Escape From Capitalism: Economics is Political, and Other Liberating Truths

by Clara E. Mattei

Brought to you by Penguin.

Economics is sold as pure and scientific, neutral, exact. This urgent book exposes its true to convince us there’s no alternative to capitalism. We live in a world dominated by the dogma that austerity is necessary, unemployment natural, endless wars inevitable and central banks all-powerful. It doesn’t have to be this way.



In her bold, groundbreaking manifesto, economist Clara E. Mattei tears the mask off our economic system. She unpacks key concepts like growth, inflation, unemployment and balanced budgets to show how they’re weaponized to enforce market dependence, not freedom, stripping us of the power to shape the democratic decisions that govern our daily lives. Enduring problems such as poverty and inequality are not accidents or bugs in the economy, but core features – justified with pseudoscientific models to support a system that unfairly rewards people with the most resources.

Why should we accept this? Capitalism, Mattei argues, isn’t inevitable, scientific, or natural – it's a relatively young system that can be replaced. Inspired by a lineage of political resistance, Escape From Capitalism calls for us to challenge the broken economics of our times, and pave the way towards liberation.

© Clara E. Mattei 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Politics, History, Audiobook, Philosophy, Finance

Audible Audio

First published January 1, 2026

Reviews

[Steffi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did I love the book? Of course.

Clara Mattei 'Escape from Capitalism: Economics Is Political, and Other Liberating Truth' (January 2026)

But it was also a sort of tour through my bookshelf (political economy and political theory sections), Chapters 1-3 covering the origins of capitalism, the capitalist logic, classical vs radical economics, neoliberalism and austerity and its effects on discipling labour and creating the sense of TINA and turn towards fascism; Chapter 4 on development economics, structural global inequality, debt trap, role of IMF etc.; Chapter 5 on capitalism and democracy and the not so antithetical relationship between liberalism and fascism (historically, liberals and fascists shared the common goal of protecting the capital order and aligned on the method to do so: aggressive austerity policies; authoritarian neoliberalism etc).

Three major points none really new to any semi serious progressive person:

* Austerity is political, not neutral: The book argues that economic policies like austerity are deliberately used to preserve capitalist systems by disciplining workers and limiting democratic economic choices.
* Capitalism requires constraint on democracy: Mattei shows historically (especially interwar Europe) how expanding democracy threatened capitalism, leading elites to impose technocratic economic controls to suppress popular demands.
* "Economics” often masks power: What is presented as objective economic necessity is, in reality, shaped by political interest, meaning alternative systems are possible if these power structures are challenged.

I don't know why I always expect a book to pick me up exactly where I stand and feel disappointed when there's not much new in there.

The author promises novelty though "This book provides a new emancipatory perspective. The time is ripe to turn toward a truly modern study of economics built from the works of classical political economy. "

Couldn't agree more but what is the 'new' perspective here? What really IS refreshing is the book's accessible style and appeal to activism, social transformation through linking theory and practice (Gramsci etc)

"There is nothing more political than the lens through which we view the world. Only if we learn to look at the world differently can we act differently." 😻

[Donne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Escape from capitalism - seriously? It sounds like such a novel concept though – doesn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, I love the “idea” of it because capitalism in the US has been failing the majority of Americans for wwwaaayyy too long. That is just one of the major failings of capitalism, and that certainly cannot go on for very much longer. Something needs to be done! However, capitalism is so entrenched into not only the US, but the global economic system that the process of how to even begin to transition into another way of life is such an inconceivable fantasy. At least for me it is and figuring out how to escape capitalism is way over my head. I won’t see it in my lifetime, but I hope that later generations can find a better system that works for the majority of Americans and not just the small percentage of capital titans and their capital class clients securely stationed at the top of the social class structure.

“What would happen if the majority of people realized that in the last three years, about two-thirds of the wealth created has gone into the hands of 1% of the global population?”

First and foremost, it’s not like that is some kind of classified secret, Ms Mattei. I highly suspect that a majority of people already know this, and the outcome of the last election is confirmation of what a majority of Americans chose to do with their vote – elect a corrupt and incompetent moron to drive this country further into decline. I don’t have a clue on how to escape capitalism, but based on where we are, I think a good place to start is to get people in charge that do have a clue as well as a plan. For a majority of us, that will probably start with being a whole lot smarter about how we use our votes and voices.

