Abundance

By: Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson

Narrated by: Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“A terrific book...Powerful and persuasive.” —Fareed Zakaria

“Spectacular…Offers a comprehensive indictment of the current problems and a clear path forward…Klein and Thompson usher in a mood shift. They inspire hope and enlarge the imagination.” —David Brooks, The New York Times

From bestselling authors and journalistic titans Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson, Abundance is a once-in-a-generation, paradigm-shifting call to renew a politics of plenty, face up to the failures of liberal governance, and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life.

To trace the history of the twenty-first century so far is to trace a history of unaffordability and shortage. After years of refusing to build sufficient housing, America has a national housing crisis. After years of limiting immigration, we don’t have enough workers. Despite decades of being warned about the consequences of climate change, we haven’t built anything close to the clean-energy infrastructure we need. Ambitious public projects are finished late and over budget—if they are ever finished at all. The crisis that’s clicking into focus now has been building for decades—because we haven’t been building enough.

Abundance explains that our problems today are not the results of yesteryear’s villains. Rather, one generation’s solutions have become the next gener­ation’s problems. Rules and regulations designed to solve the problems of the 1970s often prevent urban-density and green-energy projects that would help solve the problems of the 2020s. Laws meant to ensure that government considers the consequences of its actions have made it too difficult for government to act consequentially. In the last few decades, our capacity to see problems has sharpened while our ability to solve them has diminished.

Progress requires facing up to the institutions in life that are not working as they need to. It means, for liberals, recognizing when the government is failing. It means, for conservatives, recognizing when the government is needed. In a book exploring how we can move from a liberalism that not only protects and pre­serves but also builds, Klein and Thompson trace the political, economic, and cultural barriers to progress and propose a path toward a politics of abundance. At a time when movements of scarcity are gaining power in country after country, this is an answer that meets the challenges of the moment while grappling honestly with the fury so many rightfully feel.

©2024 Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

Simultaneously enraging and inspiring

Appreciate the deep dive in to why things aren't working and what we can *hopefully* do to improve our chances for a prosperous and healthy future.

A must read for those who want America to Build

If you're disenchanted by the extremes on the right and left, this book will give you some hope about the future of the US. It is centrist, well researched, interesting, and thoughtful. The conclusions plot a path to an optimistic future.

Ideas that were well thought out and original.

I like living on the land. I am 😟 concerned regarding how do we balance economy of scale in food production, like cell grown meat, with individual food sovereignty and the right to individual liberty and ability to grow your food on your own land.

Hard AND healing truths for my wounded liberal soul. Onward to Abundance!

This. Is. So. Good.

Hard AND healing truths that gave me a new frame of reference to think about what is happening in the current moment.

I learned a tremendous amount about what was previously very puzzling and unclear to me. Namely, why “liberal” prosperous places that were putting major money toward the “right” projects aimed at improving inequalities in housing, healthcare, mass transportation and schooling were failing to make positive changes despite huge amounts of money being spent.

This book scratched an itch that was calling to me from the depths of my mind. Having been quite struck by an episode of the Hidden Brain podcast on the neuroscience of scarcity complex many years ago I’d been watching myself and others make poor decisions when we felt scarcities grip (it’s proven neuroscience - check out the episode if your curious). I could apply the learnings from this fascinating science for myself but couldn’t overlay it on what was happening in US (and world) politics very well until now. This book was the key to connecting those dots.

I now have clarity about what we need to do, and how we might frame the work, in order to best support the health and vitality of both the US and the world (and address climate change urgently).

Thank you Ezra and Darrick for your clear eyed vision!

Onward to Abundance!

Well researched with factual data

An absolute must listen. Well illustrated with historical facts in a story telling format.
Bravo.
The Trump/MAGA Cult politics is definitely not pro-abundance, it’s 180 degrees opposite.

Excellent

One of best explanation of what is happening at these times. Both political factions are to be at blame. Unfortunately the republicans seem to want to compromise. Our democracy is at the crossroads.

Important

An important read for modern times. Tuned into the zeitgeist and is a must for those wanting a better tomorrow.

One of most important books in years to recast thinking

Excellent well researched. Well read. In some ways wished it was longer to diver deeper in some issues

Brilliant Book

Equal parts autopsy and manifesto, Abundance provides the blueprint for the new American century. A must read.

The easily understandable explanation of a complex problem.

They made an overwhelming problem understandable without being insultingly simplified. It makes you consider their discussion and apply it to local situations.