"George Packer is a modern-day George Orwell
. . . the places he writes about are never stages for personal or ideological heroism. They are always real and full of frustrating facts that expose both liberal and conservative absolutism as reckless attempts to deny reality. Interesting Times should be read not just as an antidote to contemporary media poison, but as a testament to the values of moral seriousness in a troubled age.”
--The Village Voice
"An illuminating time capsule for a decade
book-ended by the September 11 attacks and Barack Obama’s rise to the presidency . .. Impressively timeless and could conceivably be consulted by historians in the next century. Packer’s vivid scene setting and rich language are punctuated with flashes of mischief and humor . . . Despite the breadth of his topics, each essay is distinguished by its telling details and the depth of its insight.”
—Publishers Weekly