In the book summary, Mattei introduces just a few of her reasons of why capitalism is in desperate need of an “intervention”. Personally, I think “intervention” is a little staid. Being nice and civilized doesn’t seem to work with the powers that be that simply do not want a more equitable system that works for the majority of Americans. The encompassing 244pgs become her manifesto of why we the people, those of us that capitalism is failing, need to be a part of this "intervention” movement to create a system that will work for most of us and not just a select and fortunate few.

“modern democratic liberalism is rooted in the idea that there can be substantially different approaches to managing our economy. All the parties that govern us, regardless of their political leanings, accept the capitalist context in which they operate as an indisputable premise.”

And therein lies the problem that Ms Mattei lays out for us. However, I still believe that a good place to begin our journey for redefining our economic system into one that actually serves the majority of Americans is to start electing people who actually have a sound and realistic plan to serve the majority of people who desperately want and need change. I had mixed feelings about this book almost from the get-go. I’m looking at an overall rating of 2.5 that I’m not really feeling compelled to round up. I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #Simon&Schuster #EscapefromCapitalism

[Mukireads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun reading an economics book. Clara Mattei’s passion (and anger at the current system we live in) is infectious, and the mix of historical accounts with present situations and more political/philosophical reflections on what do we truly want as humans, as well as the necessity to redefine “freedom” are highly compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!

[Loredana · Rating 5 out of 5]

In these difficult times the only people that make me feel any pride in being Italian are Francesca Albanese and Clara Mattei.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an awesome book discussing a lot of the issues with capitalism. For most of my life, I was brainwashed into thinking that capitalism was the best way and only way, until I learned that other countries take care of their people much better than the United States does. If you want to learn about how capitalism isn’t designed in a way to help most people succeed, you definitely need to read this book.

[Rahul Jassi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accurate critiques with few solutions offered

[Michelle Yau · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was really no "escape". Just another summary of how capitalism has failed us. The only "new" premise is that its so indoctrinated in us that we fail to imagine another system...? Nothing the Shock Doctrine didn't do in 2007.

[mood_reading_maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for the e-ARC.

“Capitalism has no vision for humanity.”
Leftist economic political theory? Let’s fuckinggggggg go.

This was my first reading of Mattei’s writing and I found the arguments to be interesting and approachable. The primary caveat being that this will be most informative to a reader who is already familiar with leftist political theory and leftist economic theory. If you’re not, reading an introductory work—like Confronting Capitalism by Vivek Chibber or even Marx For Beginners by Rius—will be helpful in enabling a reader’s understanding of the concepts.

For their part, Mattei is a clear and engaging writer. If you’re concerned about a dry, academic tone, don’t be. Each chapter expands upon an economic concept, its origins and impact, and is anchored with an example of the human cost of capitalism. Mattei doesn’t shy away from chastising traditional “perfect market” economists, like the Chicago Boys, for ignoring the impossibility of divorcing economics from political institutions and market realities. Mattei also explores capitalism’s ties to fascism, through historical examples of Italy’s economic developments and worker repression under Mussolini and ties the impact back to present day. For example:
“It is common among well-meaning liberals to point fingers at the likes of Donald Trump, Viktor Orbán, and Giorgia Meloni as bad actors. But the strong parallels between the economic policies of Mussolini’s fascist regime and the British government of the 1920s dissolves the reassuring distinction between right-wing authoritarian governments and liberal democracy. This blurred distinction is more common than we might think in the recent history of capitalism.”

Similarly, Mattei has a chapter of condemnation for the state of Israel and its violent capitalist subjugation and colonization of the Palestinian people:
“The relationship of Israel with the Palestinian territories vividly illustrates how the capitalist wealth of developed nations is built on the subjugation of weaker economies.”

More to the point, however, Mattei is successful at illustrating how citizens are forced to opt into the capitalist system while simultaneously being left with minimal resources to challenge it:
“As the state dismantles health care, education, social housing, transportation, and public services, we must worry about having money in our pockets to meet our basic needs.”
“how can we find the strength to participate in any collective initiative toward alternative economic structures or even just protect our rights?”

I enjoyed this book and will certainly look into Mattei’s other work, The Capital Order.

[Ann Herrold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really decent introduction to how capitalism actually functions. I really appreciated how Mattei went into detail on fascist Italy and the life of Antonio Gramsci, most people only quote him. I did feel like the end was a bit of a letdown, it feels like most people who write about the harms of capitalism express the need for community (and they are not wrong) but they rarely offer motivation and a potential map on how to do this, which I understand building community isn't one-size-fits-all and is difficult but it is getting tiring hearing this same take without any further exploration for how this might be done. That's what I was hoping from this book, and it did not deliver.

