• Beyond Outrage

  • What Has Gone Wrong with Our Economy and Our Democracy, and How to Fix Them
  • By: Robert B. Reich
  • Narrated by: Robert B. Reich
  • Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (238 ratings)

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Beyond Outrage  By  cover art

Beyond Outrage

By: Robert B. Reich
Narrated by: Robert B. Reich
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Publisher's summary

Robert B. Reich urges Americans to get beyond mere outrage about the nation’s increasingly concentrated wealth and corrupt politics in order to mobilize and to take back our economy and democracy.

Americans can’t rely only on getting good people elected, Reich argues, because nothing positive happens in Washington unless good people outside Washington are organized to help make those things happen after the election. But in order to be effectively mobilized, we need to see the big picture. Reich connects the dots for us, showing why the increasing share of income and wealth going to the top has hobbled jobs and growth for everyone else, while undermining our democracy; has caused Americans to become increasingly cynical about public life; and has turned many Americans against one another. He also explains why the proposals of the “regressive right” are dead wrong and provides a clear road map for what must be done instead. Here is a blueprint for action for everyone who cares about the future of America.

©2012 Robert B. Reich (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about Beyond Outrage

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Falls short

I was looking for some insight on economic and social inequality after seeing a clip of Robert Reich speaking about the topic on a news program. I bought this without knowing much about the author, but he didn't sound like a demagogue and the reviews are so glowing that I thought it would be an interesting listen. The last 3 hours of listening to semi-hysterical talking points have proven me wrong.

This book is probably well regarded on Audible for the same reason that Ann Coulter's toxic brand of punditry get high marks - most people who buy Beyond Outrage are the proverbial choir.

The three part book can roughly be summed up as:

Part 1: Big business and it's senior leadership are wealthy sociopaths.
Part 2: The republican party lacks compassion.
Part 3: Get out and demonstrate/debate

As a left of middle moderate who understands our financial system reasonably well, I found Reich's arguments to be fairly standard Democratic rhetoric. I did not hear technology, globalization, or economic efficiency mentioned at all. As huge contributors to the current state of the world's economies, these are usually central concepts when discussing long term solutions to US economic woes. Additionally, Reich is strangely mute on the rising bar of entry for would be entrepreneurs and how that impacts economic and social inequality by closing the door on the traditional American method for bootstrapping out of poverty.

Ultimately, this book addresses a really complex set of issues in a short period of time. The approach means that a lot of things are going to be rolled up into oversimplified sound bytes, but it doesn't mean that the material has to come across as political propaganda. Unfortunately, I can't help but feel like I've been at a three hour Occupy Wall Street rally. If you are looking for intuitive, insightful commentary on the current state of the US economy and its challenges, you might want to look elsewhere.

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10 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Smart. Clear. Reasonable.

This book was obviously written around the time that Romney was becoming the front-runner in the race and Paul Ryan was gaining prominence as a conservative economic force. And it pretty much lays down the talking points for moderate-to-progressive political thought on the election and the economy. Frankly, I'm outraged more people haven't read this book.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story, lousy editing.

If you could sum up Beyond Outrage in three words, what would they be?

good story weak editting

Any additional comments?

I don't know if it is because of change of ownership or shakeup of editing department, but the quality of Audible.com books has slipped recently. Numerous incidents of "double passages" where one sentence is read and immediately followed by same portion of authors text with minor change of word or two. Ends up being "double speak". Not at all up to the former standard of quality of audio books.

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6 people found this helpful

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A good, quick overview of our troubles

Robert Reich does a good job of summarizing the sickness in America's Public Sector without skimping too much on the details. Very informative and concise. $10 for 3 hours of content is pretty steep. Podcasts do 3 hours for free. That said, if you're in the market for a progressive introduction to Political Activism, this is not a bad place to start.

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3 people found this helpful

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Loved it! I'm going to buy all of his books!

I've learned so much from Robert Reich's books! Very informative. I also have to mention how pleasant he is to listen to. His voice is like a warm drink on a cold winters day.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Sec. of Labor explains it all so well.

If you could sum up Beyond Outrage in three words, what would they be?

Interesting, enlightening, factual

Have you listened to any of Robert B. Reich’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

One of Robert Reich's best books.

If you could give Beyond Outrage a new subtitle, what would it be?

Here is what really is going on with our country and economy... and a look behind the scenes.

Any additional comments?

Robert Reich is not only a compelling author, he's a great narrator.

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Medicare for All in 2012?

Reich has great ideas how corporations shouldn’t be people and must be paid by the approval of shareholders. Plus, he demonstrates how Medicare for all could lower costs Along with increasing more physical therapy And nurse visits to Homes while lowering MRI scans and expensive surgeries.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Good Diagnosis

Reich's analysis and diagnosis of what's wrong in American politics and business today is spot-on. This is as succinct and detailed and clear an explanation as you will get anywhere. Few people can condense the problem into such a short summary without distorting something along the way. I don't always agree with his solutions; I'm skeptical that giving the federal government more power is going to solve the problems that giving government more power has created in the first place. But that's a democrat for you.

That aside, Reich is an excellent audiobook reader. His passion for the subject and his intelligence shine through. He has a great voice for this and ought to do it more often.

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An excellent book

Reich's writing and narration is excellent. Explained in very down to earth terms in a tone that is thoughtful and confident of the facts presented, Reich leads the listener through the lists of problems our democracy faces and explains what can be done to correct them. Thank you Mr. Reich for an excellent book that leaves one with hope that even the average citizen can still influence change in our country.

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UNDERSTANDING HOW THE US GOVERNMENT OPERATES

Great Factual Book By Robert B. Reich. Please read or listen to the book. The people no longer control government.

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