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America, We Need to Talk: A Self-Help Book for the Nation
How did we get here, America? How did our relationship get so broken? And where do we go now? Starting with the premise that Americans' most important relationship is with their nation, Joel Berg's second book, America We Need to Talk: A Self-Help Book for the Nation, makes a case for how we must both stop blaming the nation's problems solely on "the politicians" or "the system" and take personal responsibility to solve them. Written as both a hilarious parody of relationship and self-help books and a deadly serious analysis of the nation's political and economic dysfunction, the book dissects how Donald Trump and other Republicans won over white, working-class voters, and includes a concrete plan to win them back, and well as a broader roadmap for reducing poverty, bolstering the middle class, and powering an overall progressive resurgence.
Through his biting critique, clear-headed prescriptions, and amusing charts, Joel shows how average Joes and Janes can channel their anger at our hobbled government into concrete actions that will fix our democracy, make our economy work for everyone, and restore our stature in the world as a beacon of freedom, diversity, and hope. The American people are in it for the long haul, and, as in all relationships, both sides must recognize their issues and work together to fix them. This book will do more than offer comfort for sobbing progressives--it will show the path to redemption.
Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison wrote: “This book is both important and entertaining. We need both – I've never seen the political world so sad, so foolish. So dangerous. This book will certainly help.” Tom Colicchio, chef, TV judge, and activist said the book is: “A timely take-no-prisoners argument for sane and humane policies by the master truth-teller, Joel Berg. Been wondering how we can really make America great again? Read this book.” Filmmaker and activist Lori Silverbush said: “Fearless and compulsively readable, America, We Need to Talk will make you laugh, think, and snort coffee through your nose. Joel Berg is that irascible uncle who speaks the unmentionable truth at family dinners. You may squirm, but secretly you’re glad he’s there.”
As an acclaimed author, a frequent voice in the national media, and the outspoken CEO of the nonprofit group Hunger Free America, Joel Berg is a respected international leader in the fields of hunger, poverty, food, and US politics.
Through his biting critique, clear-headed prescriptions, and amusing charts, Joel shows how average Joes and Janes can channel their anger at our hobbled government into concrete actions that will fix our democracy, make our economy work for everyone, and restore our stature in the world as a beacon of freedom, diversity, and hope. The American people are in it for the long haul, and, as in all relationships, both sides must recognize their issues and work together to fix them. This book will do more than offer comfort for sobbing progressives--it will show the path to redemption.
Nobel Prize winning author Toni Morrison wrote: “This book is both important and entertaining. We need both – I've never seen the political world so sad, so foolish. So dangerous. This book will certainly help.” Tom Colicchio, chef, TV judge, and activist said the book is: “A timely take-no-prisoners argument for sane and humane policies by the master truth-teller, Joel Berg. Been wondering how we can really make America great again? Read this book.” Filmmaker and activist Lori Silverbush said: “Fearless and compulsively readable, America, We Need to Talk will make you laugh, think, and snort coffee through your nose. Joel Berg is that irascible uncle who speaks the unmentionable truth at family dinners. You may squirm, but secretly you’re glad he’s there.”
As an acclaimed author, a frequent voice in the national media, and the outspoken CEO of the nonprofit group Hunger Free America, Joel Berg is a respected international leader in the fields of hunger, poverty, food, and US politics.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
688 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2017
About the author
Joel Berg
6 books5 followersLabeled “Mister Frowny Pants” by The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (on which he once appeared), Joel Berg is CEO of Hunger Free America, which the Nation called “one of the leading direct service and advocacy organizations on hunger and poverty in the nation.” He is a nationally and internationally recognized expert on US politics, hunger, poverty, food, volunteerism, and nutrition.
Berg wrote the decade’s definitive book on US hunger, All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? (Seven Stories Press, 2008). Playboy (which Berg reads only for the reviews) called the book “refreshing” for its “optimism … rationality and passion.” He has also published numerous op-eds, poems, and policy papers and has been a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, as well as a Policy Analyst at the Progressive Policy Institute, two DC-based think tanks.
Berg has delivered hundreds of keynote speeches on four continents and in 37 states, from Maine to Alaska, while surviving moose attacks and volcanic eruptions. One audience member wrote, “Seeing Joel Berg speak in person is like watching the History Channel, C-Span, and Comedy Central all at once.”
Noted by City Limits magazine for his “trademark good-natured snarkiness,” Berg has been covered extensively by national and international media, appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Fox News, CNN, National Public Radio, The Kudlow Report, All in with Chris Hayes, and the NBC Evening News, and quoted by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and tons of obscure blogs. He has also been featured in three documentary films.
