The Soul of Capitalism

Opening Paths to a Moral Economy

By: William Greider

Narrated by: Peter Johnson

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The Soul of Capitalism examines how the greatest wealth-creation engine in the history of the world is failing most of us, why it must be changed, and how intrepid pioneers are beginning to transform it. Best-selling author William Greider analyzes how our relentless pursuit of unprecedented affluence has eroded family life, eaten away at our sense of personal and professional security, corroded our communities, impoverished our spiritual lives, and devastated our natural environment. The solution, he contends, will come from a fundamental realignment of power that is already underway on many fronts.

Brilliantly perceptive and sweeping in its ambition, The Soul of Capitalism is also hardheaded and practical. Greider illustrates how American capitalism can be aligned more faithfully and obediently with what people want and need in their lives, and with what American society needs for a healthy, balanced, and humane future.

The Soul of Capitalism (solid, pragmatic, visionary, and optimistic) addresses the nation's most urgent needs.

©2003 William Greider (P)2003 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"His overall framework is fresh and valuable, and his reporting on specific efforts is resourceful and illuminating." (Publishers Weekly)

A Better Capitalism

Another reviewer dismissed this book as "socialistic tripe" (or something along those lines). This shows that he/she misses the point of the book. The best service this book does is to show the reader, with the help of a number of interesting concrete examples, that a capitalist society can be structured in different ways (without the economy lapsing into a socialist, state-controlled one). Greider turns his gaze to the dark side of capitalist society as it's structured in America -- for workers, for the environment, and indeed for companies themselves -- and makes a number of constructive suggestions on how we can make capitalism in America better.

My 5-star rating is based on the content of the book. The narration, regrettably, with its repetition of the same cadences over and over, I found in itself almost sleep-inducing.

Excellent Critique of Modern Power Structures

In this well-read audio, Greider takes on the formidable task of analyzing the relationships between capitalism, democracy, and societal wellbeing. By reexamining even the most familiar institutions, he identifies a number of elements (both large and small) that have produced unintended negative consequences. In a work of this nature one expects a modest dose of pessimism... However, just as each issue seems hopelessly entrenched in modern society, Greider identifies a number of people and organizations have already begun to address the root causes. The beauty of this book is found in the author's ability to keep things in perspective, yet leave you inspired and confident in our capacity for steady advancement.

Socialistic Tripe ...

Save your money and your money ... read anything else. The author boldly misses the mark here by spewing the 'anti-capitalistic mentality'. Perhaps he feel guilty for capitalism successes or perhaps he never really studied history ... the real culprit is that people are working harder to suport the ever increasing tax burden imposed by the government. The Soul of Capitalism COMPLETELY MISSES THE POINT!

So boring...

The title is promising, there is a lot to say about capitalism and the sould of capitalism. But not in this book... The authors rambles on with the same argument over and over again! One of the worst books in my list.