The first time I saw this on a shelf, I didn’t buy it (because of the inordinate number of outstanding books I had to read 
already.) But I made a mental note – no pun intended – and made sure I came back to it later on. I was very glad to have done so.
A cracking read and a real insight. A mix of conspiracy theory, sensational journalism, real science and historical excavation. Brainwash works through all of the methods tried to control people’s minds from truth drugs to sensory depravation and goes into a great deal of detail on a whole range of cases from subliminal advertising and heavy metal to religious cults, CIA radio controlled cats (oh yes!) and the 40 year search for a truth drug.
There are some mind-boggling stories and an interesting network of characters that pop up time and again. In light of Abu Ghraib, extraordinary rendition and the (supposed) war on (supposed) Terror, I’d put this top of the reading list.
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An Unweeded Garden 
Posted on August 16, 2009
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