[James Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like how the author reframes common mindsets regarding the organization of the economy. The name is a bit misleading because this is much more a diagnosis of the current state of things and how it came to be, and it’s a bit lighter on the discussion of a path forward.

A lot of this will be familiar to well-read socialists, but I think there’s still a lot of value in how the issues are presented.

This book plus The Jakarta Method could be a good way to show friends an alternate perspective from the American mindset.

[Seb Starling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A powerful, destructive critique of capitalism. More suggestions for an alternative would have been welcome.

[John Maguire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thought provoking although would possibly be better titled as Slaves to Capitalism as the book primarily focuses on the issues with capitalism as we know it today rather than concrete suggestions for how we might organise differently. There are a few interesting references towards the end of the last chapter about collectives around the world that are trying new approaches but they seem so tiny and inconsequential compared to the sprawling and deeply embedded capital order described in the rest of the book. I’m left at the end wiser to the trap we have built for ourselves but not really any wiser for how to dismantle it.

[Julian Pritchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Polemic against capitalism updated with statistics about covid and inequality, and the Israel-Palestine conflict in the context of global capitalism. Many of the arguments in this are familiar on the left, I wouldn’t say that it’s the most original book but it is concise

[Rexton Tegwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

The American left needs to look beyond Marx. His work effectively criticizes capitalism. But the ideas have existed for over a century and have not amounted to much.

This book is another capitalist criticism book. But it won't scratch the surface as comparable critiques have existed for a century now. Yes, laborers are fundamentally paid less than they are worth, and this forms the basis of profits. Of course it is unfair. Of course, all viable political parties accept capitalism as mandatory. Attacking capitalism from its base as if it can be wiped away in one fell swoop is too great a task without effective means to implement it. This book assumes that if enough people "understand" the political nature of economics. And how this social science is pedaled as a hard science because wealthy people essentially own the universities. That enlightened workers will somehow unite organize and overthrow the capitalist system. People learning this will not change anything; even if every person on the planet knew this, it would change little. Organizing hundreds of millions or billions of people is something that has never occured before. Especially when these people are overburdened with intense labor discipline while being starved of free time and leisure. Simply "raising consciousness" is not working. Capitalism is more dominant on the planet than it ever has been. With the last major nominally socialist power, China, effectively becoming wholly capitalist. Shows the dominance of the ideology.

A new approach is needed. WE need to recognize the dominance and control over reality that wealthy political and economic elites have. Treating them as if they are a fragile group that can be easily overthrown is counterproductive. Working people need to win back some time and energy to understand their situation and develop ideas for what can be done to change it. This will require short-term compromise if regular people want to contest the dominance of the capitalist system around the world.

This book, like many books written by Western left-leaning authors, assumes that capitalism is weak and on the edge of destruction. It misleads the ignorant into thinking change is on the horizon. Preventing them from recognizing reality in order to seek solutions to change that reality

Automation is going to become the reality for the industrialized world, whether we like it or not. Authors should figure out how to form institutions that can ensure the benefits of automation are shared by all. A tall task, as the people developing it are against this.

Nonetheless, they stole vast amounts of information to train their LLM's and are using soon-to-be-redundant workers to train the systems. It will be difficult, but it seems to be the only hope for the average human. If these institutions are not formed soon, automation may explode, leaving most of humanity excluded from its benefits. It will be hard to negotiate a role for regular people once oligarchs own self-sustaining automatic production infrastructure.

This book is another piece demonstrating that left-leaning political thought in the US primarily operates as a "hope industry". Recycling old ideas and assuring worried Americans that some alternative is within reach. When it isn't, unfortunately.

Nothing against the author, its just that there are hundreds of variations of this same piece. The criticism mentioned has not swayed the material reality of people all over the planet. Repeating it like dogma in different titles with different tones is a failing strategy. As most people have not internalized this outlook. Those who have are not capable of changing the material reality that capitalism imposes.

Cheers to Richard Studebaker and David McKerracher for helping me recognize this and presenting a novel theoretical approach to current political dilemmas.

If you understand the basis of Marx's crtique of capitalism this book will teach you nothing new.

