catronky's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 I really like Elizabeth Warren and voted for her in the primaries after reading this, but her obvious disdain for the GOP made me uneasy. She really knows what she's talking about and would made a great policy president.
mattyzmom's review against another edition
3.0
This is about how the middle class can become stronger. Warren pushes her agenda blaming Republicans for previous decisions. I learned a lot about politics and how rueful it can be. I bet she could write another book about the recent Roe v Wade decision and the future of student loan debt, the effects of inflation, and the increase in school shootings. I respect and admire Senator Warren. It seems like she is working for those that need a voice.
ifoundtheme's review against another edition
3.0
I've been reading several books by candidates recently. This one stands out as worth reading for history and ideas that are relevant beyond the 2020 campaign.
dmturner's review against another edition
3.0
Read by the author, the book is an accessible, partisan discussion of the ways in which a government geared toward supporting and promoting the progress of lower- and middle-income citizens has steadily moved toward one supporting big business, large banks, and the wealthy. The effect of policy is illustrated throughout by the stories of three average Americans who have lost momentum due to the government's change of direction. The book, as of spring 2017, was up-to-date, incorporating the events leading up to and immediately following Donald Trump's election.
Things I found illuminating: A discussion of the increasing role of lobbyists in the decision making of elected officials over the last 60 or 70 years; the pervasiveness of the reductive "trickle-down economics" theory of the economy; and a breakdown of the banks' role in the 2008 recession and the Wells Fargo scandal.
Things I found less rewarding: It's one-sided (not a surprise), and it hammers the same points over and over. I listened to it in the car and probably should have read it in hard copy; audiobooks are better when they are complex and rich (I listened Moby Dick and Great Expectations that way and felt enriched as a result). The author's distinctive dry, vehement teacher voice makes her a good speaker but an over-emphatic reader.
Things I found illuminating: A discussion of the increasing role of lobbyists in the decision making of elected officials over the last 60 or 70 years; the pervasiveness of the reductive "trickle-down economics" theory of the economy; and a breakdown of the banks' role in the 2008 recession and the Wells Fargo scandal.
Things I found less rewarding: It's one-sided (not a surprise), and it hammers the same points over and over. I listened to it in the car and probably should have read it in hard copy; audiobooks are better when they are complex and rich (I listened Moby Dick and Great Expectations that way and felt enriched as a result). The author's distinctive dry, vehement teacher voice makes her a good speaker but an over-emphatic reader.
rebekah_nobody's review against another edition
4.0
“Did you hear about the guys sitting in a bar, having a few beers, when Bill Gates walks in?”
…
“One guy yelled, ‘Woo-hoo! On average, everyone in the bar is now a billionaire!'”
And there it is. On average, we’re doing great.
For decades Warren has observed and investigated what the numbers can tell us about wealth and real people in America - no facile averages, no dewy-eyed tech-consolidation-love, and no pretense of being perplexed about where we are today, with known legislative history and cause-and-effect at play. It’s an engaging, exasperating read, very much in the author’s voice.
…
“One guy yelled, ‘Woo-hoo! On average, everyone in the bar is now a billionaire!'”
And there it is. On average, we’re doing great.
For decades Warren has observed and investigated what the numbers can tell us about wealth and real people in America - no facile averages, no dewy-eyed tech-consolidation-love, and no pretense of being perplexed about where we are today, with known legislative history and cause-and-effect at play. It’s an engaging, exasperating read, very much in the author’s voice.
beaupedia's review against another edition
5.0
So very good. It's hard to be hopeful these days, but when she wrote this in the beer early days of the Trump administration she predicted much of what has come to pass, but she was then and remains now passionate and optimistic about our future. She needs to be our next president!
ikuo1000's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Warren, and even though I've had this book since it was released, I hadn't gotten around to reading it until now. I was actually spurred on by having had the amazing opportunity to see Senator Warren speak live at a town hall event. Now, reading this book, I could easily imagine her voice speaking the words, full of passion and intensity.
Without going through a full post-mortem of the 2016 presidential election, suffice it to say that I, personally, do not subscribe to the idea that "economic anxiety of the poor white working class" was the primary reason for why we got the results we did. But the "economic anxiety of the poor white working class" was certainly a factor, and the bulk of this book goes a long way towards explaining the economic reality faced by the poor working class - people who used to be able to live as middle class.
I really enjoyed the personal anecdotes from Elizabeth Warren's own life (and the accompanying photos). She had a humble upbringing, and after a medical emergency, her family was saved from the brink of financial disaster because of a government that ensured a livable minimum wage. As a young adult, she took an unconventional path towards college graduation, which was only possible because of a government that supported affordable commuter colleges and the infrastructure that allowed students to physically get there. For Elizabeth Warren, the fight is personal: she wants every American to be given the same kinds of second chances that she and her family got in the 1960s.
This book provides an eye-opening history of how, after the Great Depression, government policies and regulations leveled the playing field and helped set the stage for long-term economic stability and prosperity for all Americans, regardless of class. (Brief asides do admit that the vast majority of benefits were enjoyed by white people, and racial inequality is an issue in itself.) But then, wealthy corporate leaders systematically stacked the deck in their own favor by promoting pro-business and anti-government rhetoric and policies, breaking the system that had already been proven effective, and leading to wider and wider disparities in income growth - the rich got richer while the poor and middle class stayed where they were, or became worse off.
