Twelve Steps Toward Political Revelation

March 14, 2011
Mosley's slim manifesto aims to foment an American "intellectual revolution," but it offers few original ideas toward realizing that end. Linking personal unhappiness to political disenfranchisement, the acclaimed thriller writer of the Easy Rawlins series, prescribes a 12-step program for kicking "Americanism"âan addictive and pernicious ideology that encourages "tolerance to lies, worldwide aggression... pain and lifelong unhappiness." Social ills can be cured through communication: dialogue between the young and old, between friends, between people who have a single political agenda in commonâthe last through a semi-conceived Web site he calls "Democracy Initiative." Elsewhere, Mosley's "steps toward revolution" might be better defined as banal exercises in self-help (he argues that therapy can be a tool for political change because it is a safe space for "revolutionary exchanges" and attaining objectivity), recapping Marx, or well-intentioned irrelevance (it's "the responsibility of every person in the nation to tell the truth at least once a day"). Though Mosley is admirably candid about his own struggles with addiction and depression, and his prose can sing, as a catalyst the book is more likely to spark frustration than epiphany

March 1, 2011

Bestselling novelist Mosley (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey, 2010) offers disenchanted denizens of the 21st century a screed-like guide to casting off the oppressive shackles of modern society.

It's not as though the author lacks for laudable ideas in outlining a 12-step program to help disheartened Americans redefine themselves and gain control over forces—both political and economic—that seem hopelessly unconquerable. His recommendations to a populace beaten down by economic turmoil and deceitful leaders to be more honest with themselves and to find common ground with people of conflicting viewpoints by focusing on issues they do agree on are well-conceived and -articulated calls to action in a tumultuous time. Nevertheless, his program feels too vaguely prescriptive to do much more than remind readers that such problems exist, and that though they might be solvable, it won't be easy. Compounding the problem is his apparently unintentionally comical rendering of what he sees as the nefarious villains pulling the strings behind the scenes: the "Joes," or the class of wealthy elite who control the vast majority of the world's wealth and resources—not through hard work or brilliance, he contends, but rather through a quirk of fate. The Joes, he argues, are in thrall to their overlord, the Great Shadow Joe—capitalism—and the only way they can be stopped is by a popular uprising that requires everyone else to recognize the truth of their situation, understand the value that they contribute to society and unite in common cause to topple the existing geopolitical infrastructure (peacefully, of course). Mosley's a bit short on specifics when it comes to precisely how his recommendations will bring about major change, however, and his melodramatic rhetoric tends to obscure his solid ideas.

The author's heart is in the right place, but it's tough to rally the masses when your message seems more likely to appeal to the fringe.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 1, 2011

Mosley (The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey) is best known for his mystery novels, but he is also an accomplished political essayist with keen insights into the state of our nation. In this short book, using his own experiences as a former abuser of alcohol, he offers his own 12-step program of redemption that he hopes will produce a new paradigm in which true democracy flourishes. Mosley scoffs at the idea that true democracy already exists in America but holds to the belief that one day soon the Internet will free us by allowing political organizing outside the traditional two-party system. Some readers may be turned off by Mosley's emphasis on class struggle. (For example, he calls for a limit of a ten-percent profit on goods sold.) But there can be no doubt that this author writes well. VERDICT Regardless of one's political point of view, it is refreshing to read a book on social issues written with the flair of a novelist. Those interested in keeping up with the state of our country will enjoy, along with fans of Mosley's fiction.--Robert Bruce Slater, Stroudsburg, PA

Copyright 2011 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.