[Gary · Rating 2 out of 5]

The promise of a book "for fans of Bernie Sanders and Thomas Piketty" was an easy sell for me. While I find Sanders immensely likable and Piketty a titan of intellectual gravitas, Clara Mattei’s short manifesto unfortunately fails to bridge the gap between political rhetoric and rigorous economic critique. As someone whose shelves are lined with titles like Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything and John Cassidy’s Capitalism and Its Critics, I entered this read as a sympathetic ally. However, the execution was so flawed it nearly sent me into a defensive stance for the very system she aims to dismantle.

Mattei’s primary weakness lies in her tendency to blame capitalism for every modern ailment without establishing causal links. Early on, she attempts to "prove" capitalism causes wealth inequality by pointing to the US and UK. Her logic follows a shaky path: The US and UK are capitalist; they have high inequality; therefore, capitalism is the cause.

This is a textbook logical fallacy. It’s akin to saying: "Ostriches and emus are birds; both are flightless; therefore, birds cannot fly." This ignores the existence of capitalist Scandinavian models with robust social safety nets and low inequality, and fails to account for the role of specific fiscal policies.

The author treats capitalism and the "capitalist class" as an insidious conspiracy. In reality, as Mattei herself briefly admits, capitalism is an amoral, self-selecting algorithm. It is designed to provide products and services at the lowest cost within a specific legal framework while maximising profit.

Calling this "immoral" is like calling gravity "immoral." Both are amoral forces. The morality must be infused by us—the economic and political agents. Every purchase is a moral vote. We are not "forced" to use Amazon or specific grocery chains; those are choices.

As Matthew Desmond brilliantly argued in Poverty, by America, wealth inequality is often a deliberate political decision rather than an inevitability of the market.

Instead of a nuanced look at alternatives or a roadmap for political reform, Mattei offers a repetitive drone against "the system." If you want to fix austerity or inequality, you must start by fixing the political framework that governs the market.

Caveat Lector: Read this as a brief intellectual appetizer if you must, but quickly follow it with a more mature, rigorous work of criticism if you want to actually understand the "crisis" of our age.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this book.

Most people can imagine the end of the world before they can envision the end of capitalism (or something). This book will help them do that.

It’s weird to me that people any younger than 50 hold dearly onto the notion of capitalism as unchallengeable. The vast majority of the time, this is said by someone who has ‘won’ in this system, and accrued a great deal of capital, and “it is impossible to convince a man of something when his livelihood is dependent on him not understanding it” as the old phrase goes.

This book is short and razor sharp, cutting to the core of the issue and not relenting until the end of the book, elucidating: all capital represents the difference between the value one person produced and the value they accumulated from that labor, which was not equal. This at its core is the precise exploitation all capitalism structurally must maintain, between employer and employee, global north to global south, oppressor to oppressed, etc.

The second invective is leveled at the austerity measures put in place, and the concomitant additional measures and outcomes: mandatory ‘natural’ unemployment, effects on interest rates, privatization and anti-nationalization, cutting of social services and putting blame on the individual consumer, and finally the fundamental incompatibility of social democratic governance with the mandate to support the structural economic order.

I am so glad books like this exist, particularly when they are this clear and well written. Everything should be challenged. Everything should be questioned.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this book is where most people should begin on their political journey. It will give them the language to articulate their disillusionment with the current capitalist system.

As many others have said, it reiterates what most politically conscious people will already understand but does so in such an accessible and succinct way as to not be redundant and remain an extremely important monograph. I think that’s what I took from this book, the knowledge and capacity to express these feelings I’ve had for so long, in a clear and translatable way.

The one thing I am most disappointed about though, which is why it remains at 4 stars and not 5, is that towards the end, she begins as if she will propose a rational alternative to private investment and a way to achieve it, but doesn’t really do so successfully. It’s still an answer I am trying to find. If we are to transition from publicly traded businesses to collectively owned models, within that transition phase, where are these projects going to get the funding to actualise their ideas. From cooperatives? Memberships? What returns would they receive from their memberships? Access to the project? I will be searching to answers for my questions on how we can ACTUALLY, TANGIBLY create an alternative system within the violent, global maw of capitalism from now on.

However, I think that everyone should read this book nonetheless. It is great at giving people digestible knowledge to help them understand capitalism as an ideology and a system that requires constant violence and exploitation to maintain. It isn’t inevitable, there must be another way!