Elizabeth Warren makes the argument for the kind of social contract Americans enjoyed after the Great Depression, one in which "we worked together to form a giant insurance program, with each of us contributing through taxes. When we needed a hand, we could turn to each other, through our government, to help us make it through... [W]e were all in one big American boat together - rich and poor, working and nonworking, young and old." (p. 99-100) I know some people will reject that kind of philosophy as "socialist" - as if "socialist" were, by definition, a bad thing. And yet, I would think that Christians (who make up a significant portion of the Republican base) especially would find that kind of social contract appealing, because it seems like the most efficient way to ensure that we "value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2:3-4)
To implement that social contract, Elizabeth Warren believes strongly in two specifics tenets: 1) trickle-down economics is total bunk, and 2) the most important thing the government can do to promote opportunity for all is to invest in education, infrastructure, and research. And she brings the receipts, with data and sources backing up her position, all listed out in the Notes section. I also found her no-nonsense attitude - with lines like, "That idea is stupid on its face." (p. 182) - pretty entertaining.
Though most of the book focuses on economics, policies, and the powers that influence them, a few pages towards the end of the book directly addresses the racism, prejudices, and bigotry of the Republican party - and Donald Trump, specifically.
The book wraps up with Elizabeth Warren's perspectives during the 2016 presidential campaign, and her reaction to the results. She doesn't hold back when she paints a bleak picture of the kind of damage a government run by Trump and his Cabinet can do - and has already done - to Americans and the world we live in. But, the book closes with optimism. Elizabeth Warren lays out exactly what this fight entails - we have to fight bigotry, create opportunity, and demand democracy. Specifically, she urges all of us to use whatever platform we have to stand up, speak out, get involved, and even call out other people to do the same. She commits herself to fighting this fight for all Americans, and she invites us to join her.
Without going through a full post-mortem of the 2016 presidential election, suffice it to say that I, personally, do not subscribe to the idea that "economic anxiety of the poor white working class" was the primary reason for why we got the results we did. But the "economic anxiety of the poor white working class" was certainly a factor, and the bulk of this book goes a long way towards explaining the economic reality faced by the poor working class - people who used to be able to live as middle class.
I really enjoyed the personal anecdotes from Elizabeth Warren's own life (and the accompanying photos). She had a humble upbringing, and after a medical emergency, her family was saved from the brink of financial disaster because of a government that ensured a livable minimum wage. As a young adult, she took an unconventional path towards college graduation, which was only possible because of a government that supported affordable commuter colleges and the infrastructure that allowed students to physically get there. For Elizabeth Warren, the fight is personal: she wants every American to be given the same kinds of second chances that she and her family got in the 1960s.
This book provides an eye-opening history of how, after the Great Depression, government policies and regulations leveled the playing field and helped set the stage for long-term economic stability and prosperity for all Americans, regardless of class. (Brief asides do admit that the vast majority of benefits were enjoyed by white people, and racial inequality is an issue in itself.) But then, wealthy corporate leaders systematically stacked the deck in their own favor by promoting pro-business and anti-government rhetoric and policies, breaking the system that had already been proven effective, and leading to wider and wider disparities in income growth - the rich got richer while the poor and middle class stayed where they were, or became worse off.
Elizabeth Warren makes the argument for the kind of social contract Americans enjoyed after the Great Depression, one in which "we worked together to form a giant insurance program, with each of us contributing through taxes. When we needed a hand, we could turn to each other, through our government, to help us make it through... [W]e were all in one big American boat together - rich and poor, working and nonworking, young and old." (p. 99-100) I know some people will reject that kind of philosophy as "socialist" - as if "socialist" were, by definition, a bad thing. And yet, I would think that Christians (who make up a significant portion of the Republican base) especially would find that kind of social contract appealing, because it seems like the most efficient way to ensure that we "value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." (Philippians 2:3-4)
To implement that social contract, Elizabeth Warren believes strongly in two specifics tenets: 1) trickle-down economics is total bunk, and 2) the most important thing the government can do to promote opportunity for all is to invest in education, infrastructure, and research. And she brings the receipts, with data and sources backing up her position, all listed out in the Notes section. I also found her no-nonsense attitude - with lines like, "That idea is stupid on its face." (p. 182) - pretty entertaining.
Though most of the book focuses on economics, policies, and the powers that influence them, a few pages towards the end of the book directly addresses the racism, prejudices, and bigotry of the Republican party - and Donald Trump, specifically.
The book wraps up with Elizabeth Warren's perspectives during the 2016 presidential campaign, and her reaction to the results. She doesn't hold back when she paints a bleak picture of the kind of damage a government run by Trump and his Cabinet can do - and has already done - to Americans and the world we live in. But, the book closes with optimism. Elizabeth Warren lays out exactly what this fight entails - we have to fight bigotry, create opportunity, and demand democracy. Specifically, she urges all of us to use whatever platform we have to stand up, speak out, get involved, and even call out other people to do the same. She commits herself to fighting this fight for all Americans, and she invites us to join her.
linda48's review against another edition
5.0
This book is an eye opener for progressives. Discussing wage gaps, wage inequality, healthcare, women's health issues, and how all of these items are discussed (or not discussed) in today's Congress. Up to date, she sheds light on Trump's cabinet, how the mindset of the cabinet members are poised to take us back rather than making us great, and where do we go from here.
Feisty and proud, Elizabeth Warren takes on lobbyists, politicians and the President. A Good read for those who want to be informed and plan for the future.
Feisty and proud, Elizabeth Warren takes on lobbyists, politicians and the President. A Good read for those who want to be informed and plan for the future.