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  • The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

  • By: John Perkins
  • Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
  • Length: 12 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (169 ratings)

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The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

By: John Perkins
Narrated by: Tom Taylorson
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Publisher's Summary

The New York Times best seller, updated and expanded, featuring 15 explosive new chapters.

The previous edition of this now-classic book revealed the existence and subversive manipulations of "economic hit men". John Perkins wrote that economic hit men (EHM) "are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. Their tools include fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder". In Perkins' case, the tool was debt - convincing strategically important countries to borrow huge amounts of money for enormous "development" projects that served the very rich while driving the country deeper into poverty and debt. And once indebted, these countries could be controlled.

In this latest edition, Perkins provides revealing new details about how he and others did their work. But, more importantly, in an explosive new section, he describes how the EHM tools are being used around the world more widely than ever - even in the United States. The cancer has metastasized, yet most people still aren't aware of it.

Fear and debt drive the EHM system. We are hammered with messages that terrify us into believing that we must pay any price, assume any debt, to stop the enemies who, we are told, lurk at our doorsteps. The EHM system - employing false economics, bribes, surveillance, deception, debt, coups, assassinations, and unbridled military power - has become the dominant system of economics, government, and society today. It has created what Perkins calls a "death economy". But Perkins offers hope: He concludes with dozens of specific, concrete suggestions for actions all of us can take to wrest control of our world away from the economic hit men and help give birth to a life economy.

©2004 John Perkins (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

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  • N-0
  • 16-04-2021

Real problems baked with heapings of sophistry.

The entire story is worth a listen. But if you're expecting a real solution to the issues that the author is accomplice to causing.

What the author advocates begins with the self, which is always a good and provably good message especially when it comes to avoiding debt. While I have no doubt that the author has a good depth of knowledge on all subject matter discussed, he throws that out when he makes blanket statements such as advancing environmentalist causes... causes which are frequently corrupted and hijacked towards more exploitive systems worse than what the EHMs that the author accuses of building.

Stop with using the terms life/death economy. Knock it off. All, and I mean ALL labels that use such buzzwords do disservice to nuance and hampers understanding which denies real change.

Becoming an activist is NEVER a good way to do much of anything. It simply propogates another message that a company will proudly adopt.. but never actually do. Instead, realise that said messages are a cudgel that will destroy those who are doing the real work but are competitors to these frequently larger companies.

The story of this author is interesting, but instead of laying out a plan or a formula and BEING the change, you get stuck with the same hippy talking points that lack depth and nuance.

Demand more of yourself, and of activists. or you know... let the sophists drive you off a cliff with their strong life economy shtick.

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Quite fascinating

This was interesting enough to finish the whole book, but as many reviews already mentions, it's a bit repetitive and the narrative is self pitying to a point I just found it incredibly off putting.
I'm sure the underlying issues he discusses are true and in fact many of us must have seen a pattern of those issues by now, but the number of claims he makes without legitimate proof just makes it all sound so fabricated and I don't believe this is the fault of the writer either. He literally begins by saying that the book had to move along a fine line of fiction and fact for his own safety.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great story, but lots of questions about it's veracity.

Hard to know what to believe and what's merely the author's opinion, but either way, it's a great biography and insight into the world of high finance, geopolitics and corporate malfeasance.

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Interested but gets preachy

I liked the start but in the end the author starts to preach rather than give information

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Must-Read

Please take the time to read this book. it is well worth the effort. we need to revolutionise our purchasing behaviour... each purchase is a vote. What are you voting for?

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Must read

After reading this, I don't know if there's been one true word spoken out of the US in the past 100 years. John Perkins explains the US corporate global take over of the world and how the World Bank and the IMF enslaved third world countries with unaffordable debt. I couldn't put this down - rivetng, eye-popping. Everything you suspected was true all along.

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Eye opener

What did you like most about The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man?

The truth will allway shock people and it is amazing how it plays in every day life.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man?

The lesons they learn even at a old age.

What about Tom Taylorson’s performance did you like?

All was really good.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Lies to reallaty in cercumfrece of world wide curuption and truth.

Any additional comments?

This is more of a eye operner for Wikileaks from Australia to Zambia.

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Find A Summary Instead

I found the information in this book extremely interesting, but the author's incessant and narcissistic focus on himself and his inflated role in all of this gets very annoying. The only other book that annoyed me this much was Shoe Dog by Phil Knight. The author can't resist relating every single world event and conspiracy to himself in some way. Which, even if it is true, gets repetitive very quickly. We get it. You were young and naive and you screwed up, had an existential crisis and broadened your perspective, and now you feel guilty about your past. That's perfectly normal reaction to such an experience. The problem is that every second paragraph waffles on about how he's trying to redeem himself through doing "the right thing" now. It's very cringe-worthy. The book would have been much better if it was less autobiographical and more historical fact. I would've preferred a summary. At least 6 hours of this 12 hour book was about the author and his feelings, which honestly, I don't really care because these events and concepts he speaks of are far more important than any one man and his emotional reactions to them are irrelevant to me. Still worth a read - just expect to feel like a counsellor listening to a patient for most of the book.

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Should be taught in schools

explains the tools used to rape whole countries of their ability to be a self sustaining entiy for the benefit of the very few.

why do countries even lend money from these banks cant a sovereign nation create it on own money to build infrastructure? even if this currency is use in tandem with the USD etc....

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Interesting

Good to know ecconomic realities, however his world view is very humanist. I'd like to share his optimism but I don't believe for one minute that the WEF, Blackrock and Vanguard are going to do anything but bring about a global communist own nothing economy. We've been working at a life economy for a long time. No. Sorry. Love means little without trust.

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