Join Amazon Prime and get unlimited Free One-Day Delivery. Already a member? Sign in.

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
More Buying Choices
68 used & new from £0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
American Dream, Global Nightmare
 
 

American Dream, Global Nightmare (Perfect Paperback)

by Ziauddin Sardar (Author), Merryl Wyn Davies (Author)
3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.99 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save: £2.00 (25%)
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 2 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Thursday, July 16? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details
24 new from £0.01 44 used from £0.01
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Hardcover £14.99 £14.24 17 used & new from £0.42
Audio CD (Audiobook) 6 used & new from £7.99

Frequently Bought Together

American Dream, Global Nightmare + Why Do People Hate America? + Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim
Price For All Three: £18.97

Show availability and shipping details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Why Do People Hate America?

Why Do People Hate America?

by Ziauddin Sardar
3.5 out of 5 stars (39)  £5.99
Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim

Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim

by Ziauddin Sardar
4.5 out of 5 stars (10)  £6.99
Hegemony or Survival : America's Quest for Global Dominance

Hegemony or Survival : America's Quest for Global Dominance

by Noam Chomsky
3.9 out of 5 stars (17)  £6.99
Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

Media Control: The Spectacular Achievements of Propaganda

by Noam Chomsky
4.5 out of 5 stars (18)  £5.49
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism

by Naomi Klein
4.2 out of 5 stars (48)  £6.99
Explore similar items

Product details

  • Perfect Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Icon Books Ltd (7 Oct 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1840465727
  • ISBN-13: 978-1840465723
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 2.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 415,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customers Viewing This Page May Be Interested in These Sponsored Links

  (What is this?)
American Dreams DVD
   www.dvdzone.tv    Complete TV Series on DVD Liquidation Sale DVD Set 
America's Dream
   www.lovefilm.com    Rent DVDs from £3.91 a month, free trial, no late fees, free postage! 
Americandream
   www.usaGC.org    Live and Work in the USA With an Official US Green Card 
  
 

Product Description

Product Description
This title brings into sharp focus the merger of celebrity, corporate power, government and empire which has become an essential part of America's belief in itself as a nation.

About the Author
Ziauddin Sardar is a writer, broadcaster and cultural critic. His numerous books include Orientalism (1999), The A to Z of Postmodern Life (2002), the international bestseller Why Do People Hate America? (2002) and, more recently, Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Sceptical Muslim. Considered one of the top intellectuals in Britain, he is known for his regular contributions to the New Statesman and national and international newspapers and magazines.

Merryl Wyn Davies is a writer and anthropologist. She is the author of a number of books, including the highly acclaimed Knowing One Another: Shaping an Islamic Anthropology (1988), and is co-author of Barbaric Others: A Manifesto on Western Racism (1993). Her most recent books are Darwin and Fundamentalism (2000) and Why Do People Hate America? (2002). Forever Welsh, she lives and works in Merthyr Tydfil.


Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

American Dream, Global Nightmare
72% buy the item featured on this page:
American Dream, Global Nightmare 3.4 out of 5 stars (5)
£5.99
Why Do People Hate America?
28% buy
Why Do People Hate America? 3.5 out of 5 stars (39)
£5.99

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:    (0)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating account of an American view of the world, 2 Dec 2004
By William Podmore (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
British writers Sardar and Davies have written a fascinating study of US culture, especially of the belief that because they are a good people, they are a force for good in the world. Why then do US interventions abroad produce bad results?

The authors explore ten themes: the promotion of fear - 'be afraid, be very afraid'; escape (emigration, running away); exceptionalism - believing themselves different from and better than other nations, there is no need to know anything about them; the USA as the idea of nation is everybody's future; everything should be democratically accessible - guns, other people's oil, etc.; the right to be imperial; cinema as empire's engine (not profit then?!); worldwide celebrity as empire's currency; war as needed for origin, identity, consolidation, expansion and hegemony; and the USA's way as universal.

