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The Great Divergence: America's Growing Inequality Crisis And What We Can Do About It (2012)

by Timothy Noah(Favorite Author)

3.68 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

160819633X (ISBN13: 9781608196333)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Bloomsbury Press

review 1: I want to give this book a higher rating, as its content and message are so important. America does have an inequality crisis that is getting worse, and Noah does a good job examining the various factors--government policy, Wall Street regulation (or lack thereof), the college premium, immigration policies, etc.--that contribute to this problem and make it so much worse than in most other countries considered our economic peers. The writing is clear and mostly interesting, and the arguments mostly well formed. However, the book sorely lacks a decent editorial team. I would have sent Noah back to write at least one more draft, one in which he a) provided more upfront motivation for why we should care (he's preaching to the choir in this book, but still), b) cut some of the ... moredetailed biographical notes on certain historical figures and some of the block quotes from other sources (an undergraduate move as used here), c) edited carefully to address the at-times condescending tone and somewhat politically incorrect phrasing and/or examples, and d) used headings consistently throughout the chapters--or did not use them at all. 3 stars because the content and arguments are so very interesting and important. 5 had the editors been more on the ball.
review 2: This book is an interesting synthesis of the arguments surrounding the inequality crisis. There are many interesting points and lots of fascinating details. HOWEVER. This book is very dense. It has many numbers, which Noah does not always present in the clearest way. He also makes a few points that don't seem to add up at all. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history, economics, or politics. I would not recommend this as an easy or fun read. less

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