Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine is the most insightful book I have read in years. Highly recommended.
Oddly enough, what she describes as having taken place in countries such as Chile and Poland is happening now in the US. It is happening at the federal level with the blind push for privatization, but it is happening at the state level because of the huge budget shortfalls caused by the Bush War Recession. It is Chicago School Economics taking place in states like Florida. Look out folks. We are the new banana republics.