****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This book should be read by every thoughtful individual. It is supremely well-written -- and I myself am an accomplished, published author -- and much more importantly, it graphically and thoroughly details the insidious nature of unbridled capitalism -- privatize the profits, socialize the losses -- in greedy and/or bumbling conspiracy with runaway self-interest among big government, big business, and big institutions, all of which use and prey upon the lower classes. Its focus is the rape of the mountain people and natural resources of eastern Kentucky, principally its coal, but the story is a template for how things work even today, everywhere. Published 40 years ago, it is a relevant as a fresh rain and will remain so as long as the status quo does not improve and humankind rejects lessons learned. It brings to mind the provocative words of biologist E.O. Wilson, who reflects on the potent cocktail of Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and now godlike technology. This is a perilous time and Caudil; was warning us so in 1975. We have not listened. Read it and weep. Then act!