Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
by Perkins, John
★ Top 25 book of 2004 · #23 on Best Books of 2004
This Sinhalese translation presents a controversial book examining how U.S. government economic policies have affected developing countries. It offers a challenging look at global economics and power.
Best for: Sinhalese readers curious about controversial views on U.S. economic policy abroad
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is #23 on BookWard's Best Books of 2004, out of 48 2004 books that cleared our data bar.
What Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is about
John Perkins presents this book as a confession about his own working life. He describes his years at the Boston engineering consulting firm Chas. T. Main, where he says he was trained as an "economic hitman" and sent to persuade leaders of poorer countries to accept very large development loans. In his telling, the construction and engineering projects went to American companies, which gave the United States influence and access to natural resources while mostly enriching local elites. He argues that a "corporatocracy" driven by greed has built a kind of American empire, and he questions the belief that all economic growth benefits everyone. The book was a commercial success, appearing on the best-seller lists of both the New York Times and Amazon, but critics expressed doubts about the accuracy and validity of Perkins' claims, several reviewers discussed a lack of documentation or verification, and a number of former colleagues at Chas T. Main disputed or disagreed with some of his allegations. It will interest readers curious about debt, foreign policy and corporate power, ideally read with those doubts in mind.
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man on the Best Books of 2004
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man came out in 2004. Of the 48 books first published in 2004 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #23 on our Best Books of 2004 list.
Why it made the list: 233 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.5 out of 5 (16 ratings). The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
Nearby on the 2004 list
- Going Postal Terry Pratchett, #21
- The Gruffalo's Child Julia Donaldson, #22
See all Best Books of 2004 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2003 Best Books of 2005.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 197 want to read it, 15 are reading it now and 21 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 3.5 out of 5 from 16 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 54 | 55% |
| Reader love | 6 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 75 | 20% |
Questions about Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
When was Confessions of an Economic Hit Man published?
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by Perkins, John was first published in 2004.
Was Confessions of an Economic Hit Man one of the best books of 2004?
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is #23 on BookWard's Best Books of 2004, out of 48 2004 books that cleared our data bar. 233 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.5 out of 5 (16 ratings).
Why is Confessions of an Economic Hit Man on the Best Books of 2004 list?
233 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 3.5 out of 5 (16 ratings).
More of the best books of 2004
- Darkly Dreaming Dexter Jeffry P. Lindsay, #1
- Rich Dad, Poor Dad for Teens Robert T. Kiyosaki, #2
- The Ruins of Gorlan John Flanagan, #3
- Alexander Hamilton Ron Chernow, #4
- Blink Malcolm Gladwell, #5
- She Comes First Ian Kerner, #6
See the full Best Books of 2004, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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