I have known Ralph Nader as an excellent public speaker and a brave fighter for political change, but I never knew he is also a good writer. Nader has demonstrated such exceptional grasp of language. This book is so fluid, vivid and fun to read that it is hard for me to put it down.
I especially like the words spoken by each character in the book, such as Warren Buffet and Ted Turner. There is unique personality for each person and the anecdotes they refer to just made you smile.
I started this book with great interest. However I finished this book with certain disappointment and sadness. I am disappointed because the battle was won too easily, and the story lines are too linear. I am sad because this book reveals certain kind of desperation of changing our society. It seems civil movement pales in front of what the super-rich can do. Is this a sad reality and have we given up on hopeful change?
As a political satire, this book is an excellent read. It has in-depth understanding of how corporate boardroom and political offices work. It has close observation of those famous billionaires and their political philosophy. The dialogs are witty and powerful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political inside-dealing. Apparently the author’s experience comes in handy here.
As a fiction, this book suffers from the drawback of being linear. There is not enough suspense, emotion, and personal struggle. Our heroes are like action figures, immediately get down to their task and move things forward. Maybe this book should not be read as fiction, but rather as political guidebook for possible actions.
I applaud Nader for a wonderful book that opens our eyes to new ways of making political change, even it has to rely on the super-rich. I doubt the super-rich can be so organized, but it is worth tying, at least in our imagination.