The authors explore how Hollywood has given America its idealised image of itself. John Ford's classic Western Drums along the Mohawk (1939) explored the themes of civilising the wilderness by pushing back the frontier, building a new life and a new land by wiping out Native Americans.

Frank Capra's Mr Smith goes to Washington (also 1939) presented the USA as the idea of nation, sanctifying the US Constitution, an 18th century document which endorses 'the right of property in a slave', does not guarantee the right to vote and does not allow a direct vote for the head of government.

Howard Hawks' To have and have not (1944), like Casablanca (1942), gave us Humphrey Bogart as the reluctant hero, symbolising the USA as reluctant superpower. Robert Altman's The player (1992) examined Hollywood, empire and celebrity. Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), starring John Wayne, presented war's psychosis. Universal soldier (1992) portrayed the USA as the global narrative.

The authors impute a single culture to the USA, ignoring its working class culture of trade unions, workers' nationalism and opposition to empire. Like the hero of Groundhog Day (1993), the USA is trapped in repeats, of exploitation and war. American workers must reject idealism, take responsibility for running America and throw out their rulers.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Accessible work about the nature of American power, 3 April 2005
By Alain English (London, England) - See all my reviews
Another well-written tome from Ziauddin Sardar and Merryl Wynn Davies (effectively a sequel to "Why Do People Hate America?"), this book takes an intricate look at the myths and realities of the American Way.

To summarize the argument, the authors use Hollywood movies ("The Player", "Groundhog Day", "Universal Soldier") as a template for examining the fear-driven myths that motivate American actions at home and abroad and hinder self-reflection and examination of those actions. They contrast the myth of American democracy with the historical realities of the country's technically flawed Constitution whose design and application permit privileged minority rule over the masses.

In choosing to use films as the basis for nearly all the books discussions, the author's best critique is that of Hollywood, effectively the creator and exporter of American myth and the country's vision of itself as a global, rather than merely a provincial narrative. With the flurry of American films in our multiplexes, and the country's recent Iraq invasion, this rings very true.

The book's sarcastic tone occasionally hampers things, and there is too little mention of it's principal ally, Britain, but otherwise the book is an articulate and thought-provoking read.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Be Afraid, be Very Afraid, 28 Dec 2004
By Keith Appleyard "kapple999" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
Whereas their previous book used TV's "West Wing" as their central premise, this time the Authors use Hollywood in general.

Sometimes it grates slightly, if you're not into Movies, but it does build to the climax that Americans believe the lies and half-truths that Hollywood feeds them.

I liked the 10 Laws of American Mythology - I can readily relate to them, such as "Be Afraid, be very Afraid"; "Ignorance is Bliss"; "American Democracy has the right to be Imperial" and "War is a Necessity"

Americans indeed are cocooned - so eloquently put by Ambrose Bierce 100 years ago "War is God's way of teaching Americans geography" - still oh so true.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting argument but somewhat off-target.
Books which deal with topical issue can be transitory items made obsolete or in some cases downright laughable as events and trends overtake their author(s)' arguments or... Read more
Published on 24 May 2006 by Roger from Wrexham

2.0 out of 5 stars Wordy and overblown
Pretensions to academic comprehensiveness (unfulfilled)and overblown verbosity make what could have been an witty and insightful commentary on the American mindset into a plodding... Read more
Published on 17 Aug 2005 by Barton Keyes

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums


Listmania!


Look for similar items by category


Feedback


Fun for Everyone

Christmas Gifts
Achieve over 15,000 RPM with our great range of Powerballs.

Shop the Powerball store

 

Up to 75% off Shoes

Shoe Clearance - 75% off Shoes
Save up to 75% on shoes for the whole family.

Shop clearance shoes

 

Train Hard...Play Hard

Nike, Gola, Converse, and more
Gear up with up to 60% off athletic and outdoor shoes.

Shop now

 

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

Learn more about Gift Certificates

 
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates