The War on Normal People

The War on Normal People presents a captivating account of how Andrew Yang, a skinny Asian kid from upstate became a successful entrepreneur and how he found a new mission: calling attention to the critical steps America must take to stabilize the economy amid rapid technological change and automation. This book paints a dire portrait of the American economy. The shift toward automation is about to create a wave of unemployment. Not in the distant future, but now. One recent estimate forecasts 45 million American workers will lose their jobs within the next twelve years. In a future marked by turmoil and chronic unemployment, what will happen to American society? In The War on Normal People, Yang imagines a different future, one in which having a job is distinct from the capacity to prosper and seek fulfillment. At this vision's core is Universal Basic Income, the concept of providing all citizens with a guaranteed income, and one that is rapidly gaining popularity among visionary politicians and economists. Yang proposes that UBI is an essential step toward a new, more stable kind of economy, "human capitalism" is what he calls it.