In this bold history and manifesto; a former White House director of economic policy exposes the economic; political; and cultural cracks that wealthy nations face and makes the case for transforming those same vulnerabilities into sources of strength—and the foundation of a national renewal.America and other developed countries; including Germany; Japan; France; and Great Britain are in desperate straits. The loss of community; a contracting jobs market; immigration fears; rising globalization; and poisonous partisanship—the adverse price of unprecedented prosperity—are pushing these nations to the brink.Acclaimed author; economist; hedge fund manager; and presidential advisor Todd G. Buchholz argues that without a sense of common purpose and shared identity; nations can collapse. The signs are everywhere: Reckless financial markets encourage people to gamble with other people’s money. A coddling educational culture removes the stigma of underachievement. Community traditions such as American Legion cookouts and patriotic parades are derided as corny or jingoistic. Newcomers are watched with suspicion and contempt.As Buchholz makes clear; the United States is not the first country to suffer these fissures. In The Price of Prosperity he examines the fates of previous empires—those that have fallen as well as those extricated from near-collapse and the ruins of war thanks to the vision and efforts of strong leaders. He then identifies what great leaders do to fend off the forces that tear nations apart.Is the loss of empire inevitable? No. Can a community spirit be restored in the U.S. and in Europe? The answer is a resounding yes. We cannot retrieve the jobs of our grandparents; but we can embrace uniquely American traditions; while building new foundations for growth and change. Buchholz offers a roadmap to recovery; and calls for a revival of national pride and patriotism to help us come together once again to protect the nation and ensure our future.
#132082 in Books Helen Castor 2016-05-17 2016-05-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .84 x 5.31l; .0 #File Name: 0062384406368 pagesJoan of Arc A History
Review
55 of 55 people found the following review helpful. Joan bio number 878+; and countingBy spinozaI place the countless biographies of Joan of Arc--a veritable literary industry--into two categories: those written by authors that seem to be clueless there are already countless biographies of Joan of Arc; and those written by authors aware of the flood of Joan biographies; but who justify their writing yet another biography because all the others seem to have been lacking in some way or another. In all of these cases; the same material is covered; over and over and over again: the Joan biographical sources; after all; are well known; well defined and well organized.What seems to be common with all of these biographies is a strong psychological need on the part of the author to personally relive Joan's life through writing about her. Even if the author has at least done his or her research and is aware of the hundreds of biographies already written; they still feel compelled to write yet another biography. And since she's a rockstar in the pantheon of historical figures; publishers are more than willing to ride the wave of her popularity with yet another book about her.Only a handful of the Joan biographies stand out as having actually contributed new insights and scholarship; an example being Marina Warner's classic study; as well of course the work of Régine Pernoud; the greatest Joan of Arc scholar. I'm giving Castor's work five stars not because it breaks any new ground; but rather because she recasts Joan's life firmly within the backdrop of her historical milieu; indeed much of the book is historical background that is directly related to better understanding Joan's significance. What comes of this is that we learn that Joan; as being a female warrior; is not a coincidence; but rather can be understood in the context of the particular historical moment that engendered her (pun intended).Castor clearly has invested a good deal of effort into writing this book; but it is curious as being yet another example of satisfying this insatiable need of reliving Joan's life through literary writing.46 of 47 people found the following review helpful. An enlightening narrative not just about Wars and Saints.By Elspeth G. PerkinThis was my first; but certainly not my last non-fiction title by Ms. Castor. After reading Joan of Arc: A History I have moved She-Wolves: The Women Who Ruled England Before Elizabeth (a title I have been interested in but until now has sat on the lower levels of reading priority) to my list of books to purchase in the near future. If this author can make the complicated machinations and events of the Hundred Years' War and the brief final years of Joan the Maid's life so easy to follow; a joy to read and yet present such a sensitive portrait of legendary figures - I can't wait to see how she presents the sometimes controversial She-Wolves and epic power struggles of English History.Joan of Arc: A History may surprise some readers who expect to read solely about Joan of Arc (or Joan the Maid and later Saint Joan of Arc); her story is a minor section that makes up the wider world that Ms. Castor paints with articulate and confident strokes of chapters that aim to first educate but also directly accompany the reader through the complex events that played out in England and France during the 14th-15th centuries. The pace of this book is swift and the reader may feel a little intimidated with the huge lists of names and titles and how quickly the many battles; skirmishes; underhanded murders and devastating wars play out on and off the blood soaked fields. It's okay to be confused at this point; but keep with this narrative and trust Ms. Castor as she first explains the basic facts of bad blood shared between kingdoms and moves onto the desperate moments that cry out for a miracle for France and then a familiar young girl who claimed heavenly guidance appears in the pages. Some may expect that Joan's appearance come earlier but the author explains in the front of the narrative why she chose to present this timeline. The rest of this title moves to: detailed descriptions of the battles that Joan the Maid led her fellow french soldiers into; her capture; imprisonment; her trial and death. This narrative could stop there; but continues after the ashes of her memory are scattered and goes on to show the impact that Joan the Maid or "The Maid of Orléans (then later known as Joan of Arc) made in history and shares the words of those who knew and battled beside not just the Maid but the young girl from Domrémy who believed in something.Joan of Arc: A History handles certain subjects of injustice; complex topics and controversial questions delicately while at the same time allowing the reader to make their own judgments and conclusions. Those portions I really appreciated and I didn't feel at any time I was being forced into any biased moment by the author. The only negatives I had with this book were; I wished more time was spent on certain details and not on others. I also wanted to know more about Joan's personality traits and a little more about her early history before she arrived at the Armagnac Court and perhaps something about her training to be a soldier (how she trained- that must be recorded somewhere). Still this was an enlightening read that I would recommend to others who have been looking for a widely ranged narrative that can take on: Wars; Battles; Fractured Kingdoms; Court and Religious Conflicts and Saints to create another kind of look at legendary figures that is a joy to read.______________________________________________________________________________________* I would like to thank Harper and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and enjoy Joan of Arc: A History3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Nice little historyBy Carl E. Johnson Jr.Back in high school in the 1950s our senior English class read G.B. Shaw's play "Saint Joan" and two other books (names now forgotten) focusing on the trial and the religious/theological issues; as I remember the books today. This is not that sort of book. The title; "Joan of Arc: A History;" is somewhat misleading. It is actually not a history of Joan per se; but rather of her time; the political (power) struggles of the day; and her place and role therein. The time is pre-nationstate; and if you're not familiar with details of the warring royal families and factions; it's a little easy to get lost from time to time; as I did. The book could have benefited from multiple really good maps. However; putting that aside; for those who are interested in the historical Joan; such as we can know about her; I recommend this book. It's well written and a "relatively" easy read.
