Originally published: New York: Writers and Readers, 1996.

"A For Beginners documentary comic book"--P. [4] of cover.

Includes index.

Noam Chomsky has written over 30 books, he is the most-quoted author on earth, the < i> New York Times< /i> calls him & #8220; arguably the most important intellectual alive& #8221; & #8212; yet most people have no idea who he is or what he& #8217; s about.< br> < br> < i> Chomsky For Beginners< /i> tells you what he& #8217; s about: Chomsky is known for his work in two distinct areas & #8212; Linguistics and& #8230; & #8220; gadflying.& #8221; (& #8220; Gadfly, & #8221; the word applied to Socrates. comes closest to the constant social irritant that Chomsky has become.) It is Chomsky& #8217; s work as Political Gadfly and Media Critic that has given passion and hope to the general public & #8212; and alienated the Major Media & #8212; which, of course, is why you don& #8217; t know more about him.< br> < br> Chomsky& #8217; s message is very simple: Huge corporations run our country, the world, both political parties, and Major Media. (You suspected it; Chomsky proves it.) If enough people open their minds to what he has to say, the whole gingerbread fantasy we& #8217; ve been fed about America might vanish like the Emperor& #8217; s clothes& #8230; and America might turn into a real Democracy.< br> < br> What& #8217; s so special about < i> Chomsky For Beginners< /i> ? The few existing intros to Chomsky cover either Chomsky-the-Linguist of Chomsky-the-Political-Gadfly. < i> Chomsky For Beginners< /i> covers both & #8212; plus an exclusive interview with the maverick genius. The clarity of David Cogswell& #8217; s text and the wit of Paul Gordon& #8217; s illustrations makeChomsky as easy to understand as the genius next door. Words and art combine to clarify (but not oversimplify) the work and to & #8220; humorize& #8221; the man who may very well be what one savvy interviewer called him & #8212; & #8220; the smartest man on earth.& #8221;