THE LIMITS OF POWER The End of American Exceptionalism

Narrating a polemical book, which offers a scathing critique of our nation’s imperial foreign policy, notably since the end of the Cold War, is like walking on eggs. It's too easy to drift into a sensationalist or dogmatic style, giving the book a tone that it avoids, or to smooth out the inherent criticisms the work presents. In this reading, Eric Conger manages to skirt those problems, offering a narration that is as steady and detached as that of a network news anchor. He reads this depiction of U.S. imperialism with aplomb, making the author's points stand out but without injecting emotion. Conger's narration makes this compact yet essential book about America's place in the world an immensely interesting listen. K.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]