Book Log 2008 #47: The Great Derangement by Matt Taibbi

Disgusted with the way that day to day goverment runs in Washington (as attested in asides on how both parties are twisting the legislative process), Taibbi sets out to see how others similarly disaffected have channeled their energies. On the right, he hooks up with John Hagee's church, while on the left he samples some of the groups who believe that the US government either supported or simply allowed the 9/11 attacks to occur.

I enjoyed the two long, strange trips into the subcultures, but I'm not sure to what extent either group was really reacting towards the derangement in the title. In many cases (especially with the church group), the people Taibbi speaks with don't seem particularly political, but are more looking for some sort of individual direction in their lives (the truth groups less so, though the middle-level leaders come off as joining so they can boss other members around).

As I said I did enjoy the book and Taibbi's brand of participatory journalism. Not sure how much it informed me on the current political climate, but it's better than most of the usual political stuff that's out there.