{"product_id":"books-the-good-life-and-its-discontents-by-robert-j-samuelson","title":"The Good Life and Its Discontents","description":"A New York Times Business Book Bestseller \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eShrewd and optimistic. . . .  \u003ci\u003eThe Good Life and Its Discontents\u003c\/i\u003e] combines first-rate analysis with persuasive historical, political and sociological insights. --\u003ci\u003eThe New Republic\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eToday Americans are wealthier, healthier, and live longer than at any previous time in our history. As a society, we have never had it so good. Yet, paradoxically, many of us have never felt so bad. For, as Robert J. Samuelson observes in this visionary book, our country suffers from a national sense of entitlement--a feeling that someone, whether Big Business or Big Government, should guarantee us secure jobs, rising living standards, social harmony, and personal fulfillment. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eThe Good Life and Its Discontents\u003c\/i\u003e, Samuelson, a national columnist for \u003ci\u003eNewsweek\u003c\/i\u003e and the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, links our rising expectations with our belief in a post-Cold War vision of an American utopia. Using history, economics, and psychology, he exposes the hubris of economists and corporate managers and indicts a government that promises too much to too many constituencies. Like David Reisman's \u003ci\u003eThe Lonely Crowd\u003c\/i\u003e and John Kenneth Galbraith's \u003ci\u003eThe Affluent Society\u003c\/i\u003e, the result is a book that defines its time--and that is sure to shape the national debate for years to come. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eA smart, balanced epitaph for an era--with a few clues for what's ahead. --\u003ci\u003eBusiness Week\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLucid  and] nonsectarian . . . Samuelson traces how the reasonable demand for progress has given way to the excessive demand for perfection. --\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"World of Books ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53510022955281,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780812925920.jpg?v=1778170413","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/books-the-good-life-and-its-discontents-by-robert-j-samuelson","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}