America Beyond Capitalism comes at a critical time in our history -- when we all know our system isn't working but we are not sure what can be done about it. The book takes us outside the confines of orthodox thinking, imagines a new way of living together, and then brings that vision back into reality with a set of eminently practical ideas that promise a truly democratic society. You've clearly done an immense amount of research, examined an extraordinary number of possible solutions, and come up with wonderfully imaginative suggestions that, in these worrisome times, give us hope. This book will be welcomed, I believe, by anyone who is looking for intelligent, thoughtful answers, backed up by a meticulous array of facts, to the questions we all have about the future our children and grandchildren will face.

-- Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States

 

Gar Alperovitz has given us an important guidebook to the future. First, he leads a grim tour of the deteriorated values at the core of the American experience -- equality, liberty, democracy and the wise use of our collective wealth. Then he takes us to the mountain top with a broad and optimistic mapping vision of how Americans can remake their economy and society to restore those values. A compelling and convincing story of the future.

-- William Greider, author The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy

 

Challenges comfortable assumptions by probing deep-seated structural issues and problems of institutional design... A tonic and eye-opener for anyone who wants a politics that works. Highly readable; excellent for students...

-- Jane Mansbridge, Adams Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

 

At a time when the national media is transfixed by the imperialist adventures and crony capitalism of the Bush Administration, Gar Alperovitz discovers that not only have the seeds of a legitimately democratic political economy been planted, they are bearing fruit. Addressing a range of necessary changes, from urban design, to health care to the distribution of wealth, Alperovitz's Pluralist Commonwealth is the kind of careful, well-researched, and practical alternative progressives have been seeking. And it's more--visionary, hopeful, even inspirational. Highly recommended.

-- Juliet Schor, Professor of Sociology, Boston College, and founding board member, The Center for a New American Dream

 

Succeeds brilliantly in taking the Jeffersonian spirit into the last bastion of privilege in America, offering workable solutions for making the American economy one that is truly of, by, and for the people."

-- Jeremy Rifkin, author of The End of Work

 

A brilliant analysis, by one of America's foremost activists and thinkers, of both the problems facing our democracy--and the solutions already in place (such as worker-owned businesses, employee stock option plans, community development corporations, land trusts). From his own experience of many decades, Gar Alperovitz shows us how radical ideas are often common sense at the local level, and that a commitment to the long haul was the secret to creating major social change such as civil rights and environmental protection.

--Corinne McLaughlin, co-author of Spiritual Politics and Builders of the Dawn, and co-founder of The Center for Visionary Leadership