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The War on Normal People
- Narrated by: Andrew Yang
- Length: 6 hrs and 55 mins
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The War on Normal People
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Summary
From entrepreneur Andrew Yang, the founder of Venture for America, an eye-opening look at how new technologies are erasing millions of jobs before our eyes - and a rallying cry for the urgent steps America must take, including Universal Basic Income, to stabilize our economy.
The shift toward automation is about to create a tsunami of unemployment. Not in the distant future - now. One recent estimate predicts 13 million American workers will lose their jobs within the next seven years - jobs that won't be replaced. In a future marked by restlessness and chronic unemployment, what will happen to American society?
In The War on Normal People, Andrew Yang paints a dire portrait of the American economy. Rapidly advancing technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation software are making millions of Americans' livelihoods irrelevant. The consequences of these trends are already being felt across our communities in the form of political unrest, drug use, and other social ills. The future looks dire - but is it unavoidable?
In The War on Normal People, Yang imagines a different future - one in which having a job is distinct from the capacity to prosper and seek fulfillment. At this vision's core is Universal Basic Income, the concept of providing all citizens with a guaranteed income - and one that is rapidly gaining popularity among forward-thinking politicians and economists. Yang proposes that UBI is an essential step toward a new, more durable kind of economy, one he calls "human capitalism."
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
Critic reviews
"In this powerful book, Andrew Yang highlights the urgent need to rewrite America's social contract. In a call to arms that comes from both head and heart, Yang has made an important contribution to the debate about where America is headed and what we need to do about it." (Alec Ross, New York Times best-selling author of The Industries of the Future)
"This book is a must read. Andrew Yang is tackling one of the biggest challenges facing our country the way only an entrepreneur can, but unlike most, he sees the big picture. Making money is good for you - but building a strong society and strong people is good for all of us. The topics Andrew addresses in this book aren't about some dystopian future way down the road. These things are happening today, and every entrepreneur should read this book to understand the challenges of the next decade." (Daymond John, star of ABC's Shark Tank, best-selling author of The Power of Broke, and founder of FUBU)
"Andrew Yang is one of those rare visionaries who puts dreams into action. The War on Normal People is both a clear-eyed look at the depths of our social and economic problems and an innovative roadmap toward a better future." (Arianna Huffington, Founder and CEO of Thrive Global)
"A sobering portrait of a crumbling polity...[and] a provocative work of social criticism." (Kirkus Reviews)
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What listeners say about The War on Normal People
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 18-08-19
Extremely important book
I’ve been listening to Yang’s interviews with great curiosity and I decided to dig a bit deeper. I am not disappointed. This is a very insightful, extremely important book delivered eloquently.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 22-04-18
Bleak but promising
Andrew Yang paints a bleak picture of the future. If it were painted by a child, it would take him to a psychiatrist's office. But the author is no child, and no psychiatrist could conceivably deliver us from the menace of technological and sociological change.
The book is a powerfully personal plea by a successful entrepreneur for a "human capitalism" to alleviate the social decay and psychological disruption caused by the creative destruction of capitalism. He argues for a Universal Basic Income as a cushion for the savaged working class.
What I most liked about the book was the brutal, honest and shocking writing style. He reveals more about himself, and about America, that most people would be comfortable with. Even though the author apparently has political ambitions, there is nothing sugar-coated about his words. This is hard talk about harsh realities.
The book is just as long as it needs to be. The first half is clearly superior to the second. It prognosticates about a dystopian future where robots do most of the work and whole regions are abandoned to joblessness, crime and waste. A doomsday prophet is always better at scaring people than at offering remedies and hope.
The book is at its best when it makes the reader s--t her pants. The UBI solution is offered as the remedy. Yang calls it, loftily, a "freedom dividend", which provides unconditional cash transfers to all people. I agree with his solytion, although he doesn't add much new to the burgeoning debate around UBI. He openly lifts his proposal almost wholesale from Andy Stern's recent (and impressive) book, Raising the Floor. This is fine, since Stern has it right.
Where the book falters is where it attempts to dabble in broader, speculative policy proposals. These range from misguided moral panic in his efforts to blame the free markets for the failures of governments (such as Wall Street bail-outs and America's corrupt health care system) to promising, but underdeveloped, ideas in new institutional arrangements (such as the idea of energizing dying cities with government-backed time banks and other social credit arrangements). It's all very rough, very hit and miss.
Despite his occasionally wild and silly proposals, and despite his relentless dystopianism, I found his raw message to be hard-hitting and very important. I don't think we have any choice than to implement UBI and embrace technological change.
There's an uncensored urgency to his message. It slaps the reader in the face. Good job, Yang, you have my attention.
PS..Andrew Yang reads his own book, which is very personal, so it feels doubly intimate.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aoife Barror
- 21-03-19
Love this! ambitious, urgent and inspiring.
Very enjoyable listen with lots of interesting and well thought out ideas range from things that make you think "that's worth a shot" to "that would literally transform the world"
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jamie
- 29-06-18
Essential listening
Excellent and essential reading / listening for anyone who wants a glimpse of our near-term future, and some practical ideas on what to do about it.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Andreas Andersen
- 25-08-19
A thorough and well researched argument for UBI.
The argument is made mostly through case studies which makes it easy to listen to. However, as a lot of the book is statistics and political opinions/argumentation, so I don't feel I can rate it higher than 3/5 story-wise.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 17-10-19
This man is an inspiration
Listening to this man talk about the realities of our time gives me hope for our future. The future is now and Andrew Yang has the right idea about it, everything we already know but couldn't articulate he does eloquently.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Conor
- 10-08-19
Presidential
He has intellect, empathy and honesty in spades. No other dem candidate comes close on these metrics. Have just joined the yanggang. Wish him well in 2020
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Azu I.
- 17-04-19
Enlightening & Scary
An interesting perspective on a potential version of the future.
Something definitely needs to change if we want to avoid what appears to be an inevitable future.
Andrew provides some very positive heart warming solutions, which I just hope more people would consider, rather than attempting to block.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Peter
- 27-07-18
Depressing facts, Inspiring solution
A comprehensive review of the US and in part of the Western world in general. Packed full of facts, this might actually reduce some people’s desire to consume this, but for me it shows that the recommendations and conclusions are absolutely required.
Clearly inspired by his own work and the failure of government, the author gives a rousing call to action. If life were to move in this direction I feel it would be good for the US and hence the world.
It gets my vote.
The authors voice is a bit monotonous at times but you get used to it and his passion does come through.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. O J French
- 20-07-18
superb vision for the future
a great possible future for man kind. These ideas are great and well thought out
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