On Corruption in America

And What Is at Stake

By: Sarah Chayes

Narrated by: Sarah Chayes

Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

From the prize-winning journalist and internationally recognized expert on corruption in government networks throughout the world comes a major work that looks homeward to America, exploring the insidious, dangerous networks of corruption of our past, present, and precarious future.

“If you want to save America, this might just be the most important book to read now." (Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains)

Sarah Chayes writes in her new book that the United States is showing signs similar to some of the most corrupt countries in the world. Corruption, she argues, is an operating system of sophisticated networks in which government officials, key private-sector interests, and out-and-out criminals interweave. Their main objective: not to serve the public, but to maximize returns for network members.

In this unflinching exploration of corruption in America, Chayes exposes how corruption has thrived within our borders - from the titans of America's Gilded Age (Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, et al.) to the collapse of the stock market in 1929, the Great Depression, and FDR's New Deal; from Joe Kennedy's years of banking, bootlegging, machine politics, and pursuit of infinite wealth to the deregulation of the Reagan Revolution - undermining this nation's proud middle class and union members. She then brings us to the present as she shines a light on the Clinton policies of political favors and personal enrichment and documents Trump's hydra-headed network of corruption, which aimed to systematically undo the Constitution and our laws.

Ultimately and most importantly, Chayes reveals how corrupt systems are organized, how they enable bad actors to bend the rules so their crimes are covered legally, how they overtly determine the shape of our government, and how they affect all levels of society, especially when the corruption is overlooked and downplayed by the rich and well-educated.

©2020 Sarah Chayes (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Both right and left revile 'the swamp,' but Sarah Chayes is the first to provide a compelling--to say nothing of brave--account of how sophisticated self-dealing networks of every stripe are rigging the rules and poisoning our politics. If you want to save America, this might just be the most important book to read now." —Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains

"I can't imagine a more important book for our time." —Sebastian Junger

"Compelling, fascinating . . . a call to action." —The Huffington Post

Revealing the acceptance of corruption in America

This book should be required reading for every American citizen. It’s incredibly well researched. It’s incredibly well organized. So many things that have bothered me over the years about the way money controls the politics and life in this country— she explains how all these things tie together and how the networks operate. It’s full of those a-ha moments. And the best part is that in the last chapter, she gives hope by offering solutions that we can all participate in. It is so necessary to offer those solutions because the book overall is very intense and at times distressing. It also must be recognized that this woman is a true expert, who has worked all over the world and in multiple administrations. I highly recommend this book.

An Outstanding Production of Work

Ms. Chayes, delivered a very informative and thought provoking book. From the beginning to the end of this audio book, my attention was kept. Ms. Chayes provided so much knowledge of the unknown to the average US citizen, I found myself on several occasions thinking WTF & Are You Serious moments. I'm also very appreciative that she narrated her work, I was able to recognize the emotions expressed throughout the listening. In learning what I was hearing, alot of frustration came over me, this was a continuous reminder as to why I don't trust nor belive politicians. I digress, brilliant audio book by the author, I'd love to hear more like this from you, your experiences. thank you for sharing.

Awesome
Semper Fi
Stay In The Fight

Excellent Book, Speculative Conclusions

Each chapter was fascinating but required some fact checking and careful review of the path to conclusion. In the interest of “poetic” writing, the author tended to make blanket, unsupported claims. Often, independent checking yielded that she was correct. Occasionally, she stretched the conclusion to a falsehood or at best unsupported conclusion

Despite some problems, I highly recommend this book. Well worth the time both to read and investigate.

very well written and well documented.

interestingly written words, weaving of religion, mythology. actual history, current events, and global patterns of corruption.

This is the most thorough description of the real deep state you’ll find.

I’ve read dozens of books on the topic and this is perhaps the best. From offering the big sweeping historical view of the challenges to any people’s government anywhere in the world, through considerations of various cultural differences, to the realities of the modern globalized world economy, Chayes describes how corruption networks so readily emerge. The she talks realistically but passionately about how we might prevent our final descent into corruption driven servitude.

Must Read

All people should read this book. It challenges the fundamentals of our society and who we are. Can not recommend enough.

should be required reading at universities

Sarah Chayes' fe experience along with her considerable research and her obvious devotion to enhancing our understanding of the political system we are all unwilling participants of at this time has made for and I opening and brain expanding experience that does not let you see America the same again.

A critical look at our current state.

I am a person with career history working first as a hunter of the types of individuals featured in this book, and later as a technologist that worked around many of the places and organizations that are broadly outlined in the chapters. The book adds a yellow highlighter to the reality of our world today but then. towards the end of this book, wondered if this was a new version of a utopian Marks or Lenin channeling through the author. Well, we all know how that worked out and so the irony that 'the Hydra' never dies in this book is not lost on me.

A challenge to every American

The author has used not only her own vast experience but has accepted and requested even more knowledge and insight from experts in various fields of endeavor related to politics and government, culture, history, mythology, in whatever direction her research, experience, and concern for our country have taken her, to inform us about the systemic corruption in TheUnited States. She then issued a clear, detailed list of many ways in which we as ordinary citizens can weed out that corruption

Spectacular!

This is clear and concise writing that held my interest from beginning to end. It must be more widely read as it is an important work for today’s population.