
Break 'Em Up
Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $20.24
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Matt Godfrey
-
Zephyr Teachout
About this listen
"[We need] a grassroots, bottom-up movement that understands the challenge in front of us, and then organizes against monopoly power in communities across this country. This book is a blueprint for that organizing...you will learn how monopolies and oligopolies have taken over almost every aspect of American life, and you will also learn about what can be done to stop that trend before it is too late." (From the foreword by Bernie Sanders)
A passionate attack on the monopolies that are throttling American democracy.
Every facet of American life is being overtaken by big platform monopolists like Facebook, Google, and Bayer (which has merged with the former agricultural giant Monsanto), resulting in a greater concentration of wealth and power than we've seen since the Gilded Age. They are evolving into political entities that often have more influence than the actual government, bending state and federal legislatures to their will and even creating arbitration courts that circumvent the US justice system. How can we recover our freedom from these giants? Anti-corruption scholar and activist Zephyr Teachout has the answer: Break 'Em Up.
This audiobook is a clarion call for liberals and leftists looking to find a common cause. Teachout makes a compelling case that monopolies are the root cause of many of the issues that today's progressives care about; they drive economic inequality, harm the planet, limit the political power of average citizens, and historically disenfranchised groups bear the brunt of their shameful and irresponsible business practices. In order to build a better future, we must eradicate monopolies from the private sector and create new safeguards that prevent new ones from seizing power.
Through her expert analysis of monopolies in several sectors and their impact on courts, journalism, inequality, and politics, Teachout offers a concrete path toward thwarting these enemies of working Americans and reclaiming our democracy before it’s too late.
A Macmillan Audio production from All Points Books
©2020 Zephyr Teachout (P)2020 Macmillan AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism
- By: Senator Bernie Sanders, John Nichols
- Narrated by: Senator Bernie Sanders
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s OK to be angry about capitalism. Reflecting on our turbulent times, Senator Bernie Sanders takes on the billionaire class and speaks blunt truths about our country’s failure to address the destructive nature of a system that is fueled by uncontrolled greed and rigidly committed to prioritizing corporate profits over the needs of ordinary Americans.
-
-
A true and unbiased understanding of politics today
- By Sassy monster on 02-21-23
By: Senator Bernie Sanders, and others
-
Goliath
- The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy
- By: Matt Stoller
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A startling look at how concentrated financial power and consumerism transformed American politics, resulting in the emergence of populism and authoritarianism, the fall of the Democratic Party - while also providing the steps needed to create a new democracy.
-
-
The Fall of American Populist Economics
- By Charlie Morton on 02-26-20
By: Matt Stoller
-
Prequel
- An American Fight Against Fascism
- By: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.
-
-
The fight to keep democracy alive
- By Rex on 10-19-23
By: Rachel Maddow
-
Our Revolution
- A Future to Believe In
- By: Bernie Sanders
- Narrated by: Bernie Sanders, Mark Ruffalo
- Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Bernie Sanders began his race for the presidency, it was considered by the political establishment and the media to be a "fringe" campaign, something not to be taken seriously. After all, he was just an independent senator from a small state with little name recognition. His campaign had no money, no political organization, and it was taking on the entire Democratic Party establishment. By the time Sanders' campaign came to a close, however, it was clear that the pundits had gotten it wrong.
-
-
It's our future.
- By Dan on 11-15-16
By: Bernie Sanders
-
Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution
- By: Bernie Sanders
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution, Independent congressman, presidential candidate, and activist Bernie Sanders continues his fight against the imbalances in the nation's status quo and shows you how to make a difference to effect the changes America and the world need to create a better tomorrow.
-
-
Scary
- By Mogens Larsen on 10-28-17
By: Bernie Sanders
-
The Deficit Myth
- Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy
- By: Stephanie Kelton
- Narrated by: Stephanie Kelton
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephanie Kelton's brilliant exploration of modern monetary theory (MMT) dramatically changes our understanding of how we can best deal with crucial issues ranging from poverty and inequality to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, climate change, and building resilient infrastructure. Any ambitious proposal, however, inevitably runs into the buzz saw of how to find the money to pay for it, rooted in myths about deficits that are hobbling us as a country.
