Book Review

To say that Embeds: Weapons of Mass Deception was a big disappointment would be dramatically understating the truth. Filled largely with unsubstantiated opinions and redundancy, I found it very difficult to glean anything of value from the 250+ pages. When statistics and independent evidence were used, it was spun so poorly that I had difficulty keeping my mind from wandering.

The substance of the book was centered around the role the media played in the days leading up to, during, and following the recent war in Iraq. It addresses political motivations of the media, journalistic integrities, and the biased and unobjective reporting that was done. It sharply criticizes the American media for not only supporting the war, but implies that it promoted it as well.

While I respect the fact that Mr. Schechter has/had an alternate viewpoint to convey, he did so in a way that turned me, the reader, off. Since I did give it one mark (out of five), it would be appropriate to list its merits.

• I learned that liberals tend to rely on the credentials of a speaker to substantiate their statements.


• I learned that I wasn’t the only one “displeased” with the media coverage of the war.


• I learned that even people who have been high-level executives in their respective industries can still miss the bigger picture while nit-picking at the details.

I, personally, take great exception to the first bullet on two accounts. First, it implies that people with impressive credentials don’t make stupid statements (and/or are infallible). We don’t have to look too far to invalidate this assumption. Second, it further implies that ordinary people are incapable of profundity. Forget about how a patent clerk changed the world, some MENSA members are truck drivers. NEVER, EVER, EVER confuse ambition with intellect. Success (ergo impressive credentials) is a product of dedication and perseverance, not necessarily genius.

"Press on: nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." – Calvin Coolidge

The second bullet is a stretch... I needed to come up with three things...

The third bullet troubles me deeply. While I respect the need to address the finer points, it seems invalid without the context of the broader perspective. Schechter, in fact, alludes to this (by criticizing the narrow views of the embedded journalists) without thinking of applying it to himself. Never mind that I found much of his content to be factually incorrect and/or incomplete.

Admittedly, I was emotionally stirred by this book (although not in the vein that Schechter was hoping for). As I read through it, I found myself writing responses to incomplete/myopic/incorrect passages in his book. I stopped by page 134, drained and exhausted. Typed, my responses fill nine pages. I'm open to sharing them, but you probably won't find them particularly lucid; my grasp of the English language suffers as my emotional state heightens.

This book took me far too long to read. Many passages within were repeated verbatim. The themes, quotes, and evidence were recycled more than aluminum cans. It was, by far, the biggest “plate of cooked spinach” I’ve ever had. And like large quantities of spinach, Schechter’s book “fills me with the urge to defecate”.
{Sidebar:I have $20 for the first person who can identify the song and artist of that lyric.}