Prior to joining Hunger Free America, Berg worked for eight years in senior executive service positions in Bill Clinton’s presidential administration, served on the Clinton/Gore Presidential Transition Team, and staffed the 1992 Bill Clinton for President campaign. While working for 13 years as a political campaign professional, he lived in Kansas, Alaska, New Jersey, Maine, Arkansas, and New York.
He now resides in Brooklyn, New York but has yet to overdose on local, artisanal kale chips.
Berg wrote the decade’s definitive book on US hunger, All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America? (Seven Stories Press, 2008). Playboy (which Berg reads only for the reviews) called the book “refreshing” for its “optimism … rationality and passion.” He has also published numerous op-eds, poems, and policy papers and has been a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, as well as a Policy Analyst at the Progressive Policy Institute, two DC-based think tanks.
Berg has delivered hundreds of keynote speeches on four continents and in 37 states, from Maine to Alaska, while surviving moose attacks and volcanic eruptions. One audience member wrote, “Seeing Joel Berg speak in person is like watching the History Channel, C-Span, and Comedy Central all at once.”
Noted by City Limits magazine for his “trademark good-natured snarkiness,” Berg has been covered extensively by national and international media, appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews, Fox News, CNN, National Public Radio, The Kudlow Report, All in with Chris Hayes, and the NBC Evening News, and quoted by the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, and tons of obscure blogs. He has also been featured in three documentary films.
Prior to joining Hunger Free America, Berg worked for eight years in senior executive service positions in Bill Clinton’s presidential administration, served on the Clinton/Gore Presidential Transition Team, and staffed the 1992 Bill Clinton for President campaign. While working for 13 years as a political campaign professional, he lived in Kansas, Alaska, New Jersey, Maine, Arkansas, and New York.
He now resides in Brooklyn, New York but has yet to overdose on local, artisanal kale chips.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 31, 2016
This ultimately serious book made me laugh out loud in spots. The way he plays off famous self-help and relationship books to prove his points is clever and lightens the subject, too(think: Eat Pray Love & Then Get Fired for Spending So Much Time Away from Work). It's almost as though he covered my political broccoli with laughs as cheese sauce. My mother did that and it was a smart way to get me to eat my vegetables.
It's hard to imagine finding anything funny about Washington these days, even though much of what you see on the news is surreal. Sure, I still watch Trump sitting in the Oval Office and wonder if I'm watching SNL, which would be slap-your-knees hysterical, if only it wasn't so terrifying and probably dangerous. The barrage of bad news, congressional bad-mouthing, and seemingly unhinged presidential tweets can be overwhelming. And some days (most) everyone seems to be angry at everyone else, on TV and social media, in families, on the streets -- especially when it comes to politics.
But this book is not just hilarious, it is hopeful. Joel Berg is mad as hell but he blows off steam with both humor (dark and dad-style both) and action. He covers the gamut, from race to sexism to class and looks at both the left and the right with magnifying glasses. It's sad that I find it amazing that Berg ends up where we all really should: having hope for our country and hope for us as Americans. Joel Berg votes for hope over cynicism and rallies against average folks giving up on politics. Wow.
It's almost as though this guy thinks we should be putting the country first over petty bullshit. I like to imagine he's not alone in this assessment.
For me, it was inspiring to read practical suggestions on what I can do, myself, to change the system, in addition to voting. His first book also had real-world actions that we all could take. Diagnosing problems is easier than working on cures. I want to be part of the cure.
Berg's worked in the trenches fighting hunger and injustice and knows his stuff. America, We Need to Talk is an easy, fun read and important, too. Definitely recommended.
It's hard to imagine finding anything funny about Washington these days, even though much of what you see on the news is surreal. Sure, I still watch Trump sitting in the Oval Office and wonder if I'm watching SNL, which would be slap-your-knees hysterical, if only it wasn't so terrifying and probably dangerous. The barrage of bad news, congressional bad-mouthing, and seemingly unhinged presidential tweets can be overwhelming. And some days (most) everyone seems to be angry at everyone else, on TV and social media, in families, on the streets -- especially when it comes to politics.
But this book is not just hilarious, it is hopeful. Joel Berg is mad as hell but he blows off steam with both humor (dark and dad-style both) and action. He covers the gamut, from race to sexism to class and looks at both the left and the right with magnifying glasses. It's sad that I find it amazing that Berg ends up where we all really should: having hope for our country and hope for us as Americans. Joel Berg votes for hope over cynicism and rallies against average folks giving up on politics. Wow.
