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Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream

Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream

  • Downloads：3225
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-10-24 06:21:45
  • Update Date：2025-09-14
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David Leonhardt
  • ISBN：0812993209
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Reviews

Nancy ，

I took an elective in economics in high school after a teacher recommended it。 What I most remember was being told that a high national debt was the result of a growing economy， and since it was money we owe to ourselves， we shouldn’t be worried about a high debt。When I took that class， the economy was still good。 My dad had a union job with great benefits。 We had two cars and a house in the suburbs。 He talked about his international lab at Chrysler， with engineers from India and Lebanon。But soc I took an elective in economics in high school after a teacher recommended it。 What I most remember was being told that a high national debt was the result of a growing economy， and since it was money we owe to ourselves， we shouldn’t be worried about a high debt。When I took that class， the economy was still good。 My dad had a union job with great benefits。 We had two cars and a house in the suburbs。 He talked about his international lab at Chrysler， with engineers from India and Lebanon。But society was also under strain。 We watched helicopters flying overhead， taking National Guard to Detroit in ’67。 Kids from my high school class went to an antiwar protest and fhad to run from the police。 Inflation and lines at gas stations plagued my early marriage， and when we bought a house the mortgage had a 15。5% interest rate。 Fast forward to 2008， and when our son graduated from college， it took two years to find a job。What happened？David Leonhardt’s take on the American Dream is a comprehensive history of the social and political influences that drove the growth of the middle class and later drove huge business profits at the expense of workers。Yes， there is a lot of information， but I found it interesting reading。He breaks the book down into “The Rise” and “The Fall。” A central theme of The Rise is the importance of unions to workers。 President F。 D。 Roosevelt supported living wages and unions。 After WWII， business believed that well paid workers was good for the economy， therefore good for business。 In The Fall， he shows how the breakdown in society into separate interest groups， especially those with ‘elite’ concerns over working/middle class concerns， impacted politics and the economy， and how social disorder and crime drove people to switch political allegiance。I found the book to be balanced， engaging， and very informative。Thanks to the publisher for a free book。 。。。more

Steven ，

I thought it was very interesting。 I agree with most of it。 But I haven't finished it yet。 I thought it was very interesting。 I agree with most of it。 But I haven't finished it yet。 。。。more

Melissa ，

This review is based on an advance reader copy。 This book is a good history of US economic policy and an argument for fixing things for the future。 While there is a lot of interesting information here， it can be dry and repetitive at times。 Some chapters also had a lot of names I wasn't previously familiar with and it was difficult to keep them all straight。 Leonhardt does do a fantastic job of explaining concepts in a way that makes sense to laypeople （like me） instead of hiding behind economic This review is based on an advance reader copy。 This book is a good history of US economic policy and an argument for fixing things for the future。 While there is a lot of interesting information here， it can be dry and repetitive at times。 Some chapters also had a lot of names I wasn't previously familiar with and it was difficult to keep them all straight。 Leonhardt does do a fantastic job of explaining concepts in a way that makes sense to laypeople （like me） instead of hiding behind economics lingo that only other economists understand。Though it is pretty clear through his writing that he is a liberal， Leonhardt presents a well balanced look at past presidents and their economic policies。 He doesn't pull punches when calling his own party out on their shortcomings either， putting into words frustrations that I am sure I share with many others。Overall， a very good， if somewhat dense read。 。。。more