The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream

Author: Martin, Courtney E.

Features:

• Seal Press CA

Number Of Pages: 304

Details:

Are we living the good life—and what defines 'good', anyway? Americans today are constructing a completely different framework for success than their parents' generation, using new metrics that TEDWomen speaker and columnist Courtney Martin has termed collectively the "New Better Off". The New Better Off puts a name to the American phenomenon of rejecting the traditional dream of a 9-to-5 job, home ownership, and a nuclear family structure, illuminating the alternate ways Americans are seeking happiness and success. Including commentary on recent changes in how we view work, customs and community, marriage, rituals, money, living arrangements, and spirituality, The New Better Off uses personal stories and social analysis to explore the trends shaping our country today. Martin covers growing topics such as freelancing, collaborative consumption, communal living, and the breaking down of gender roles.  The New Better Off is about the creative choices individuals are making in their vocational and personal lives, but it's also about the movements, formal and informal, that are coalescing around the "New Better Off" idea-people who are reinventing the social safety net and figuring out how to truly better their own communities.

Reviews:

“I've been waiting for someone to articulate what the brilliant Courtney Martin has done in The New Better Off. The book poses a question that I believe is critical to our families, our culture, our nation: What does it mean and who gets to determine what a good life, a safe life, a happy life and generous life looks like? And how did we get to this place where to be well-off means to be constantly busy and tired and distracted, disconnected from our families and communities? I hope everyone reads this book and examines what matters most in their lives, and in the life of our society. “ —Elizabeth Lesser, author Marrow and Broken Open, and cofounder of Omega Institute

" The New Better Off is essential to understanding how to have a better life and a new and better you. Too many of us are sick and tired of the 9-5 grind, of having to fall in line, of seeing success as a purely individual pursuit; Martin shows that there is another way.” —Richard Florida, author, Rise of the Creative Class

"In times of great disruption we are forced to question everything. Courtney Martin has taken this to heart and challenges us to reassess, rethink and reinvent the very notion of what a ‘good life’ might be. The New Better Off is an invaluable source of insight and inspiration for those wishing to embark on one of post-consumer society’s most important projects." —Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO and author of Change By Design

"When a moment and a voice align perfectly, you get a book like The New Better Off. Courtney Martin reimagines success and purpose in ways counterintuitive and wise. This is our future speaking the language of our ancestors. Listen closely.” —Eric Liu, founder and CEO, Citizen University

"We all know that money can't buy peace, kindness or honesty—in the Age of Trump, what could be more clear? Courtney Martin is a practical and lyrical explorer in showing us how money as the only measure of

"better off" has failed us, and what is needed to create a new American Dream for us and the next generation. Never has there been a more timely and livable book." —Gloria Steinem

"This book encapsulates a huge idea: That our dreams of individual success are in urgent need of an upgrade. Courtney Martin makes the case with extraordinary eloquence anchored in beautiful personal stories. If you're depressed about the current state of America, she offers a powerful antidote." —Chris Anderson, CEO of TED “Courtney Martin, who’s less than half my age, has been a mentor to me for nearly a decade. In 2008, when her second book came out, I called her “one of our most insightful culture critics and finest young writers.” With The New Better Off, I’m doubling down on that praise. Telling compell...

EAN: 9781580055796

Release Date: 13-09-2016

Languages: English

Item Note: Great shape- pages are unmarked and sharp.Has a remainder mark. Hardcover Used - Like New Ships fast! 2016

Item Condition: UsedLikeNew

Binding: Hardcover