[C D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clara Mattei provides an accessible account of all the contradictions of the capital order that we live in, and how they create a myriad of injustices that we justify either as inescapable (because the capital order is “natural” and hence there’s no possibility to think outside its boundaries) or exceptions to the rule.

Yet these injustices are the very pillars that maintain the capital order: unemployment that creates a reserve army and allows corporations to keep wages low while simultaneously limiting workers’ bargaining power; austerity mesures that although presented as quick fixes to periods of crises, are essential to maintaining the system and creating dependence from both exploited peoples and countries; regressive taxation systems that ever expand the gap between the wealthy and the poor…

Countless examples of how the capital order is inherently unjust as well as brilliant in making us believe that there is no possible exit from it. Clara Mattei makes it clear: the capital order is neither natural nor necessary, and only through democratic politics, grass root movements, and deprivatisation as well as redistribution of land and resources can we start to build alternative narratives that benefit the many and not the few. Economics is political.

I really enjoyed this read because of its accessibility. We need more thinkers that are able to clearly lay out political and economic thought in a way that is easy to understand, becase that will enable real every day people to act as well.

[Bargain Sleuth Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

As a resident of the United States, we’re taught that capitalism is good, end of story. What Escape From Capitalism does is show that its not always so. Rather, it’s a deliberately engineered system. If you know about economic history, then that should be of no surprise to you. If you took political science or economics courses in school like I did, you would know that studying capitalism means studying policy, the central banks, economics, and even moral arguments. Naturally, when discussing a topic like this, it tends to be kind of dry and academic. Luckily, this book is not too long.

I appreciated the author’s relentless attack on capitalism; Mattei comes out strong and does not let up until the end of the book. In a world where the rich keep getting richer because of capitalism shows the economic disparities between the value one person produces for company and society what their ultimate value as a human being is.

Escape from Capitalism is a clear and concise take down of capitalism at its core: greed. Of course, the writing is more nuanced than that, but I came away from the book even more sure that America needs to right the ship, so-to-speak. A very interesting book.

[Mwalimu Oduol · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book for anyone curious about the myriad ways that capitalism has messed us up. I think, as a number of people have already highlighted, that this book could have been titled better; it doesn't spend a lot of time on potential alternatives or solutions to the problems that capitalism has brought about, but instead does an excellent job of outlining the problems and knock-on effects of our acceptance of capitalism as the best way to structure our economies.

Don't get me wrong, I find Clara's analysis insightful and enjoyable. There were even a couple of sections where I didn't know anything at all—for example, Israel's economic warfare on the Palestinian people. On that basis alone, I think it's definitely a book worth reading. Although I've criticized the book for being light on potential solutions, I do think it does a great job of opening the reader's mind to the idea that we should be thinking about alternatives—which, given the levels of indoctrination we all go through regarding capitalism, from our schooling to the media, is itself a feat to be proud of.

All in all, I think it's a great starting point for anyone who is curious about the root failures of the capitalist world we inhabit and interested in getting ideas on what we can do to get out of this situation.

[Terry]

It's estimated and quoted in the book that wealthiest 10% are responsible for 50% of carbon emissions.
Who are the wealthiest 10 %?
Another estimate is that only 10% of people fly. Ignoring that a small percentage don't fly by choice and not b/c of economics, we can estimate that the average person in the global north is part of the group contributing to the climate crisis. But we frequently see the 'average' wealthy person pointing the finger at the super rich and saying they are the problem.
==================
Mattei doesn't get into those details. She focuses on the fact that capitalism is ingrained into our culture and political system so much they we can't separate our form of democracy from capitalism. When our economic system benefits the wealthiest and fails the average person, we are unable to see that capitalism has been used by fascists and dictators and oligarchs to maintain power and wealth.

[Vitalina]

Don't think it's a book that should be rated. I looked into it inspired by an interview of Clara Mattei's, seen a couple of months ago, dismantling the idea that capitalism is natural to humankind. I was surprised to see such a take featured on a pretty big news channel, and it was compelling to listen to. At a time when everyone around me seems to be at different stages of dealing with the overwhelming emptiness that capitalism has instilled in us, by transforming humans into dispensable pawns, I needed this book as something to rationalize my own feelings of loss and discontent. Yes, still at a loss for what we can do as citizens to liberate ourselves and those most in need. Still don't have the answer to what would be an achievable, desirable economic alternative. But I liked reminding myself that there is one, and multiple others. It is not a feeling to drown out in each of us, the deep instinct telling us that something is wrong with how our world operates.

