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Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Experience and American Prospects-Revised & Updated Paperback – June 1, 2011
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Dmitry Orlov
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Print length208 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherNew Society Publishers
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Publication dateJune 1, 2011
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Dimensions6 x 0.42 x 9 inches
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ISBN-109780865716858
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ISBN-13978-0865716858
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Editorial Reviews
Review
...Reinventing CollapseThe A Word
Review
"Orlov has a brilliant mind. This is a lucid thought experiment of what could happen to the United States in the event of collapse, whether caused by dependence on oil, debt, other deficits, or, simply, the complexity and fragility of the system. A must-read for all those who study fragility and risk management."
― Nassim N. Taleb, Distinguished Professor of Risk Engineering, NYU-Poly, author The Black Swan
"Dmitry Orlov brings a penetrating intelligence to a subject few dare to face squarely: the impending tragic implosion of the American Dream. He writes with assurance, clarity and wit from a singular point-of-view – someone who has witnessed the prior Soviet crack-up. This book is indispensable for anyone who seeks to understand the economic storm that is about to make landfall on our shores."
― James Howard Kunstler, author The Long Emergency
"Dmitry Orlov is a genius. Reinventing Collapse in its original version has more than stood the test of time and events as a prophetic vision of the challenges that are being so clearly defined for us as a civilization today. The new and revised edition is priceless because it incorporates current events and emerging trends and views them through the eyes of this terrific writer and thinker. And Orlov's sense of humor always plants a minefield full of laugh bombs in the right places. Nobody sees it like Orlov and nobody says it like Orlov."
― Michael C. Ruppert, author Crossing the Rubicon
"Be prepared to have your window shoved open and feel the fresh air shake you up. But don't worry, reading Dmitry Orlov usually just means gaining special insights with a strange, humorous twist. Dmitry is unique, contributing mightily to the vital but suppressed discussion of collapse and rebirth."
― Jan Lundberg, Culture Change
"Unlike many commentators, Orlov has seen collapse first hand, in the Former Soviet Union ― there aren't too many books about the impending collapse of civilization that make you laugh out loud, but Reinventing Collapse is one of them."
― Bart Anderson, energybulletin.net
"Heretical, hysterically funny, always on point, deeply perceptive – Dmitry Orlov has been through a societal collapse and come out the other side. On that other side is a fascinating view of contemporary American society, a good deal of wisdom and a surprising amount of hope – not that some magical transformation will fix everything for us, but that even the collapse of empire is not the end of the world."
― Sharon Astyk, author Depletion & Abundance: Life on the New Home Front and blogger, www.sharonastyk.com
"Orlov's Russian perspective on the American collapse is valuable not just for its predictions, but for its attitude: economic collapse is not an unthinkable horror, but a routine and fascinating part of history, and if you find yourself in one, you should look around."
― Ran Prieur, ranprieur.com
"Dmitry Orlov has set out to write a gloomy comparison of what happened to Russia at the end of the Soviet Empire and how illprepared the American Empire is for the same fate, and ended up writing something wickedly funny, profoundly hopeful and filled with good advice. His advice is not to avoid collapse, that would be futile, but to prosper and thrive in the midst of it."
― Albert Bates, attorney, inventor, and author The Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook
Book Description
A guide to the decline of the American empire for individuals, families and communities
About the Author
Dmitry Orlov was born and raised in Leningrad, USSR and immigrated to the United States in the mid-seventies. Starting in 2005, he has written extensively on the subject of the approaching collapse of the United States, and the many similarities and differences between the post-American and the post-Soviet experience.
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Product details
- ASIN : 0865716854
- Publisher : New Society Publishers; Revised and Updated edition (June 1, 2011)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 208 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9780865716858
- ISBN-13 : 978-0865716858
- Item Weight : 12 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.42 x 9 inches
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Best Sellers Rank:
#438,919 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #184 in Canadian Politics
- #616 in Political Economy
- #1,115 in Russian History (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
Top reviews from the United States
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If you think America is situated to face an uncertain future with strength, you aren't ready for this book yet. There are so many vulnerabilities to choose from, does it really matter which event is the straw that breaks the camel's back? Choose your poison. Is it Peak Oil? Is it the national debt? A natural disaster? An environmental catastrophe? Some combination thereof?
If you think of America as an exceptional nation, you may take umbrage at Orlov's characterization of Americans as overfed with unreal, unnourishing foods, overmedicated with various psychoactive drugs, conditioned to the indentured servitude of mortgages and private health insurance.
I consider it valuable that Orlov gave many examples of how ordinary Russians adapted after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Certain aspects of Russian life and culture facilitated that adaptability, and some hindered it. He seems to me to write about a certain kind of inner work, developing the determination to observe, learn the lessons of history, and adapt to rapidly changing situations. He also writes about outer preparation in matters such as food, fuel, transportation and security. You need not suffer from the collapse of the United States. Who knows, you might even thrive with a little advance preparation.
One could think of this book as a particular instance of Stein's Law, "Things that can't go on forever, won't."
The reason I only gave this book four stars is because I consider it to think of collapse as an economic phenomenon, as opposed to a moral phenomenon. I don't know how long a nation can last with a government that doesn't share its values. And he only thinks about how individuals can adapt to the collapse of the United States, not about any future reconstitution. But as far as it goes, it considers ideas that many Americans would do well to consider.
Even with rudimentary understanding of history, we know that a democracy cannot be sustained without a strong, vibrant middle class. To those who deny this is a problem, you lived through 2008. You should have learned enough that it could happen again and on a much greater scale.
Orlov provides an insightful perspective, including an insider's view as having spent time there, on Russia and the comparisons are instructive and often verge into gallows humor: boondoggles are good. Americans are actually smart in their voter apathy (an original idea I've not heard expressed before, but in a twisted way makes sense). "Why should essentially powerless people want to engage in a humiliating farce designed to demonstrate the legitimacy of those who wield the power?" According to Orlov, In Russia, during the Soviet era, smart people did their best to ignore the Communists, either through praise or criticism.
In the latter sections, Orlov almost cheerily outlines possible means of surviving the collapse based on skills and opportunities.
Also recommended in this genre: Morris Berman's trilogy, "The Twilight of American Culture," "Dark Ages America," and "Why America Failed."
This is all for the open-minded and not those desperately clinging to the myth of American Exceptionalism. If the Russians were resilient and adept at dealing with shortages and bureaucracy, we soft overstuffed consumers, besotted with junk food and i-pads and bottomless debt might do well to listen.
Top reviews from other countries
Spot on analytics by one of the best..
No he is not an 'expert' and thank God for that. Because he is not burdened by being an 'expert', something we have far too many of in our society, he delivers an exceptionally clear and concise breakdown of the USSR and the US similarities. He is an engineer. So he can break things down and view it from a clear sequential perspective.
Look for Orlov's work to become more and more popular as the mass psychosis of entitlement washes away from the minds of the masses while the collapse increases its momentum.
Cheers
dh

