Book Description

Some books touch a nerve, then there's Empire of Humiliation drilling through the molar.(Consul Will Kinney) As with all superior minds, Brusseau answers at a stroke questions filling books for others (What is imperialism, post-nationalism, etc.)but what brings this novel of ideas alive is the fast plot and local details. World-class in every sense.(Lines//Lneas) A prostitutes fingers shredded, an extravagant and lethal drinking party, a curator sacrificed in an eccentric theater: all of it seemingly committed by an American pair living in Mexico City. To save themselves, they'll have to discover who's really behind the scenes, and why. Answering will expose them to an elegant manipulator, and his tools for making others feel desperately inferior. The grime, the corruption and dangers of a third-world megacity will have to be faced, along with the truth about being an American abroad today. There is a way out, but they'll have to see how everything happening around them fits into a larger experiment in imperialism. And they'll have to decide, is American empire good or bad or just an opportunity? A suspicion guides this novel: humiliation can be wielded not only to enrage people, but also to twist and ultimately control them. In expert hands, even whole nations may be dominated because they've been made to feel contemptible. If that's right, then episodes of disdain separating foreigners from locals become introductions to power in our world. About the Author James Brusseau holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and has taught at universities in the United States, Mexico and Europe. A milestone figure in contemporary theory, he is author of several scholarly books. This is his first novel.