A review by knbee
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Angus Deaton, Anne Case

3.0

Compared to other books I’ve read in the past few years about the white working class, this felt much more academic in tone, which is no surprise, I guess, considering the authors are wife and husband economists at Princeton. Lots of graphs and rather long-winded explanations of graphs. If you’re looking for DATA, here you go. What it lacked was human connection, real representation of those affected by circumstances that lead to higher rates of deaths of despair. Plus, some of the data seemed underdeveloped to me, like their bachelor’s degree line-in-the-sand. AND their solutions seemed more about toeing a real safe line, ones that are digestible for the rich, rather than ones that might bring real change. All that said, I definitely learned a thing or two and appreciate their research on capitalism’s many failures in this country.