It's almost as though this guy thinks we should be putting the country first over petty bullshit. I like to imagine he's not alone in this assessment.
For me, it was inspiring to read practical suggestions on what I can do, myself, to change the system, in addition to voting. His first book also had real-world actions that we all could take. Diagnosing problems is easier than working on cures. I want to be part of the cure.
Berg's worked in the trenches fighting hunger and injustice and knows his stuff. America, We Need to Talk is an easy, fun read and important, too. Definitely recommended.
April 2, 2026
Berg accomplishes something genuinely difficult: making political analysis feel like a conversation with that uncle who actually knows what he's talking about. The self-help parody structure works surprisingly well, offering both levity and genuine insight into how we might repair our collective relationship with the nation. His prescriptions for progressive resurgence avoid the usual sloganeering, instead grounding hope in concrete action. The charts are genuinely amusing, not mere filler. While some passages feel dated post-2017, the core argument, that citizenship requires personal responsibility rather than blame-shifting, remains urgent. Toni Morrison's endorsement was deserved. A rare political book that respects its readers' intelligence while still making them laugh.
September 12, 2026
America, We Need to Talk is an engaging and unconventional examination of the political and economic problems facing the United States.
Joel Berg cleverly uses the language of self help and relationship advice to frame a serious discussion about responsibility, dysfunction, poverty, inequality, and the challenges facing American democracy.
The combination of humor, analysis, personal responsibility, and practical proposals makes the book accessible while still tackling difficult subjects. Berg’s experience working on hunger and poverty also gives his perspective a strong connection to real world social issues.
A provocative and thought provoking read for anyone interested in contemporary American politics, economics, and society.
Joel Berg cleverly uses the language of self help and relationship advice to frame a serious discussion about responsibility, dysfunction, poverty, inequality, and the challenges facing American democracy.
The combination of humor, analysis, personal responsibility, and practical proposals makes the book accessible while still tackling difficult subjects. Berg’s experience working on hunger and poverty also gives his perspective a strong connection to real world social issues.
A provocative and thought provoking read for anyone interested in contemporary American politics, economics, and society.
June 18, 2017
4.25 / 5.0
Well thought out factual survey of contentious issues in American Society. Prescriptions for action tilt progressive to left liberal and workable. Focus leans tow hunger issues. End was a bit disappointing as it devolves into pipe dream solutions. Delight witty cynical, ironic, and self deprecating humor throughout.
Well thought out factual survey of contentious issues in American Society. Prescriptions for action tilt progressive to left liberal and workable. Focus leans tow hunger issues. End was a bit disappointing as it devolves into pipe dream solutions. Delight witty cynical, ironic, and self deprecating humor throughout.
June 12, 2017
You wouldn't think a policy book about poverty would be funny, but there it is. Berg offers a comprehensive and comprehensible analysis of America's social ills and offers real solutions. It's a progressive vision, and very readable. Recommended.
June 12, 2017
You wouldn't think a policy book about fixing poverty would be funny, but there it is. Berg offers a comprehensive and comprehensible analysis of America's social ills, with real solutions. Recommended.
Read
April 10, 2023Didn’t finish it because it was due back but it was good
May 31, 2017
Enjoying this book so far. There is a lot of information to absorb here and I am also reading two other books but I keep coming back to this one.
A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down - and by that, I mean his humor. Because it is a dark and painful subject, he has leavened his information with numerous footnotes, asides and photos. They do keep the book from being your usual Nader-Raider type treatise but can at times be a distraction.
I very much liked his first book 'All You Can Eat' and in the current climate of budget cuts across the board for SNAP and school lunch programs, this new book is an important addition to the conversation.
This book actually gets better as it goes along. In the later chapters there are less distractions and more content. He has some interesting ideas for programs that could at least put a dent in the problem. Hopefully, more Conservative readers will not have left by the time he reaches across the aisle to come up with solutions even middle of the road-ers might agree with.
A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down - and by that, I mean his humor. Because it is a dark and painful subject, he has leavened his information with numerous footnotes, asides and photos. They do keep the book from being your usual Nader-Raider type treatise but can at times be a distraction.
I very much liked his first book 'All You Can Eat' and in the current climate of budget cuts across the board for SNAP and school lunch programs, this new book is an important addition to the conversation.
This book actually gets better as it goes along. In the later chapters there are less distractions and more content. He has some interesting ideas for programs that could at least put a dent in the problem. Hopefully, more Conservative readers will not have left by the time he reaches across the aisle to come up with solutions even middle of the road-ers might agree with.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews