Plutocrats

The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else

De: Chrystia Freeland

Narrado por: Allyson Ryan

There has always been some gap between rich and poor in this country, but in the last few decades what it means to be rich has changed dramatically. Alarmingly, the greatest income gap is not between the 1 percent and the 99 percent, but within the wealthiest 1 percent of our nation - as the merely wealthy are left behind by the rapidly expanding fortunes of the new global super-rich. Forget the 1 percent; Plutocrats proves that it is the wealthiest 0.1 percent who are outpacing the rest of us at break-neck speed.

What's changed is more than numbers. Today, most colossal fortunes are new, not inherited - amassed by perceptive businessmen who see themselves as deserving victors in a cut-throat international competition. As a transglobal class of successful professionals, today's self-made oligarchs often feel they have more in common with one another than with their countrymen back home. Bringing together the economics and psychology of these new super-rich, Plutocrats puts us inside a league very much of its own, with its own rules.

The closest mirror to our own time is the late 19th century Gilded Age - the era of powerful "robber barons" like Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller. Then as now, emerging markets and innovative technologies collided to produce unprecedented wealth for more people than ever in human history. Yet those at the very top benefited far more than others - and from this pinnacle they exercised immense and unchecked power in their countries. Today's closest analogue to these robber barons can be found in the turbulent economies of India, Brazil, and China, all home to ferocious market competition and political turmoil. But wealth, corruption, and populism are no longer constrained by national borders, so this new Gilded Age is already transforming the economics of the West as well. Plutocrats demonstrates how social upheavals generated by the first Gilded Age may pale in comparison to what is in store for us, as the wealth of the entire globalized world is concentrated in fewer and fewer hands.

Cracking open the tight-knit world of the new global super-rich is Chrystia Freeland, an acclaimed business journalist who has spent nearly two decades reporting on the new transglobal elite. She parses an internal Citigroup memo that urges clients to design portfolios around the international "Plutonomy" and not the national “rest”; follows Russian, Mexican, and Indian oligarchs during the privatization boom as they manipulate the levers of power to commandeer their local economies; breaks down the gender divide between the vast female-managed "middle class" and the world's one thousand billionaires; shows how, by controlling both the economic and political institutions of their nation, the richest members of China's National People's Congress have amassed more wealth than every branch of American government combined - the president, his cabinet, the justices of the Supreme Court, and both houses of Congress.

Though the results can be shocking, Freeland dissects the lives of the world's wealthiest individuals with empathy, intelligence, and deep insight. Intelligently written, powerfully researched, and propelled by fascinating original interviews with the plutocrats themselves, Plutocrats is a tour-de-force of social and economic history, and the definitive examination of inequality in our time.

©2012 Chrystia Freeland (P)2012 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Sobering, if we can grasp the implications." ( Library Journal)

Brilliant read/listen...

If you are at the bottom with hopes of one day making it this is what you need.

A glimpse into the lives of the .1%

What made the experience of listening to Plutocrats the most enjoyable?

Freeland offers an interesting opportunity to see and to experience the worldview of the super rich and the ultra influential both past and present. As the influence of the uber wealthy increases and the world's plutocrats increasingly answer to nobody beyond their inner circle, this book proves particularly timely.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Ryan has a nice voice, but her frequent mispronunciations detracted from her narration and made me question whether or not she understood what she was reading. I would imagine that the job of a narrator would include learning the meanings and correct pronunciations of any unfamiliar words.

Apolotegic: Overglamourises Plutocrats

I purchased this book because I saw Chrystia doing an interview about the topic. Starts with a survey of plutocrats in the past to establish a basis for comparison but quickly devolves into an apologist's vantage of plutocrats and oligarchs, a trend that continues past half the book. I was a bit discouraged with the tone, but I decided to finish it. She finally returned to the tone I expected, albeit more politically correct and nuanced treatment than I would have liked.

As I listened to the audiobook version, I'll mention that the narrator did a good job reading the material, notwithstanding the mispronunciation of several words, most notably "specious" and employing the rendering of "conservatorship" with a long A vowel sound; this, whilst technically correct is awkward and uncommon, so perhaps an overly pedantic choice over the more typical pronunciation with a short A or schwa sound."

Money sure Contributes To Happiness

“Plutocrats” is one of the most appropriate books of the 2012 area. It deeply reveals the inequalities in our society. Far from been a critic of plutocracy, I find the book to be more of a window into the world of plutocrats. I couldn’t say that I’ve learned how to become wealthy in this book but, I can definitely say that it increased my understanding of their bubble. I would have loved Chrystia to talk a little bit about her and how she got access to all the plutocrats she interviewed.

Beautifully Insightful

An even balance between an unbiased generalization of knowledge on the subject and detailed facts; one could walk away much more informed than before just having heard the very first chapter, however, it is the entirety of this read that is, by far, of the most value.

For me, good for reading not listening

Any additional comments?

I think it's a good book to be read not listened to because of the volume of information and details.

great information

good information on what's really going on in the of the one percent, and a call to action

How The 0.1% Lives

A must read for anyone interested in the world view global super-elite that's changing our world to suit their needs with no awareness of how it affects the rest of us.
Well written and wonderfully read.

Interesting read

Is there anything you would change about this book?

If you are drawn to the topic, it is an interesting read

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Just how "rich" rich people are

Would you listen to another book narrated by Allyson Ryan?

Yes

Could you see Plutocrats being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Not really

Good Read

Very informative. It put me on to how the 1-10% think and how they shape the business world.