I was really drawn to this book by two things: 1) Giridharadas’ outstanding “The True American: Murder and Mercy in Texas,” and 2) a Slate podcast in which the author outlines some of the themes of this book.

But once I dove into it I was a little disappointed: the author takes full aim at the few rich people who actually give a damn about what’s going on in the world beyond their gated communities. I just don’t see the point of it, unless such people really need a waking up. I suspect they pretty much know they’re collaborators with the devil.

Still, there are a number of themes in the book that bear comment, themes that I throw around in my mind regularly.

For example, Giridharadas correctly lionizes Thomas Piketty’s fine volume “Capital.” Wealth does show a trend to consolidate itself. And indeed all the world’s democracies need to take aim at a progressive wealth tax more than an income tax if they hope to reverse the trend, to shut down the tax havens, to nail the money-launderers, and isolate the Russian kleptocrats.

Westerners do need to view their own governments at once more seriously and with a more critical eye. Our constitutions are not perfect, do need review, and do need a less tortuous path to reform. However, our governments are as clear a picture of their constituents as anything. Our governments are our neighbours, our collective aspirations, and our failure to address the inertia of budgets and priorities. We needn’t let our paranoia overtake the reality of the situation.

There is also the question of who is wise enough to govern ourselves. Giridharadas clearly thinks the titans of commerce are not. Not having known any of them I can’t say as I can agree or disagree with him.

Regretfully, Americans display annoyance that their President is not the Emperor. So many of them side with Donald Trump these days I have been seriously taking a hard look at my vacation plans.

Like Churchill, the author seems to think that democracy is the worst way to govern ourselves, except for all the others. I’d like to believe him. I’ve never had much success at moving my governments one way or t’other on some relatively pedestrian inequities I’ve seen in our laws.

Running for office is no picnic. ( )

After a couple chapters, this book dragged and felt hard to get through. While I don't disagree with the author at all, I feel like he cherry-picked people to include. (And at times I wondered if the subjects he included were aware of how they were going to be portrayed in his book.) Finally, while everyday individuals obviously contribute to the unequal society we currently inhabit, why point the finger at everyday folks instead of the people with, you know, actual power? ( )

Thought leaders p.6 improving lives W/in the faulty system; p.30 McKinsey-Market World "its own thinkers called thought leaders"; p.38 self styled thought leaders (Adam Grant); p.60 conferences and companies ( )

This book was a real eye-opener for me. It helped me to understand why I was always vaguely uncomfortable with elites helping the disadvantaged. It is because they are offering the equivalent of "band-aid" solutions without addressing the underlying causes of inequality, poverty or discrimination. They are, in effect, protecting the status quo and their privileged position within it.

The other insight I gained was that when powerful, market-based elites step in, they are crowding government out. They want to avoid regulations that could hurt their businesses, so they provide "solutions" such as apps to average out fluctuating wages hoping to avoid labour laws that would provide employees with more stable hours of work. Governments are accountable to citizens; corporations are not. As a society, we need to work through our democratic institutions, not undermine them.

As the author points out, not every philanthropist is evil; they may not think too hard about what they are doing. In their minds, they work hard. They donate millions. They are good people. Sadly, I fear, this will only make bringing about change more difficult. But not impossible.

A critically important book! Well written in an engaging style. ( )

Loved this book. This has been a topic I've been very interested in. I feel like for the last few years, I have been reading and listening to things that help to give me tools to describe why Silicon Valley makes me very uncomfortable and why I don't think it should be a model for the rest of society. This book goes a lot broader than that and I loved everything it covered. I loved it as a sociology major but I would recommend it for anyone. ( )