Pity the Billionaire, Thomas Frank
Pity the Billionaire, Thomas Frank
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Pity the Billionaire
The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right

Author: Thomas Frank

Narrator: Thomas Frank

Unabridged: 5 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/03/2012


Synopsis

From the bestselling author of What's the Matter with Kansas?, a wonderfully insightful and sardonic look at how the worst economy since the 1930s has brought about the revival of conservatism

Economic catastrophe usually brings social protest and demands for change—or at least it's supposed to. But when Thomas Frank set out in 2009 to look for expressions of American discontent, all he could find were loud demands that the economic system be made even harsher on the recession's victims and that society's traditional winners receive even grander prizes. The American right, which had seemed moribund after the election of 2008, was strangely reinvigorated by the arrival of hard times. The Tea Party movement demanded not that we question the failed system but that we reaffirm our commitment to it. Republicans in Congress embarked on a bold strategy of total opposition to the liberal state. And TV phenom Glenn Beck demonstrated the commercial potential of heroic paranoia and the purest libertarian economics.

In Pity the Billionaire, Frank, the great chronicler of American paradox, examines the peculiar mechanism by which dire economic circumstances have delivered wildly unexpected political results. Using firsthand reporting, a deep knowledge of the American right, and a wicked sense of humor, he gives us the first full diagnosis of the cultural malady that has transformed collapse into profit, reconceived the Founding Fathers as heroes from an Ayn Rand novel, and enlisted the powerless in a fan club for the prosperous. What it portends is ominous for both our economic health and our democracy.

About Thomas Frank

Thomas Frank is the author of Listen, Liberal, Pity the Billionaire, The Wrecking Crew, and What's the Matter with Kansas? A former columnist for The Wall Street Journal and Harper's, Frank is the founding editor of The Baffler and writes regularly for The Guardian. He lives outside Washington, D.C.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Bill on October 07, 2019

I enjoyed this book when I read it about a week and a half ago, but now that I sit down to write about it I can't remember any of it clearly, and I think that might be because it didn't give me anything new to think about, I think this might because Thomas Frank doesn't have anything new to say. I l......more

Goodreads review by Angela on July 02, 2016

When I read What's the Matter With Kansas? several years ago, I finished the book determined to conduct any future political discussions with a focus on how economic/social justice issues are inseparable from personal morality: that is, if one claims to be a "Christian", one cannot ignore one's resp......more

Goodreads review by Donna on July 09, 2012

In the financial meltdown that punctuated the end of the G. W. Bush administration, "sixteen trillion dollars in household wealth was incinerated on the pyre Wall Street had kindled." Some of that was my wealth and—unless you happen to be a member of the now-infamous 1%—some of it was undoubtedly yo......more

Goodreads review by Steve on November 04, 2012

American Horror Story. A real one that shows how a major political party was taken over by brainless zombies wearing tri corner hats, waving flags with chopped up snakes, while driving $40,000 SUVs. Frank delivers up a useful primer on the Tea Party, and salts it with just the right amount of snark.......more

Goodreads review by Jim on September 03, 2012

For any American who hasn’t noticed that the economy has tanked, “Pity the Billionaire” will get you caught up on the details … oh, wait, the people who haven’t noticed that the economy has tanked are the billionaires. If you liked the way George W. Bush cut taxes for the rich, ran up the budget defi......more


Quotes

“[Frank's narration] adds a connection to the author whose purpose seems most passionate.” —Sound Commentary

“[Frank's] knowledge and enthusiasm for his subject matter are immediately evident to listeners. The result is not unlike listening to a political pundit on television.” —AudioFile Magazine

“Narrator Oliver Wyman hits the right tone, blending mock naïveté and sarcasm with indignation for breezy listening on a heavy topic…With writing aimed at the ear and a strong reading, listening is the way to go for this hot book.” —Audiofile on The Wrecking Crew