Back in 1976, the movie Network premiered. In it, newscaster Howard Beale, played brilliantly by Peter Finch, finds out that he's being let go and goes on an extended rant in the middle of his newscast. Realizing that he's not the only one who's frustrated and tired of feeling powerless and valueless, he encourages everyone who is watching to open their windows and yell, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" From there, he gets his own show as the "mad prophet of the airwaves," so it's no big surprise that our current prophet of the airwaves, Coast to Coast AM host George Noory, called his new book Mad as Hell.
Part memoir, part call to action, Mad as Hell is a look at some of the things happening in our world today and what it can mean to our future. Noory talks about the economic inequalities and the war on the middle class. the vulnerability of our power grid, the possibility of the breakdown of civilization due to an asteroid or solar flare, the possibility (probability? certainty?) of extraterrestrial life, and how the connectivity of the internet makes us all targets for thieves and terrorists. He has heard it all, he's researched it all, and he's holding nothing back in his new book.
Known for compassion and honesty, Noory offers his nightly talk radio show listeners and experts a chance to tell their stories and to be heard. Coast to Coast AM is not just national but international, and Noory's expertise and wisdom stretch around the world to inform his shows with science and stories of personal encounters. With his experiences in television broadcasting, public relations, owning a restaurant, breeding horses, and back to the talk radio where he started, Noory has a lot of intelligence to offer the late night workers, the truckers, the insomniacs, and everyone else who listens to the overnight radio show.
Mad as Hell is a wake-up call, an announcement that action is needed, an exclamation that something has to be done. We the people need to pay attention and be smart citizens if we want to save our own country, our world, our lives. We all need to get mad as hell and decide that we're not going to take it anymore. Just like George Noory.
Galleys for Mad as Hell provided by Tor/Forge (Macmillan) through NetGalley.com, with many thanks.