The War on Normal People
The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future
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The War on Normal People
Narrated by:
Andrew Yang
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Andrew Yang
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By:
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Andrew Yang
About this listen
From 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, a captivating account of how "a skinny Asian kid from upstate" became a successful entrepreneur, only to find a new mission: calling attention to the urgent steps America must take, including Universal Basic Income, to stabilize our economy amid rapid technological change and automation.
The shift toward automation is about to create a tsunami of unemployment. Not in the distant future--now. One recent estimate predicts 45 million American workers will lose their jobs within the next twelve 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."
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Critic reviews
"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
"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, starof ABC's Shark Tank, bestselling author of The Power of Broke, andfounder of FUBU
"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 bestsellingauthor of The Industries of the Future
"America desperately needs a wake-up call. This book will open your eyes to the ongoing effects of automation. Fortunately, aside from knowing full well the many challenges we face, Andrew Yang has a firm grasp of the solutions, most especially our need for Universal Basic Income. Read this book and hear the urgent call for abundance over scarcity, and humanity over abject madness. The clock is ticking."—Scott Santens,Director, U.S. Basic Income Guarantee Network
"Andrew Yang writes with passion and conviction, offering astute analysis--as well as a hopeful solution--for the looming challenge that may well define the coming decades: How can we ensure broad-based prosperity in a future where labor-displacing technology becomes vastly more powerful?"—Martin Ford, NewYork Times bestselling author of Rise of the Robots
"A sobering portrait of a crumbling polity . . . [and] a provocative work of social criticism."—Kirkus Reviews
"I found [The War on Normal People] fascinating and troubling."—Major Garrett, host of CBS News' "The Takeout"
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.
Depressing facts, Inspiring solution
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Excellent book
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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.
Bleak but promising
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An Interesting Character
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Fresh air of optimistic, rational inspiration
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