Another Now

Dispatches from an Alternative Present

By: Yanis Varoufakis

Narrated by: Leighton Pugh

Length: 7 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

What would a fair and equal society look like?

Imagine it is now 2025 and that years earlier, in the wake of the world financial crisis of 2008, a new post-capitalist society had been born. In this ingenious book, world-famous economist Yanis Varoufakis draws on the greatest thinkers in European culture from Plato to Marx to offer us a dramatic and tantalising glimpse of this brave new world, where the principles of democracy, equality and justice are truly served.

But in setting out what would be needed to forge such a society, he identifies a painful but important truth: that the greatest obstacles to making such a vision a reality lie within each of us.

This book offers answers to some of the most pressing questions of today. It also challenges us to consider how we might answer them in our lives.

©2020 Yanis Varoufakis (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Very interesting way to put across promising ideas

I like this book a lot. Very enjoyable listen. I came to care for the characters and was a little sad when the end credits rolled, as I will miss their thought-provoking conversations. The economic and political ideas are intriguing. I can see a lot of value in them, Well done Yanis. Thanks for all your hard work. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

very important book

delightfully rare combo of readable and believable utopian narrative & much needed hardnosed political theory

Brilliant teacher, miserable author of fiction

I deeply admire Yanis Varoufakis for his thinking on economics and politics, and love watching him speak and teach. It never occurred to me that a sci-fi book by him could be so incredibly DULL!

The editors of the book failed to convey the age old "Show, don't tell" maxim to the fresh author of fiction, so failing to turn a very promising concept into a book worth reading.

The narration also sucks, big time! It might put you to sleep, though, if you don't get too annoyed by the constant condescension the narrator conveys.

Essential Reading

As might be expected, I found it difficult to catch on at the beginning but, once the main characters and premise had been well and truly stated, I was rapt with excited attention as Varoufakis’ revealed his alternate to our dreadful present of unfettered capitalism. I dream that this might become a reality...
Well done Yanis!!!

sorry yanis

if you listen to Yanis this is just a self indulgence of his....all his pet ideas out into a fictional narrative .....problem is his ideas are far better than his fictional writing ....sorry Yanis love your mind but hate this book and your story telling...it should have written it as a scholarly A level primer ...then it would have been brilliant ...still love you though

Tantalising look at alternatives to parts of our current society

Once you push through the slightly cheesy format and embrace the storytelling device as a more consumable method than lists of bullet points and process diagrams, it's a very interesting and surprisingly rich look at alternatives to our capitalist structures. It treads a careful line with the depth of explanation of the issues (for example workplace democracy and capital funding without money creation) between being so detailed as to be boring and being too thin on explanation as to make the alternative now seem unrealistic and facile. The steps towards the Other Now, as opposed to how it currently operates, are lightly detailed at times but present enough to give food for thought and further research. I liked how it showed conflicting opinions and how different value systems interpret the Other Now without explicitly settling on one as 'correct'.

interesting thought experiment

Generally I like Varoufakis' work but his this book convinced me he's much better at spotting problems than providing solutions. Several of the systems are horrible. For example, the prospect of being thrown out of your house every year would mean anyone would make a home their own, just live in a generic state of flux. Companies run in manner where people aren't obliged to do any particular task would also seem pretty doomed.
Still interesting ideas and worth a listen.

Even if the the Sci-fi part at beginning did not a

Even if the the Sci-fi part at beginning did not always hold my attention, I gave 5star, as I think the format is brilliant, naration is very good, and the economic theory something new and exciting.

The economic part is fascinating and offer an alternative to the capitalist system, still using the market economy and technology.

Then, Yannis, makes a social critique the projected system. It is deep and emotional.

Finally, a political moral debate erupt from 3 characters, wich have 3 distinct political stances. I saw myself in one (obviously), so it is easy to undertand and define your position within society.

Note: I loved a short passage where the scientist, uses Odyssey's Sirenes, as an allegory, to help a young character navigate its life.
In that episode, Odysseus attached itself to a pole so he can go through this difficult moment, without vacillating.
The "pole" represent our values, our believes. Sometime, in our lives, we need a reminder of our true goals. We need to attach ourselves, to personal moral principals.

Great vision of a left-wing society. Meh novel.

I really enjoyed this. As an explanation of a possible post-capitalist society, it's compelling.

However, don't go into this expecting a gripping plot with fleshed out characters. It's more of a socratic dialogue.

Still, the story and characters do just about enough to keep this from being just a dry description of a societal model. I was actually slightly moved by the ending.

Will make you question

As a big fan of all his books, I was was much looking forward to Yanis Varoufakis latest. It didn’t disappoint. Great story, which really makes you think. It’s also reminded me to question assumptions I make because ‘that’s the way it’s always been’. Yanis really is a genius.

thought provoking

Very interesting, perhaps the foundation of a true alternative, but not every relevant question is answered. certainly the path from our society to the "other now" presented here is peppered with unbelievably optimistic assumptions about how people, and societies, would behave under certain circumstances. Still, the end result, whilst not 100% believable, seems like a good attempt at balance that might be worth pursuing.

An actual alternative.

Nicely written and engaging by using the fiction story to frame the arguments. very clever. really convincing and compelling alternative. Most of it I can imagine working. Not sure about all the committees people are supposed to participate in. I can see that being manipulated by a few strong characters. Although it's good the transition is dealt with, ie how people might work together to force governments to change, I can still see the resistance and appathy to this being so strong its not likely to happen.

A breath of fresh air.

A breath of fresh air. It nice to hear a story that give ideas and hope in what is now very challenging times. I've already brought few copeis to give to family and friends.

A hope for a brighter future

Yanis combines an interesting narrative into a potentially better future. A unique creation, part story with well developed characters, part a detailed critique of our failing capitalist system with an insight in how the economy can be altered to benefit everyone, rather than just the few. Another Now is well written, and Yanis has the ability to make quite technical economics understandable to those who have not studied it.