Why the crisis in which America finds itself demands a new "operating system"

In this third volume of his award-winning American Crisis series, James Gustave Speth makes his boldest and most ambitious contribution yet. He looks unsparingly at the sea of troubles in which the United States now finds itself, charts a course through the discouragement and despair commonly felt today, and envisions what he calls America the Possible, an attractive and plausible future that we can still realize.

The book identifies a dozen features of the American political economy—the country's basic operating system—where transformative change is essential. It spells out the specific changes that are needed to move toward a new political economy—one in which the true priority is to sustain people and planet. Supported by a compelling "theory of change" that explains how system change can come to America, the book also presents a vision of political, social, and economic life in a renewed America. Speth envisions a future that will be well worth fighting for. In short, this is a book about the American future and the strong possibility that we yet have it in ourselves to use our freedom and our democracy in powerful ways to create something fine, a reborn America, for our children and grandchildren.

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"[Speth] does a marvelous job of summarizing the most pressing problems and offering realistic and promising solutions. . . . This book is optimistic even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable problems."—Choice

"A sweeping plan to save the United States by revamping the entire political-economic-societal paradigm. . . Speth concedes that his agenda is daunting . . . However, because he believes the country is in danger of failing the greater part of its citizenry unless current policies are altered, he chooses optimism, proposing specific reforms that can become reality if undertaken in a deliberate, measured way."—Kirkus Reviews - Kirkus Review

"A readable prescription for the future that's actually possible. [Speth's] message is clear: A new political economy is coming, and will eventually win the day. One that is more democratic, sustainable and, in a word, better for us all."—Robert M. Thorson, Hartford Courant

- Hartford Courant

"America the Possible does a marvelous job of summarizing the most pressing problems and offering realistic and promising solutions...Written by a sensitive, well-informed scholar who has served the country in various capacities, this book is optimistic even in the midst of seemingly insurmountable problems."—Choice - Choice

"Honorable Mention, General-Non-Fiction category at the 2013 Green Book Festival sponsored by JM Northern LLC" - JM Northern Media LLC

"At a time when forgettable blueprints for social change appear almost daily, this one stands out for being remarkably fresh, readable, and incisive."--Solutions - Solutions

"At a time when forgettable blueprints for social change appear almost daily, this one stands out for being remarkably fresh, readable, and incisive."—Michael H. Shuman, Solutions - Solutions