Sharing the Pie

If the U.S. economy is booming, why are so many Americans struggling to get by? Steve Brouwer answers this and many other questions in Sharing the Pie, an informative and irreverent critique of the rightward shift in America since 1980. Brouwer draws upon a wealth of statistics to chart the disastrous economic and social consequences of the Reagan and Bush years, and documents Bill Clinton's failure to reverse the steady decline in the living standards of most Americans.

Using concise, easy-to-understand charts and graphs presented in an oversized format, Sharing the Pie punctures some of the most pervasive myths about our economy: that our foreign competitors are to blame for our current malaise; that we "can't afford" a government that provides decent education, health care, and social services; and that a "rising tide" (i.e., a surging stock market and unbridled corporate greed) will "lift all boats."

An invaluable resource for those who want to make sense of the economy, Sharing the Pie is also a passionate plea for greater economic equality and a revitalization of American democracy.

Steve Brouwer is the author of Conquest & Capitalism: 1492-1992 and the co-author of Exporting the American Gospel. He lives with his family in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Steve Brodner's illustrations appear regularly in The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, and the Nation. He lives in New York City.