[Chrystal Mahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dense but Necessary Reading for Economic Rebels

Clara E. Mattei’s Escape from Capitalism is a passionate critique of the economic system we live in—and the myths that keep it in place. She makes a compelling argument that unemployment, poverty, and wage suppression are not flaws in capitalism, but features that maintain its grip.

I loved the way the book connected past and present, showing how post-WWI economic “science” was deliberately designed to keep ordinary people out of the decision-making process. There’s a lot here for fans of Bernie Sanders and Thomas Piketty to chew on.

Be prepared, though—this isn’t light reading. The text leans academic, and some chapters require extra focus to digest. Still, if you’re willing to engage, the ideas here are vital for anyone who’s ever questioned whether there might be a better way forward.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book for me was an interesting read because the author is an Italian working in the U.S. and draws examples from both countries to tell the story of how the capitalists came to control and exploit labor in a way that fundamentally altered societal outcomes. The case against capitalism is clearly laid out here. The book also gives significant space to the control that Israel exerts on Palestine and draws parallels and warnings for the rest of the world. However the book does not manage to deliver on the promise implied in its title, but that’s not super surprising. You could probably watch one of her YouTube interviews and skip the book, though. It lacks a bit on depth: if we don’t need to be convinced that capitalism is problematic, we may as well go straight to the original sources like Gramsci.

[Jacob Blank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected a manifesto at top and a series of breezy related essays following, but this is an actual book of economic theory and history. Dense, but still one of the more accessible leftist texts, which means it still leans on the side of academic.

The central thesis is that capitalism is a carefully planned system that uses racism and disparity to its benefit and is ultimately incompatible with democracy. It pairs well with the book in co-reading, Paulo Alto by Malcolm Harris which has a very similar core thesis with s wildly different process of getting there.

Focuses on Italian fascist history and makes an example of Palestine/Israel in s lengthy section.

Maybe the kind of book you take notes on and read a second time at least.

[Sumire Antonioli · Rating 4 out of 5]

- It’s hard for me to give a proper review of this book since I’ve never studied economics and just read it out of curiosity. A lot of parts went over my head because I just didn’t know much about the economic concepts that were being discussed. However, I do feel that I learnt a lot of new ideas, and for the most part I could understand and found it very interesting.
- I do wish there was a bit more discussion on alternative economic systems and what that looks like in modern society, with examples of cases where other systems worked well or didn’t work well.
- Overall it was interesting and eye opening for me. Its short length was also suitable for an economics noob like me, it was not too overwhelming.

[Julie Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to LibroFM for the advanced listening copy.

When capitalism suits those that rule there seems little hope for an alternative to be established. This book makes total sense to me and I would like to live in a world that didn't work for the fortunate few to the detriment of the majority.

We are all sold the lie that capitalism is the only way yet after reading Yanis Varoufakis's Another Now and being involved with a small company trying to encourage businesses to think more of their purpose than their profit, it is reassuring to know that there is a movement of people thinking outside the bounds of corporate and individuals greed in their quest for wealth and profit.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much preaching to the choir as I assume anyone that picked up the book is already acutely aware of all the problems Mattei listed, which accounts for 80% of the book. What's left to be desired is the very thin "solutions" to address these issues which mostly hinders on "we" need to take over the power that currently belongs to capital. She must be aware that "we" is hardly a monolith. The conflicts of resource allocation won't go way just because more people are now involved in the decision making process. Humans have been dreaming of Utopia since the dawn of civilization and we have yet to see a non authoritarian implementation.

[Blane · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mattei critiques capitalism here (good), but offers little in the way of the promised escape from it (bad). I am unclear of the intended audience for this book. It is very dry and too academically heavy to really appeal to the average person without an economics background, yet not rigorous enough to appeal to that person with the economics background. There are many better books out there that would appeal to both audiences. I recommend the average person's starting with just about anything Bernie Sanders has written for a concept of why capitalism is such a scourge on humanity and what we can do about it.

[Michael Card · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look into the subjectivity of the material and economic conditions that surround us. It reminded me of "this is water". How we perceive or are conditioned to, is not always how it is. The world could be organized different that is true. I would say her use of MST is too simple as revealed by speaking with some Brazilian farmers in my extended family. But in such a short book I guess that is hard. I guess the overview of MST without critical consideration lessened the messages for me but left me wanting more. But again in a short manifesto this is meant to be a jumping off point not the end point of discussion.