-
-
Good core idea, ruined by polemics
- By Amaze on 06-25-20
By: Stephanie Kelton
-
It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism
- By: Senator Bernie Sanders, John Nichols
- Narrated by: Senator Bernie Sanders
- Length: 10 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s OK to be angry about capitalism. Reflecting on our turbulent times, Senator Bernie Sanders takes on the billionaire class and speaks blunt truths about our country’s failure to address the destructive nature of a system that is fueled by uncontrolled greed and rigidly committed to prioritizing corporate profits over the needs of ordinary Americans.
-
-
A true and unbiased understanding of politics today
- By Sassy monster on 02-21-23
By: Senator Bernie Sanders, and others
-
Goliath
- The 100-Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy
- By: Matt Stoller
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 20 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A startling look at how concentrated financial power and consumerism transformed American politics, resulting in the emergence of populism and authoritarianism, the fall of the Democratic Party - while also providing the steps needed to create a new democracy.
-
-
The Fall of American Populist Economics
- By Charlie Morton on 02-26-20
By: Matt Stoller
-
Prequel
- An American Fight Against Fascism
- By: Rachel Maddow
- Narrated by: Rachel Maddow
- Length: 13 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it.
-
-
The fight to keep democracy alive
- By Rex on 10-19-23
By: Rachel Maddow
-
Our Revolution
- A Future to Believe In
- By: Bernie Sanders
- Narrated by: Bernie Sanders, Mark Ruffalo
- Length: 18 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Bernie Sanders began his race for the presidency, it was considered by the political establishment and the media to be a "fringe" campaign, something not to be taken seriously. After all, he was just an independent senator from a small state with little name recognition. His campaign had no money, no political organization, and it was taking on the entire Democratic Party establishment. By the time Sanders' campaign came to a close, however, it was clear that the pundits had gotten it wrong.
-
-
It's our future.
- By Dan on 11-15-16
By: Bernie Sanders
-
Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution
- By: Bernie Sanders
- Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 3 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution, Independent congressman, presidential candidate, and activist Bernie Sanders continues his fight against the imbalances in the nation's status quo and shows you how to make a difference to effect the changes America and the world need to create a better tomorrow.
-
-
Scary
- By Mogens Larsen on 10-28-17
By: Bernie Sanders
-
The Deficit Myth
- Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy
- By: Stephanie Kelton
- Narrated by: Stephanie Kelton
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stephanie Kelton's brilliant exploration of modern monetary theory (MMT) dramatically changes our understanding of how we can best deal with crucial issues ranging from poverty and inequality to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, climate change, and building resilient infrastructure. Any ambitious proposal, however, inevitably runs into the buzz saw of how to find the money to pay for it, rooted in myths about deficits that are hobbling us as a country.
-
-
Good core idea, ruined by polemics
- By Amaze on 06-25-20
By: Stephanie Kelton
-
The System
- Who Rigged It, How We Fix It
- By: Robert B. Reich
- Narrated by: Robert B. Reich
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Millions of Americans have lost confidence in our political and economic system. After years of stagnant wages, volatile job markets, and an unwillingness by those in power to deal with profound threats such as climate change, there is a mounting sense that the system is fixed, serving only those select few with enough money to secure a controlling stake. With the characteristic clarity and passion that has made him a central civil voice, Robert B. Reich shows how wealth and power have interacted to install an elite oligarchy, eviscerate the middle class, and undermine democracy.
-
-
Turn Off Your TV. Wake Up and Listen Now!
- By Benchmark on 03-25-20
By: Robert B. Reich
-
The Democrat Party Hates America
- By: Mark R. Levin
- Narrated by: Jeremy Lowell, Mark R. Levin
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In American Marxism, Mark Levin explained how Marxist ideology has invaded our society and culture. In doing so, he exposed the institutions, scholars, and activists leading the revolution. Now, he picks up where he left off: to hold responsible the true malefactors steering our country down the wrong path. Insightful and hard-hitting as ever, Levin proves that since its establishment, the Democrat Party has set out to rewrite history and destroy the foundation of freedom in America.
-
-
As always thank you Mr. Levin for your Insight.
- By Yukonwill on 09-24-23
By: Mark R. Levin
-
Where We Go from Here
- By: Bernie Sanders
- Narrated by: Bernie Sanders
- Length: 7 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign was a beginning, not an end. In his new audiobook, America's most popular political figure speaks about what he's been doing to oppose the Trump agenda and strengthen the progressive movement and how we go forward as a nation.
