Dude, Where's My Country? (Hardcover)

The one thing seemingly missing on any channel was anybody asking difficult questions about anything other than baseball. This is where Moore comes in and as with his previous works he delves into some of the issues I am sure the current administration would hope had been forgotten.

The assistant at the book store told me she liked Moore but he just doesn’t know when to shut up (which I took to mean his Oscar speech), but hey, he has lost a few pounds. What better recommendation could you want? It clinched the sale for me anyway.

As a Brit, many of the topics and “coincidental” connections between US foreign policy and corporate interests are already familiar but many issues Moore raises came as a real surprise and the whole book is an insight into life in the USA post 9/11.

The opening chapter has seven questions for George Bush that hit hard and fast, are well referenced and clearly set the tone for the rest of book. One of the hardest hitters asks why when America was locked down after 9/11, with only F15s in the skies, members of the bin Laden family were being flown “to safety” out of the country (actually to Paris) courtesy of the FBI and Washington.

Subsequent chapters deal with a mix of fairly predictable topics: the paradox of Liberal America voting in a Republican president, the greed engendered by the American Dream, the creation of fear and subsequent erosion of liberty in the US. There is even a DIY section on how to convert your Conservative brother-in-law into a Liberal (it’s all down to $$$). The hypothetical discussion between Moore and his Granddaughter in the year 2054 strains to make a point about oil usage but makes the point none the less. There are unexpected gems as well, such as Moore’s surprising and possibly prophetic views on Oprah. Overall the book is highly readable, has many examples and quotes and can be dipped into as important relevant points are often repeated as required in different chapters. I suspect though, that like me, you’ll find yourself reading it straight through in no time.

The book draws together various reports and strands of information into a coherent form, within the bounds of Moore’s comic narrative style of course, and as such is a timely and amusing refresher course. You may not agree with everything Moore says, but the arguments are generally convincing and never less than thought provoking. Of course, thought is encouraged and you can even suggest ways for the author to spend his recent tax break (although you can guess whose campaign fund it won’t be going to next year).

The cover of the US version shows an optimistic image of Moore pulling down a Baghdad style statue of Bush but the UK cover is probably more appropriate, showing Moore sparring with Bush. I think he’s still standing in about round 3 and looking good, but if what Moore says in the book is true he is fighting well above his weight at the start of a very long bout. Well, at least he is fighting his corner. Bye the way, do we have a British Michael Moore anywhere or should we invite him over?

"Dude, where's my Country" continues where "Stupid White Men" and "Downsize This" left off. If you've had the pleasure of reading either book, then you'll know what to expect. This time, however, instead of focusing primarily on Corporate Crime and corruptions of the senate, Michael Moore looks at the state of the nation post 9/11 with a sceptical eye - in particular, to the actions of a certain George 'Dubya' Bush.

Just like "Downsize This" and "Stupid White Men", Michael Moore supplies well-rounded arguments and sources for his information. His arguments are caustic and very scathing, as he questions every media manipulation that arose since the discovery that a terrorist group in Afghanistan were the perpetrators of the atrocity.

Questions such as "Are Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein REALLY in cahoots?", "Did the weapons of mass destruction REALLY exist?", "Was the 'War on Terror' really just an excuse to lay a few oil pipelines through Afghanistan?" and most importantly, "What is REALLY going on?" are asked. Answers are still pending from George 'Dubya', but the real entertainment value of the book is the way that Moore asks these questions.

In addition, Moore still reminds us that while the eyes of the world are looking at the TV screens watching out for the latest reports, that behind the scenes, there is a glut of people still making money and scamming the system. In fact, now that there's a war on, they're making more money than ever...and guess what? The war on Terror and Gulf War II were the greatest things ever to happen to the Bush administration. Moore demonstrates how not only were oilfields siezed and put under control of one of his old business buddies, but corporate scandals such as Enron rapidly (and fortunately) faded into the background.

Of course, not everyone will agree with Moore's political stance. In fact, some of the more radical right will find him odious, and obviously, those in power, or making a load of money by surrepticious means will find him a pest. However, considering that the media have been very one-sided about the whole affair, it is a refreshing alternate view, regardless of whether you think that Bush is a hero, or whether you believe that he should be kicked out of the Whitehouse, and THAT FACT ALONE, more than any other is why I would strongly recommend this book to anybody who lives or works in the USA or the UK!

READ IT!!! I INSIST!!!!

Once again, Michael Moore unleashes a much-needed reality check for these harsh times, especially when you consider how much more material is there for the taking since Stupid White Men. We have 9/11, Iraq, and a whole Culture of Fear to delve into, and if there's one writer who can do it in a way that makes you think while you belly laugh, it has to be Moore.

Kicking things off with a damning chapter, Seven Questions for George W. Bush (which also happens to be the material for his next film, Farenheit 911), not only has he come out with guns blazing, but sources each and every quote. It's almost as if people have been making (unjustified) jibes about his material since his Oscar acceptance speech. Heavy stuff, but it sets the tone for the book: Bush is the worst thin to happen to America since 1492. Give or take.

Indeed, the whole change in culture since both towers fell is probed until it becomes painfully obvious that maybe the major news media isn't there for your wellbeing. A whole chapter taking on Fox News, another on the whole Culture of Fear - and just how ridiculous it is, and a theme that runs throughout the whole book: Just where the Hell is the America we see in the movies, or hear being proudly boasted about by Americans across the globe?

One for those left-leaning anarchists, then. Or maybe, just maybe, those that don't believe everything they're being fed to believe. Moore even gets a few barbs in at Blair, and how he's forgotten what it means to be in the Labour party. And, no, the UK doesn't need a president, that's what the US is for.

Sit, read cover to cover, and repeat. Give your braincells some activity that doesn't involve the latest comings and goings of David Beckham.