middle East. He was for many years a staff writer at The New Yorker, and contributes frequently to The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Magazine, and many other publications. He teaches at the University of California, Berkeley, and at Bard College and speaks widely about America’s role in the world. Among his books are Spiral, Stripping Bare the Body, Torture and Truth, and The Massacre at El Mozote.