Hypercapitalism: The Modern Economy, Its Values, and How to Change Them
Larry Gonick and Tim Kasser. New Press, $19.95 trade paper (224p) ISBN 978-1-62097-282-3
With an extensive series of cartoon guides to nonfiction subjects under his belt (including the classic series The Cartoon History of the Universe), Gonick turns his attention to hypercapitalism, a talking point of 21st-century politics and culture. This volume melds a comprehensive study of economics and psychology with theory and narration by talking head Kasser (chair of psychology at Knox College). Gonick effortlessly lays out post-1945 capitalism, its evolution, and its application to contemporary business and trade, emphasizing the psychological effect and social cost of commercialism. The second half is prescriptive: a series of proposals for grassroots activism to survive in a world of marketable products and people. Accompanied with breezily quirky cartooning that cleverly fuses art and hard information, Gonick’s latest is another triumph: a new self-education classic for these troubled times. (Jan.)
Details
Reviewed on: 12/11/2017
Genre: Comics
Open Ebook - 224 pages - 978-1-62097-283-0