The Shock Doctrine is a book that tells you about the way the world really works. I didn't realize that free market capitalism was basically forced on developing nations to the degree that it was, and still is. The idea of torturing an entire nation into submission is laid out clearly and effectively. It can be a bit challenging to read at times due to how clearly Naomi Klein lays everything on the table. Challenging in the sense that it's hard to believe how cynical and nakedly evil North America behaves towards vulnerable nations.

The concept is basically how crises, real or manufactured, can be used as an opportunity to take advantage of situations and "experiment" with true free market capitalism. The first quarter or so of the book involves a detailed explanation of how systemically a person can be stripped of their identity through torture. At first I thought it was a little bit too grotesque and fascinated with torture but once the metaphor is mapped onto entire nations, I understood the importance of really explaining it.

The more cynical readers among us will eat this up I'm sure. The book is well researched, clear in it's messaging and motivated by an undercurrent of great anger. Personally, I felt a bit worn down by the constant evilness towards the end, but that's more my issue than the books fault. Would recommend this to anybody with an interest in history, economics, and global politics.