Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere: The New Global Revolutions (edition 2012)

Although this book took a long time for me to read, I still give it five stars because Paul Mason takes such in depth look at the possible reasons for the all current unrest and social movements that are taking place simultaneously around the world. He doesn't just look at economics (which is obviously a primary factor in the events of 2011) but at a variety of issues that forced people to the streets. Social networking, the freedom of the individual, the unsustainable system of neo-liberal capitalism: these are all just some of the themes that Mason discusses. However, I did find some of the connection that Mason tried to make a tedious at times. Mason also argues that there are similarities between what is happening now and the socio-economic battles that took place in Europe during the mid 19th century.

Where Mason shines the most, however, is when he tells the stories of people affected by gross inequalities. Whether it's the protesters in Greece, Tahrir Square or Spain or the poor of the Southwest United States or the Philippines, Mason manages to covey their stories in such a way that it hard not to empathize and sympathize with their plights. He makes their stories seem intimate in way that other journalists would have surely failed. This book is what journalism should be. ( )