About the Author

Dinesh D'Souza, the Rishwain Research Scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, served as senior domestic policy analyst in the White House from 1987 to 1988. He is the bestselling author of Illiberal Education, The End of Racism, and Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader. He divides his time between Washington, D.C., and San Dieg

Reviews

Daniel Silver The Wall Street Journal D'Souza asks the right questions about the new prosperity.

Michael Lewis author of The New New Thing An intellectual journey into the soul of technological capitalism...Raises profound questions and offers provocative answers.

Rich Karlgaard Forbes magazine A work that reveals the pursuit of wealth through capitalism as morally edifying, even if never perfect.

Daniel Silver The Wall Street Journal D'Souza asks the right questions about the new prosperity.
Michael Lewis author of The New New Thing An intellectual journey into the soul of technological capitalism...Raises profound questions and offers provocative answers.
Rich Karlgaard Forbes magazine A work that reveals the pursuit of wealth through capitalism as morally edifying, even if never perfect.

Don't let the dry title of this book deceive you; it is a lively, provocative, and insightful exploration into the morality of wealth creation today. Given D'Souza's conservative credentials (American Enterprise Inst., Illiberal Education), one might wonder why he's addressing this topic. Don't all conservatives love capitalism, free markets, and entrepreneurial success? Yes and no. D'Souza claims that "never in the history of the world have so many people made so much money," but he also points out that "America has a new problem: coping with prosperity." So what's the problem? Having interviewed many people, some who are very pro-technology (whom he calls members of the party of "yeah"), as well as some who are anti-technology (the party of "nah"), he determines that while many might enjoy their new wealth, some feel conflicted, almost guilty about having it. But what are people doing with all this wealth? D'Souza provides some perspective by pointing out how earlier civilizations coped on a much smaller scale with similar philosophical questions. Bottom line? In this best of all possible worlds, there are no easy answers, and we should count our blessings for living in such a highly developed age. Recommended for larger public, business, and academic libraries.DRichard Drezen, "Washington Post" News Research, New York Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.