The Next Century

by David Halberstam Narrated by E.G. Marshall

Overview

What can we learn from the events of the 20th century? David Halberstam set out to answer that question in this perceptive and eye-opening work which examines the past in order to determine the future. From the rise of the Japanese economy to the startling changes that reshaped the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, Halberstam argues that the American economy's survival depends on the rededication and continued education of the American worker. As pertinent in today's economy as it was when first published, The Next Century is a timeless call to arms, reminding us that we must continually better ourselves in order to compete on the world stage.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

In a timely wake-up call to a comatose, overindulged America, Halberstam ( The Best and the Brightest ) digs for root causes of the national failure to adapt to a more Spartan, more competitive age. Living in an ``energy dreamworld'' and addicted to oil, Americans foolhardily failed to tax themselves at the gasoline pump in 1973 and '79 in response to rising oil prices, he notes. Calling the Reagan years of escalating military budgets ``capitalism gone mad'' and deeming Bush ``the education President'' in name only, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist contrasts our high-consumption, debt-ridden economy wth Japan's thrifty, pragmatic experiment in ``state-guided communal capitalism.'' His recent trips to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe yield bracing observations on the unraveling of the Soviet empire and the wasteful folly of the Cold War. The thrust of this informal mix of personal and political reflections is that Americans should stop living beyond their means and scale down their inflated view of the U.S. role in the world. Author tour. (Feb.)

Library Journal

As the century winds to a close, many observers are wondering whether the United States can remain competitive. Essentially this book is an analysis of America's declining world position and how its economic dominance has been eroded by more industrious and dynamic rivals. Halberstam, one of the foremost analysts of the contemporary scene, faces the facts squarely and, while his style is not alarmist, few U.S. readers will be comforted by this sobering account of the struggle for world economic supremacy. The author admits to surprise at the absence of an atmosphere of crisis in the United States. With the publication of this excellent study, that may soon change. Essential for most libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/90.-- Ian Wallace, Agriculture Canada Lib., St.-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175588904
Publisher:	Phoenix Books, Inc.
Publication date:	03/01/1991
Edition description:	Unabridged

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