On the 25th anniversary of the publication of his mega-best seller The Greening of America (250,000 sold in hardcover and more than 2 million in paperback), Charles Reich offers a bold new appraisal of why America has lost its way and how it can rededicate itself to the pursuit of true prosperity for all its citizens.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Addressing practical questions of economics and politics raised in his 1970 youth-consciousness bestseller, The Greening of America, Reich here critiques "the System"-the nexus of governmental, corporate and media power that, he argues, nullifies democracy and dominates our lives. Our societal goal of profit cannot serve human needs, he stresses; nor does a focus on economic growth consider costs like urban decay and family breakup. A visiting law professor at Yale, Reich argues that the Bill of Rights, should be applied in the workplace, where it is regularly violated, and that the war against crime also violates the Constitution. He trenchantly suggests a "new map of reality" to recognize the costs imposed by our current "economic tyranny" but proposes, quixotically, a program that includes constitutional guarantees of economic rights and a rejiggering of the economy to focus on human needs. We need a new consciousness, Reich finally urges, but his ethereal book says nothing about the current disarray on the multicultural left or the international trend away from statist government.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
It's been 25 years since Reich ignited national discourse with his The Greening of America, and we're glad he's back. Believing that identifying a problem is the first step toward solving it, Reich presents a frank and lucid explanation for our pervasive sense of social insecurity. The source of our ills is what he calls the "economic government," which dominates over "public government" and rides roughshod over the needs and beliefs of most citizens. This is the unacknowledged "System" responsible for the corporate raiding of America and the entrenchment of a managerial elite whose only motive is profit for the few. As Reich diligently uncovers the roots of such tragedies as the devaluation of labor, the struggles of the "working poor" and the homeless, the escalation of violence, and the undermining of genuine democracy, he encourages us to ask, insistently, why there isn't enough money for schools, libraries, health care, and the arts. Why has there been a steady impoverishment of society while the wealth and influence of corporations have skyrocketed? Reich's cogent and compelling objections to the "tyranny of economics" are certain to strike a deep chord with readers who reject the brutality of business as usual. Donna Seaman
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Book Substantiates C.Wright Mills' "Power Elite" Thesis,
By Barron Laycock "Labradorman" (Temple, New Hampshire United States) - See all my reviews (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Opposing The System (Hardcover)
In this largely ignored follow up book to his overwhelming best seller "The Greening of America", Charles Reich threads together an impressive argument that essentially validates the long-standing "power-elite" thesis forwarded by sociologists such as C. Wright Mills and G. William Domhoff. The present effort, written in compelling terms and reading more like a thriller at points than a dry stuffy academic tome, illustrates how the federal government, which in the times of FDR's New Deal stood as a lone bulwark shielding average citizens from the excesses of industrial capitalism, has since dumped the interests of the average citizen to become the chief apologist and cheerleader for the large multi-national corporations, which have consequently become a world power unto themselves. With the new policies of the government acting in lockstep with the interests of the corporations, there is no countervaling force acting to shield private individuals from the excesses of profit-orientation, and this leaves individual citizens at the mercy of anonymous mulit-national forces they are now impotent to combat. Certainly legislative actions such as the NAFTA and GATT packages were oriented to the interests of large multinational corporations far better than those of average citizens. Yet, almost mysteriously, little public debate were encourgade or observed. Through a number of examples he illustrates how fedearl and state governmental decisions rouitnely show preferencet for anonymous corporations as though they were their constituency, instead of us, serving their needs and protecting their interests against ours. He cites examples in which the provisions of the Taft-Hartley antitrust legislation are strangely but openly twisted to serve the purposes of the corporate entities and against the efforts of individuals. This thin volume is interesting reading and a wake-up call for individuals who think our socioeconomic system represents a level playing field and that each of us has an open opportunity to rise in the system based on hard work and relative merit. Then again, as H. L. Mencken wrote, we have the best Congress that money can buy; the problem is that we didn't buy them. the corporations did.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reich is right on,
By A Customer
This review is from: Opposing The System (Hardcover)
This book explains some basic factors why modern society is in such a mess.We are now ruled by what Reich calls the System, a merger of governments, top corporations,lawyers and media.The System puts economic factors above all else.They talk about free markets, but in reality they work for markets controlled by them.The power elite call for individual responsibility, but they are silent about their own social responsibilities.Attacks on "big government" are a smokescreen to hide the fact that corporations now control government.Welfare is needed to counter the deprivations caused by the System.Reich points out that corporations don't have to comply with the Bill of Rights.He gives an example where two employees of a large scale firm were sacked simply for dating.Reich shows how the power elite have been planning for years to take over society, and it has now happened.This is a very good book to help explain some basic causes of what is wrong in society today.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Reich pulls no punches,
By A Customer
This review is from: Opposing The System (Hardcover)
A sequel to his book, "The Greening of America", Charles Reich has presented an informative, influential, and provocative view of what has happened to America and democracy. Reich highlights the idea of economic government, in which a small managerial corporate elite wields great power over the masses. Also, such a "System" goes largely unnoticed by the masses, resulting in much difficult for social change.Most striking is the integration of law, politics, economics, and psychology. In a straight-forward and incisive style, Reich pulls it all together and highlights what the "System" is and the magnititude of its power. Although Reich does give a general guideline on how to oppose the "System", he could stand to give more specific examples, and show how such decisions can be made in everyday life. All in all, this is a great read, and strikingly realistic.
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