Hypercapitalism The modern economy, its values, and how to change them

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

With an extensive series of cartoon guides to nonfiction subjects under his belt (including the classic series The Cartoon History of the Universe), Gonick turns his attention to hypercapitalism, a talking point of 21st-century politics and culture. This volume melds a comprehensive study of economics and psychology with theory and narration by talking head Kasser (chair of psychology at Knox College). Gonick effortlessly lays out post-1945 capitalism, its evolution, and its application to contemporary business and trade, emphasizing the psychological effect and social cost of commercialism. The second half is prescriptive: a series of proposals for grassroots activism to survive in a world of marketable products and people. Accompanied with breezily quirky cartooning that cleverly fuses art and hard information, Gonick's latest is another triumph: a new self-education classic for these troubled times. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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Review by Library Journal Review

Harvey Award-winning author/artist Gonick, best known for The Cartoon -History of the Universe, has also showcased his signature style in the "Cartoon Guide to..." series. In all of these guides, Gonick takes complex issues and explains them with patience, wit, and a healthy dose of humanism. Here, with Kasser (psychology, Knox College, IL), Gonick explains hypercapitalism and its deleterious effects on modern society. The first part of the book is dark, featuring a cast of characters whose motivations are often at odds with the community's best interests. Gonick's illustrations lend needed humor and a grounding influence as Kasser explores studies and statistics. The second section is a reader's guide to fighting such an economic system, not only introducing major figures and protests in the history of the opposition to hypercapitalism but recommending ways to get involved. Including an extensive bibliography for further reading, the authors conclude on a surprisingly upbeat tone. Verdict A great introduction to the current state of the economy and what can be done about it, and a solid addition for Gonick's many fans.-E.W. Genovese, Andrew Bayne Memorial Lib., Pittsburgh © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

"Overeducated cartoonist" Gonick, the pen behind numerous cartoon guides to scientific and historical subjects (The Cartoon History of the Universe, etc.), returns with this look at the reigning economic system of the day.Hypercapitalism, Kasser (Chair, Psychology/Knox Coll.; Lucy in the Mind of Lennon, 2013, etc.) writes in his accompanying text, is "a system that celebrates materialism, consumerism, and status." It does so, he continues, at the expense of other values that could be more important, such as community, public education, environmental quality, and other like matters. Psychological studies indicate that those who fall under the spell of consumerist cultism care demonstrably less for such things as treating other people fairly and not ravaging the planet. That a psychologist and not an economist is writing about economic matters is telling, for the thrust of the argument is really one of values: not the price-setting values of supply and demand but instead those that determine whether one needs a gadget and whether by buying it he or she will improve someone else's life. "The idea here," writes Kasser, "is to be mindful of one's values and act accordingly when buying things." Of course, as an alarmed postindustrialist might say, if everyone were to act on such values, then the entire enterprise would collapsewhich, the authors suggest, is the whole point, substituting an entrepreneurial spirit for saving the world formaking a fortune. Those who are familiar with Gonick's pleasingly Mad-influenced style will find no surprises in his straightforward presentation, and Kasser doesn't deliver much newsindeed, his argument is reminiscent of the pop-cultural criticism of Vance Packard, Erich Fromm, and Alvin Toffler of decades past. Still, though it lacks the punch of a Piketty or a Stiglitz, it's a timely counter to those who celebrate predatory economics as the best of all possible financial worlds.Something to leave under the tree for that relative who can't get enough of Ayn Rand, insistent that there are values to cherish other than selfishness. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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