One Billion Americans

The Case for Thinking Bigger

By: Matthew Yglesias

Narrated by: Matthew Yglesias

Length: 6 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

National best seller

What would actually make America great: more people.

If the most challenging crisis in living memory has shown us anything, it’s that America has lost the will and the means to lead. We can’t compete with the huge population clusters of the global marketplace by keeping our population static or letting it diminish, or with our crumbling transit and unaffordable housing. The winner in the future world is going to have more - more ideas, more ambition, more utilization of resources, more people.

Exactly how many Americans do we need to win? According to Matthew Yglesias, one billion.

From one of our foremost policy writers, One Billion Americans is the provocative yet logical argument that if we aren’t moving forward, we’re losing. Vox founder Yglesias invites us to think bigger, while taking the problems of decline seriously. What really contributes to national prosperity should not be controversial: supporting parents and children, welcoming immigrants and their contributions, and exploring creative policies that support growth - like more housing, better transportation, improved education, revitalized welfare, and climate change mitigation. Drawing on examples and solutions from around the world, Yglesias shows not only that we can do this, but why we must.

Making the case for massive population growth with analytic rigor and imagination, One Billion Americans issues a radical but undeniable challenge: Why not do it all and stay on top forever?

©2020 Matthew Yglesias (P)2020 Penguin Audio

intrguing

information presented was very thoughtful provoking and insightful. I look forward to learning more about the topics discussed.

Inspiring and Optimistic

This book speaks more directly to my values and experiences in America than any I've ever read. every American should read it.

fresh thinking and convincing arguments

a big idea that could appeal to anyone. lets think and act bigger. like a superpower

well-researched and thought-provoking

This book puts some hard data and a roadmap behind something we've subconsciously known all along. I don't normally leave reviews but this one is a must-read.

Fresh ideas

The writer makes several very good points, especially around regional visas and potential updates to housing policy.

Novelty and Vision

One Billion Americans makes an affirmative and expansive case for radically expanding the remit of America. Frankly it was refreshing to read a book that actually has something to say rather than another book just explaining how dumb and broken our current system is. That said, I don't agree with every point in the book but that is as it should be. There a bunch of BS feel-good books out there that can repeat orthodoxy or explain the current system if that is what you want. What I want is a book with some guts and ideas.

While I was waiting for my audio preorder which was released after the physical book I saw a lot of bashing of this book and harsh reviews. After reading it myself I understand the criticism though I mostly find it overblown. The bottom line is this is a book that presented interesting new ideas and perspective. You can disagree with it but at least it is not a milquetoast political memoir, insider story, or explainer of our current system focused on the past.

Matt is right about this, it is better to think big than wallow in the myriad failing of our current system. If you are stuck thinking about the world as it is, how can you ever expect to create the world as it should be?

Not My Usual But Really Enjoyed

I don't typically read Vox, but I thoughy the ideas presented were interesting and well thought out. Not all of them are practicable, but definitely food for thought.

this book brought me out of depression.

this brought a ray of hope to me in this terrible year. I loved it. amazing.

Solves Ethical and Practical Problems for USA

The book offers practical solutions to problems that are otherwise drenched in culture war confusion

A Pundit's Book

I can tell that Yglesias clearly enjoyed not just writing but narrating this book over his One Billion Americans proposal. I'm not gonna reveal too much of it but basically he wants to encourage population growth to drive economic growth, among other things. I have to say I'm more than impressed with his use of sources and statistics and again I love how he sounds like an excited little kid talking about his science project. A lot of his ideas sound interesting and worth a try. I'm not sure if I'm completely and totally on board with it, but I'm more of a libertarian on a lot of issues so take that with a grain of salt. The listen is not long at all, I think it's like six and a half hours, so feel free to give this one a listen while on a long walk or driving cross country to visit folks.