Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
165th out of 568 books
—
751 voters
The Occupy Handbook
by
Janet Byrne
Analyzing the movement's deep-seated origins in questions that the country has sought too long to ignore, some of the greatest economic minds and most incisive cultural commentators - from Paul Krugman, Robin Wells, Michael Lewis, Robert Reich, Amy Goodman, Barbara Ehrenreich, Gillian Tett, Scott Turow, Bethany McLean, Brandon Adams, and Tyler Cowen to prominent labor lead...more
Paperback, 560 pages
Published
April 17th 2012
by Back Bay Books
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
296)
With 56 pieces by 67 authors, almost anyone is going to find chapters that are insightful and inspiring and others that are academic bloviating or pie in the sky fantasy. The book is divided into 3 broad sections-- How We Got Here, Where We Are Now and Solutions. It's probably best as a book to poke through. Most of the chapters are 5 to 8 pages long and stand alone so it's a good one to put it on the back of your toilet and see what influence it has on you and your friends. If you don't get aro...more
I hate this book.
I really tried to give it a chance. But I knew going in that any book about occupy that was compiled by someone described as "an editor who has worked with Nobel Prize-winning economists, Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, and leading political figures, financial journalists, academics, and bestselling authors" was going to be a shit show. And a shit show it was.
It isn't that all the essays are crap. Some of them are quite good. The first section breaks down the financial crisis an...more
I really tried to give it a chance. But I knew going in that any book about occupy that was compiled by someone described as "an editor who has worked with Nobel Prize-winning economists, Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, and leading political figures, financial journalists, academics, and bestselling authors" was going to be a shit show. And a shit show it was.
It isn't that all the essays are crap. Some of them are quite good. The first section breaks down the financial crisis an...more
1 like · like · see review
view all 4 comments
May 12, 2012
Aryn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People living in the modern economic climate
While I was reading this book that I received from Goodreads Giveaways, I came across this article written by Stephen King. Tax Me, for F@%&’s Sake! I found it very appropriate, considering the book I was reading.
This collection of essays by some 50+ economists, and other various intelligent people, on the validity of the Occupy Wall Street movement and what can be accomplished through it, really opened my eyes in a lot of ways. I agree with what OWS stands for, and I do agree with the way i...more
This collection of essays by some 50+ economists, and other various intelligent people, on the validity of the Occupy Wall Street movement and what can be accomplished through it, really opened my eyes in a lot of ways. I agree with what OWS stands for, and I do agree with the way i...more
A compilation about the roots of social movement in America and the searching for the prosperity, equality, and sustainability for future generation. Is about how to re-structuring 'our' politic, economic, and the mass (media) and dump any kind of junkies business (monkey biz, corruption and ignorance of others - the poor). Pro poor not just subsidize the poor, but to enforcing law with equality- and give them a chance with intervention of the government who's respect themselves, be confidence t...more
Even for someone as economically-illiterate as me, this is a good book to read. With contributions from a wide range of authors, from Nobel-prize winning economists to knowledgeable reporters, from Paul Volcker to Matt Taibbi, in all sorts of styles. Some of the articles are dense enough to be plucked out of an economics textbook, while others are filled with reporting, opinions, and concise analysis. There's humor, outrage, concrete policy solutions, and so much you might not have known in this...more
Sep 08, 2012
Maggie
added it
This book was very fascinating, easy to understand for someone who doesn't have any background in economics, and a great read overall for anyone wanting to know why Occupy Wall Street came about, what they wanted, and what worldwide events led up to it, as well as suggestions by many experts to fix what's wrong with the country.
The roster of writers is a veritable who's who of progressive thinkers on the economy. The book is well balanced and doesn't proffer a simple solution to a complex set of problems.
Mostly it inspired me to be more politically vocal and focus on the issues that really impact people in their day to day lives.
Mostly it inspired me to be more politically vocal and focus on the issues that really impact people in their day to day lives.
Aug 11, 2012
Daeman
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
business-non-fiction,
history
This collection of essays analyzes the Occupy Wall Street movement. Although some of the essays were dry, overall I found the book to be highly informative in terms of both placing the movement in historical context and understanding the issues discussed.
I found the 'Occupy Handbook' to be a very comprehensive and enlightening read. The number, diversity and quality of the authors was incredible. The short chapters kept it interesting, though most wrote in a manner that even a mental midget like myself could understand. I greatly appreciated editor Byrne's approach of not looking at just the Occupy protestors and what they've accomplished, but also spending equal time on the the build up to the economic crisis and where the organization should g...more
Jul 08, 2012
Joe
added it
Covers a lot of familiar stuff that is familiar to those that already know about economic inequality but it has a wide breadth of authors that may add some insights.
Pretty thorough overview of the movement, diverse opinions from a number of activists from all walks of life, thoughtfully collected in one volume.
Jul 21, 2012
David Melbie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone
Recommended to David by:
Library pick
Not only does this book have much in that helps define the OWS movement, but it is also full of ideas and solutions by a host of people on how we can fix our failing systems. Very informative and useful.
Good collection of essays by some heavy hitters. Long, but worth reading.
Dec 08, 2012
Carmen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
revolutionary-in-training-books
Very fair. Includes essays that are not necessarily in agreement with the goals of the Occupy movement. On the other hand, the essays that are serve as wake up calls to those Americans like me who still wonder what happened. A starting point for me for what I take to be the mission of my generation: find out what happened in 2007/2008 and never let it happen again.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I think my favorite part of this book were the suggested solutions made by many of the contributors. A financial transactions tax, principle reductions for homeowners who are underwater, and serious reforms to our student loan programs are just a few ideas that would put real focus on rebuilding our middle class and making our economy more equitable for all.
Free copy received from a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
This book tackles the economic questions of our day from many different perspectives. It has a huge range of authors, the chapters are really short so it's easy to just flip through and read a couple at a time. I agree with some authors more than others, but the topics were intriguing.
This book tackles the economic questions of our day from many different perspectives. It has a huge range of authors, the chapters are really short so it's easy to just flip through and read a couple at a time. I agree with some authors more than others, but the topics were intriguing.
I got this book for free from Goodreads first reads more than a year ago. I really tried to finish, but I just couldn't. I was hoping to gain some insight about the Occupy Movement, but instead I got several essays that talked around it. Some gave background, some gave opinions, but none of them worked together to tell me the whole story.
A good book to better understand the OWS movement, with contributions from a wide array of authors and experts. It took me awhile to read but it opened my eyes to how we need change in this country.
First-Reads Giveaway
First-Reads Giveaway
a pretty good overview of what caused this economic funk we're in, where we're at now, and how to bring about real change to our broken system
May 20, 2013
Martyn
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
melanie
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Amelie
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Rhianna
marked it as to-read
May 14, 2013
Mohammed AIT LAHCEN
is currently reading it
May 13, 2013
Eli
is currently reading it
May 12, 2013
EY
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2013
Adam Jenkins
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2013
Ernesto
is currently reading it
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
