Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse

Inside the Collapse of Venezuela

By: William Neuman

Narrated by: Michael Manuel

Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

A nuanced and deeply reported account of the collapse of Venezuela and what it could mean for the rest of the world.

Today, Venezuela is a country of perpetual crisis - a country of rolling blackouts, nearly worthless currency, uncertain supply of water and food, and extreme poverty. In the same land where oil - the largest reserve in the world - sits so close to the surface that it bubbles from the ground, where gold and other mineral resources are abundant, and where the government spends billions of dollars on public works projects that go abandoned, the supermarket shelves are bare, and the hospitals have no medicine. Ten percent of the population has fled, creating the largest refugee exodus in the hemisphere, rivaling only war-torn Libya’s crisis. Venezuela’s collapse affects all of Latin America, as well as the United States and the international community.

Republicans like to point to Venezuela as the perfect example of the emptiness of socialism, but it is a better model for something else: the destructive potential of charismatic populist leadership. Hugo Chavez’s ascent was a precursor to the emergence of strongmen that can now be seen all over the world, and the success of the corrupt economy he established only lasted while oil sold for $120 a barrel.

Things Are Never So Bad That They Can’t Get Worse is a fluid combination of journalism, memoir, and history that chronicles Venezuela’s tragic journey from petro-riches to poverty. Author William Neuman witnessed it all firsthand while living in Caracas and serving as the New York Times Andes region bureau chief. His book paints a clear-eyed, riveting, and highly personal portrait of the crisis unfolding in real time, with all of its tropical surrealism, extremes of wealth and suffering, and gripping drama. It is also a heartfelt reflection of the country’s great beauty and vibrancy - and the energy, passion, and humor of its people, even under the most challenging circumstances.

©2022 William Neuman (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Excellent. A must read

Great book. Well researched. Narrator was good. Good warning of what happens when you elect a moron as leader. MAGA people should take heed.

Good story baffling conclusions

I’m left leaning and actually read this book to learn more about Venezuela to better help clients I work for as an immigration attorney. Thus, I’m not the biggest fan of Trump, but when the author went through the entire story of Venezuela (basically nationalizing the oil industry then market fluctuation, corruption and mismanagement) then concluded and I quote “this is the vision that republicans and trump have for America.” I just laughed. He said that because the government no longer had enough money for fire departments and equated it to republicans wanting to “starve the beast” and defund lots of the government. But equating deregulation to the nationalization of
the main industry is one of the most puzzling comparisons I’ve ever heard

He tries to save it be stating “but the Venezuelan president did try to privatize parts of the oil industry” but that was already after the collapse of the economy.

Otherwise the story is really good, but the conclusions are on the same logical level that Russian bots have.

Very biased but still worth your time

The author shares a lot of evidence and stories that are quite interesting, but then comes to some nonsensical conclusions. It’s exactly what you expect from a leftist author. Still worth listening to if you want to learn about Venezuela, though.

Socialist or Criminal?

William Neuman analyzes the Chavez socialist conversion of Venezuela and finds just plain criminal raping of the country by thieves claiming to be socialists. This is a worthwhile evaluation. That’s the story. Somehow, Neuman’s personal liberal bias would not let him leave it at that. He spends about a third of the book blaming the continuing Venezuelan demise on Trump! If you can ignore the anti-Trump blather, his story of a failed country is worth hearing.

A very informative insight on Venezuela

The book is a very sad reality 😢 of Venezuela
there's is a couple of biased opinions and comments but they are in mi opinión only 3 to 5 percent of the book outside of that super great information of the situation of this Latin American country as a hispanic man myself my heart goes out to all Venezuelans that are living through that horrible situation

Populism disguised as Socialism

Compared to my personal experiences in Venezuela in the 90's, this was a very accurate and intimate description of the mood among the people. Neuman gets all of the little details correct. "It's Bever so Bad" is a masterclass on Geopolitics, macro economics, greed and the dangers of mixing Populist and Socialist ideologies. A dire warning and reminder of the fragility of society for the U.S. and elsewhere. 5/5 stars

Incredible

From beginning to end, this book is totally captivating. Incredibly researched, this historical education of Venezuela is rich with story telling through human experiences. Tragic and difficult to read at times but extremely important. Don’t look away.

Great book! Very interesting and informative!

Great book! Very interesting and informative. I love the timeline and appreciate all of the explanations.

Great Read

Having been born and raised in the country of Venezuela, this book was a warning about what could happen here in the USA

Wonderful reporting job

This is a great books for any foreigner wanting to see a little bit of what life in Venezuela is really like, and for Venezuelans who want to hear an objective view of their country.

10/10