Synopses & Reviews
From the author of Aftershock and The Work of Nations,
his most important book to date—a myth-shattering breakdown of how the
economic system that helped make America so strong is now failing us,
and what it will take to fix it.
Perhaps no one is better
acquainted with the intersection of economics and politics than Robert
B. Reich, and now he reveals how power and influence have created a new
American oligarchy, a shrinking middle class, and the greatest income
inequality and wealth disparity in eighty years. He makes clear how
centrally problematic our veneration of the “free market” is, and how it
has masked the power of moneyed interests to tilt the market to their
benefit.
Reich exposes the falsehoods that have been bolstered
by the corruption of our democracy by huge corporations and the
revolving door between Washington and Wall Street: that all workers are
paid what they’re “worth,” that a higher minimum wage equals fewer jobs,
and that corporations must serve shareholders before employees. He
shows that the critical choices ahead are not about the size of
government but about who government is for: that we must choose
not between a free market and “big” government but between a market
organized for broadly based prosperity and one designed to deliver the
most gains to the top. Ever the pragmatist, ever the optimist, Reich
sees hope for reversing our slide toward inequality and diminished
opportunity when we shore up the countervailing power of everyone else.
Passionate yet practical, sweeping yet exactingly argued, Saving Capitalism is a revelatory indictment of our economic status quo and an empowering call to civic action.
Review
“An accessible examination of how the ‘apparent arbitrariness and
unfairness of the economy [has] undermined the public’s faith in its
basic tenets.’ The author takes a measured view even as he argues
against free market orthodoxies… Reich’s overriding message is that we
don’t have to put up with things as they are.” Kirkus
Review
“Arresting, thought-provoking… Readily understandable language… Powerful.” Publishers Weekly
Review
“Reich has both the stature and eloquence to make a compelling case… Highly recommended to all readers… Insightful.” Library Journal, starred review
Review
“Ambitious… Reich makes a very good case that widening inequality
largely reflects political decisions that could have gone in very
different directions… Saving Capitalism is a very good guide to the state we’re in.” The New York Review of Books
About the Author
Robert B. Reich is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the
Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of
California, Berkeley, and senior fellow at the Blum Center for
Developing Economies. He has served in three national administrations
and has written fourteen books, including The Work of Nations, which has been translated into twenty-two languages, and the best sellers Supercapitalism and Locked in the Cabinet. His articles have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. He is co-creator of the award-winning 2013 film Inequality for All. He is also chair of the national governing board of Common Cause. He lives in Berkeley.