“This is the end of the world as we’ve known it,” Kurt Andersen writes in Reset. “But it isn’t the end ...
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reviews
Jul 14, 2010
Deb
rated it: 
This book started strong, making a case for using the fiscal crisis to change the way we think about our lives, but dissolved into weak arguments. I still like his premise, though.
My favorite quote:
It used to be that when our economy thrived and productivity grew, pay for working people rose accordingly. But for most of the last decade, that central piece of the American social contract simply stopped operating. People put up with it for the same reason that the great mass o More...
My favorite quote:
It used to be that when our economy thrived and productivity grew, pay for working people rose accordingly. But for most of the last decade, that central piece of the American social contract simply stopped operating. People put up with it for the same reason that the great mass o More...
Feb 15, 2010
Ryan
rated it:
I saw this book, and I believe the author, on the Colbert Report and I decided I needed to read it. The content was actually pretty good. The only problem I had with it is that the book felt like it could have been like 1/10th of it's size. It seemed like the same content over and over in different contexts and sometimes like a big run on sentence.
That said, reading all the previous chapters was worth reading the last chapter. There was an excellent chapter on "amateurism" More...
That said, reading all the previous chapters was worth reading the last chapter. There was an excellent chapter on "amateurism" More...
Aug 11, 2009
Caroline
rated it: 
This is an essay, not a book. Took me an hour to read. I realize it was timely and necessary for Andersen to get it out fast, but it came across as just a cheap way to sell books with a good hook but not much substance. As a huge fan of Andersen's two (lengthy) novels, as well as his respect for literature and history in the context of modern living, I was highly disappointed.
Oct 18, 2009
Mary
rated it: 
I wish I had read this book last month. It is hopeful as it puts the current time in perspective. He states that history does not repeat but rather rhymes. He suggests that it is time to act as adults instead of the kids we have been (instant gratification)-To find our inner ants - To act in a more sustatinable manner. I liked his matter of factness and his calmness.
Aug 18, 2009
Brian
rated it:
Here's a short review for a short (74 pages) book. I am not exactly sure why Anderson decided to publish this in book form. It would have worked better as an online serial or, as it first appeared, as a Time magazine essay. Regardless, it was extremely repetitive and obvious. How do we restore America? Focus on needs and not wants? Seriously, now why didn't I think of that?
May 27, 2010
Jessica
rated it: 
This book gives me hope that the current economic crisis might just offer this country the opportunity it needs to kick back into gear as a nation of doers, innovators, and people who make things.
Jan 03, 2010
Melissa
rated it:
More of an extended Op-Ed or magazine article than a book, I still enjoyed this, particularly the notion that history doesn't repeat, but rhymes with itself.
Dec 01, 2009
Rachele
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I should re-read this book once a month. Originally appeared as an article in Time Magazine, it was
added to and republished earlier in 2009. Fantastic...
added to and republished earlier in 2009. Fantastic...
Feb 18, 2010
Chris
rated it:
Eh, this was OK. I felt like it wasn't anything new or reveling. At least it's a quick read; more like an essay than a full book.
Mar 24, 2010
Rathe
rated it:
This book changed my mindset on the current struggling economy. If you are going to read it please read it soon.
Sep 02, 2009
Alexander
rated it:
This took one sitting to read, and was completely worth it.
Very much a Public Radio listener read.
Very much a Public Radio listener read.
Jan 31, 2010
Josh
rated it:
My issues is with the length. I feel he had some great insight into trends within American culture and thinking, but never expounded a lot on them because the book was so short.
Sep 15, 2009
shannon
rated it:
Smart, succinct and full of the common sense wisdom that people need to be reminded of these days.
Dec 30, 2010
Kevin
rated it:
I am not a big fan of the big presumptive social trends "we." But Andersen pulls it off. how and why he does this is going to require more thought on my part. Partly it's my sympathy with him: we're both natural moderates. We're both from the midwest. Partly I will forgive a great wordsmith and sharp think a great deal.
Nov 03, 2010
Mmiller400m
rated it:
Quick, short read on why the current economic crisis might be good for us and how we got ourselves in this mess to begin with.
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