Synopses & Reviews
"In the cozy den of the large but modest house in Omaha where he has lived since he started on his first billion, Warren Buffett watched the horrors of Hurricane Katrina unfold on television in early September 2005. . . . On the fourth day, he beheld in disbelief the paralysis of local, state, and federal authorities unable to commence basic operations of rescue and sustenance, not just in New Orleans, but in towns and villages all along the Gulf Coast. . . He knew exactly what he had to do. . ."
So begins the vivid fictional account by political activist and bestselling author Ralph Nader that answers the question, "What if?" What if a cadre of superrich individuals tried to become a driving force in America to organize and institutionalize the interests of the citizens of this troubled nation? What if some of America's most powerful individuals decided it was time to fix our government and return the power to the people? What if they focused their power on unionizing Wal-Mart? What if a national political party were formed with the sole purpose of advancing clean elections? What if these seventeen superrich individuals decided to galvanize a movement for alternative forms of energy that will effectively clean up the environment? What if together they took on corporate goliaths and Congress to provide the necessities of life and advance the solutions so long left on the shelf by an avaricious oligarchy? What could happen?
This extraordinary story, written by the author who knows the most about citizen action, returns us to the literature of American social movements—to Edward Bellamy, to Upton Sinclair, to John Steinbeck, to Stephen Crane—reminding us in the process that changing the body politic of America starts with imagination.
Review
This tale has a moral substance and political content that is quite relevant for our time!”Cornel West, Princeton University
A breakthrough book that sparks the imagination and inspires us to think about the political economy our country deserves.” Rose Ann Demoro, executive director, California Nurses Association
... Clever, fanciful, thought-provoking.”New York Times
Ralph Nader, the consumer activist and corporate scourge, is saying nice things about the kind of folks you'd expect him to despise. . . worthy of a billionaire's portfolio.”Hillel Italie of the Associated Press
"With his new book, Ralph Nader--always the iconoclast and visionary--has created a new genre. ... How many leftist books leave you feeling hopeful, even optimistic? How many offer you a picture of a new world that inspires you to act? ... A genuine creative leap in genre and substance."Tikkun Magazine Review
Synopsis
"One of the unlikeliest books of last year was Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us!, a fictional account by Ralph Nader, a veteran left-wing campaigner, of a movement of billionaires led by Warren Buffett . . . who use their fortunes to clean up America. . . . Perhaps the Sage of Omaha, as Mr. Buffett is known, was listening."The Economist on GivingPledge.org, started by Warren Buffett and the Gates Foundation
"Clever, fanciful, thought-provoking."The New York Times
"Nader poses a genuinely interesting question: in a society ravaged by thirty years of free-market fundamentalism, might it be true that big capitalists can most effectively challenge the reign of capital?"London Review of Books
Named by The Atlantic as one of the hundred most influential figures in American history, and by Time and Life magazines as one of the hundred most influential Americans of the twentieth century, Ralph Nader has helped us lead healthier, safer, better lives for more than four decades.
Synopsis
How a mere 3 billion dollars in the right hands could restore American democracy.
About the Author
For over four decades RALPH NADER has challenged corporations, government agencies, and institutions to be more accountable to the public. From fighting for car safety in the 1960s, to opposing the policies of the World Trade Organization, to running for president, Nader continues to be a relentless force for grassroots activism and democratic change.