Reich's ideas galvanized the critics, whose opinions of the book ranged from "important and well-executed" (NY Times Book Review) to "class-war blather" (Boston Globe). Reich's admirers considered Aftershock an insightful analysis of the economy's structural problems and a clear-cut strategy for improvement. Detractors found fault with specific arguments and conclusions -- for example, his claim that American consumers are not spending enough, which doesn't add up given the current trade deficit -- but gave him points for opening a dialogue on an important issue. Even the Boston Globe, which denounced Reich's reasoning as "absurd," begrudgingly admitted that Reich had drawn needed attention to a troublesome issue. Reich's ideas may be worth exploring, suggests the Washington Post, since "the economy we have isn't working -- not for all of us, anyway." This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.