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In Rebuild the Dream, green economy pioneer Van Jones reflects on his journey from grassroots outsider to White House insider. For the first time, he shares intimate details of his time in government – and reveals why he chose to resign his post as a special advisor to the Obama White House.
Jones puts his hard-won lessons to good use, proposing a powerful game plan to restore hope, fix our democracy and renew the American Dream.
The American Dream means different things to people, but the center of gravity is always the same: an ordinary person—who was not born with great wealth, but who is willing to work hard and play by the rules—should be able to find employment, live in a good community, make progress financially, retire with dignity, and give his or her children a better life.
That dream is fading. On Main Street, too many people are working harder than ever – while falling further behind. They play by the rules, but cannot succeed. At the same time, other Americans, including the worst of Wall Street, break every rule, but cannot fail – because someone has already decided that they are “too big” to fail. The American Dream has been turned upside down and inside out. It is time to set things right.
As the first Obama administration official to write a book about his experiences, Jones offers a unique perspective. In explaining why the 2008 “hope” bubble burst, he unveils the seven biggest mistakes made by the White House and its supporters.
He explores the origin and fate of the movements that helped to elect President Obama, as well as those that have challenged and shaped his presidency. Along the way, Jones systematically reveals surprising parallels between Obama’s people-powered campaign, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.
At this pivotal moment, Jones argues that we must make our economy respect the 99% and work for the 100%, not just the 1%. He proposes serious solutions that fit the scale of our problems. Rebuild the Dream sets forth bold ideas inspired by the progressive values that made the twentieth century the “American Century.” It shows how key public policies and investments can create millions of good, American jobs.
America is still the best idea in the world. The American middle class is still her greatest invention. Rebuild the Dream is dedicated to the proposition that – with the right strategy– both can be preserved and strengthened for generations to come.
Prologue: There and Back Again vii
Introduction: Rebuild the Dream For the 99% 1
I
1 The Roots of Hope 17
2 From Hope to Heartbreak: The Autopsy 45
3 Perfect Swarms: The Rise of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street 83
II
4 The Grid: Heart Space, Head Space, Inside Game, and Outside Game 113
5 Swarms: The Outside Game Revisited 135
6 Story: The Heart Space Revisited 145
III
7 Occupy the Inside Game 155
8 Occupy the Head Space 175
9 Occupy the Outside Game 197
10 Occupy the Heart Space 225
Conclusion: America is Rich and the Dream Still Lives 237
Acknowledgments 247
Appendix: Fantasies and Falsehoods 249
Notes on Sources 255
Index 267
Anonymous
Posted May 4, 2012
I loved this book!! It provided a very clear understanding of:
1. How Obama and "Hope" energy faltered after the election.
2. Why Fox News (and Republican thought) have been so "illogical" and yet so effective by continuing to control the "heart region".
3. How we can get the energy back and "WIN" in the future!!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 11, 2012
I Also Recommend:
The other reviewers have done a great job of describing the essence of the book. This book along with Thom Hartmann's book Rebooting The American Dream gives me hope that the movement beginning in this country is strong enough to reverse the effects fo the last 30 years of tax policies that allowed the rich and greedy corporate America to get vastly richer, while leaving less and less for the rest of us and enacting legislation that leaves us fewer options to reverse the trends
He reminds us that it is not enough to protest, we have to work to elect candidates who reflect our values of a job that will support a family without fear that it will be shipped overseas, a home that is not in foreclosure, health and dental care, an environment that is not going to make us sick or kill us and a dignified retirement
The real question is: "Are we willing to be active and do the hard work that will be required to make the changes?"
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.SilenceDogoodCR
Posted April 10, 2012
I Also Recommend:
Finally, a book that makes sense of what happened to the movement for hope and change! If you wonder where all the magic from Obama's campaign went, this book is for you.
The book gives a great history of all the social movements that led up to Obama, and it really reminds you that the grassroots people were becoming very powerful even before he ran. I had almost forgotten about the anti Iraq War movement, Howard Dean, Al Gore and everything that laid the ground for Obama to run. The author does a good job of showiing how citizens' movements mattter in many ways.
The middle of the book is my favorite part. It has very helpful charts to compare and contrast Obama, the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street. This shows some very original thinking, which I have not seen anywhere else.
I will admit that I expected a nasty, bitter, tell-all kind of book, because I knew that he had worked for Obama and maybe left on bad terms. Or else, I expected it to just defend Obama and attack conservatives.
Instead, he seems to be coming from a place of really trying to understand everything that has been happening. He explains new terms like "swarm theory" and "open source branding" very well, as they relate to politics. He has good and bad things to say about a broad variety of topics, including both the left and the right.
It is kind of harsh when he calls the Tea Party "cheap patriots," but then he proves his point. I think the author is very brave for writing a book like this.
I did not know what to expect, but reading this book made me feel sad that someone like him is not in the government. I hope Obama will put him back in the cabinet after he gets re-elected.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 4, 2012
More than a litany of complaints, Van Jones offers a vision and specific idea about how to meet the challenges of the economic and systemic problems that beset our country. More than high minded abstract judgements, this book looks hard and deep at what bedevils the US economy and our politics and points a reasonable way out of the mess.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 11, 2013
Another casualty of the right-wing war on the Obama Administration, Van Jones explains the false accusations against him and details his time working for the White House. He also presents a new perspective on our President, proposals to change our economy into an ecologically and socially responsible one, as well as insight into the current political climate. Accessible, informative and very entertaining, Van Jones' book is well worth your time.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 3, 2012
I'm just balancing out the one-star "review" that left by someone trying to earn a Faux News merit badge or whatever. The person who gave the one-star review I'm sure never read the book. And I'm also sure that if you asked him or her why they "hate" Van Jones, or this book, they would struggle to give you a reason. B&N needs to delete meaningless, politically based "reviews." If the haters don't care enough to read the book, then I--and Barnes and Noble--shouldn't care about what they have to say.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 7, 2012
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Posted April 4, 2012
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Overview
In Rebuild the Dream, green economy pioneer Van Jones reflects on his journey from grassroots outsider to White House insider. For the first time, he shares intimate details of his time in government – and reveals why he chose to resign his post as a special advisor to the Obama White House.
Jones puts his hard-won lessons to good use, proposing a powerful game plan to restore hope, fix our democracy and renew...