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Jul 20, 2017lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
In the introduction, writer/journalist Chris Hedges describes this project: "Joe Sacco and I sat out two years ago to take a look at the sacrifice zones, those areas in the country that have been offered up for exploitation in the name of profit, progress, and technological advancement." Hedges, who wrote "War is a Force That Gives Us Meaning," and acclaimed cartoonist Joe Sacco, who has done books about the war in Yugoslavia and Palestine, traveled to 5 different regions in the country to highlight inequality, poverty, and exploitation. It's a harrowing journey, from the brutally poor Indian reservation in PIne Ridge, South Dakota to the strip mined hills of Appalachia, and one that is polemical and resolutely anti-capitalist, which some other reviewers objected to. Hedges's writing can be a bit shrill, so it's nice to have Sacco's rich, sympathetic artwork as a balance. The final chapter, on Occupy in NYC, is by far the weakest, as Hedges lets his enthusiasm get the best of him. "Nickeled and Dimed" and "The Divide" are other good looks at inequality in America.