-
-
disappointed
- By James G. McDonald on 11-29-18
By: Bernie Sanders
-
The Coming Wave
- AI, Power, and Our Future
- By: Mustafa Suleyman, Michael Bhaskar - contributor
- Narrated by: Mustafa Suleyman
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We are approaching a critical threshold in the history of our species. Everything is about to change. Soon you will live surrounded by AIs. They will organize your life, operate your business, and run core government services. You will live in a world of DNA printers and quantum computers, engineered pathogens and autonomous weapons, robot assistants and abundant energy.
-
-
Click bait
- By Buyer on 09-11-23
By: Mustafa Suleyman, and others
-
Dark Money
- The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
- By: Jane Mayer
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why is America living in an age of profound economic inequality? Why, despite the desperate need to address climate change, have even modest environmental efforts been defeated again and again? Why have protections for employees been decimated? Why do hedge-fund billionaires pay a far lower tax rate than middle-class workers? The conventional answer is that a popular uprising against "big government" led to the rise of a broad-based conservative movement.
-
-
"I just want my fair share--which is all of it."
- By Darwin8u on 11-28-16
By: Jane Mayer
-
The Conspiracy to End America
- Five Ways My Old Party Is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy
- By: Stuart Stevens
- Narrated by: Jeff Bottoms
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Today’s Republican party is not a “normal” political party in the American tradition. It has become an autocratic movement masquerading as a political party. As Stuart Stevens argues in The Conspiracy to End America, if we look away from that truth, we greatly increase the likelihood that the America we love will slip away, never to return.
-
-
Required Reading
- By Arturo Zendejas on 10-27-23
By: Stuart Stevens
-
The Big Myth
- How American Business Taught Us to Loathe Government and Love the Free Market
- By: Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway
- Narrated by: Liza Seneca
- Length: 21 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the early 20th century, business elites, trade associations, wealthy powerbrokers, and media allies set out to build a new American orthodoxy: down with 'big government' and up with unfettered markets. With startling archival evidence, Oreskes and Conway document campaigns to rewrite textbooks, combat unions, and defend child labor.
-
-
Refuting the Chicago School
- By Todd W. Laveen on 06-01-23
By: Naomi Oreskes, and others
-
The Great Reset
- Joe Biden and the Rise of Twenty-First-Century Fascism
- By: Glenn Beck, Justin Trask Haskins
- Narrated by: Glenn Beck
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An international conspiracy among powerful bankers, business leaders, and government officials; closed-door meetings in the Swiss Alps; and calls for a radical transformation of every society on earth - the Great Reset sounds like it is one henchman-with-an-eyepatch away from being the plot for the next James Bond movie. But The Great Reset is not a work of fiction. It is a highly influential movement among the world’s elite to “reset” the global economy using banks, government programs, and environmental, social, and governance metrics.
-
-
Where Do We Go From Here?
- By David on 02-04-22
By: Glenn Beck, and others
-
Blackout
- How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation
- By: Candace Owens, Larry Elder
- Narrated by: Candace Owens, Larry Elder
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Black Americans have long been shackled to the Democrats. Seeing no viable alternative, they have watched liberal politicians take the Black vote for granted without pledging anything in return. In Blackout, Owens argues that this automatic allegiance is both illogical and unearned. She contends that the Democrat Party has a long history of racism and exposes the ideals that hinder the Black community’s ability to rise above poverty, live independent and successful lives, and be an active part of the American dream.
-
-
Thought provoking!
- By Girl with curls on 09-16-20
By: Candace Owens, and others
-
The United States of Socialism
- Who's Behind It. Why It's Evil. How to Stop It.
- By: Dinesh D'Souza
- Narrated by: Dinesh D'Souza
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For those who witnessed the global collapse of socialism, its resurrection in the 21st century comes as a surprise, even a shock. How can socialism work now when it has never worked before? In this pathbreaking audiobook, best-selling author Dinesh D’Souza argues that the socialism advanced today by the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar, and Elizabeth Warren is very different from the socialism of Lenin, Mao, and Castro.
-
-
Thank you again Mr. D'Souza
- By Karen K. Morrison on 06-04-20
By: Dinesh D'Souza
-
The Authoritarian Moment
- How the Left Weaponized America's Institutions Against Dissent
- By: Ben Shapiro
- Narrated by: Ben Shapiro
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to the establishment media, the intelligentsia, and our political chattering class, the greatest threat to American freedom lies in right-wing authoritarianism. We’ve heard that some 75 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump represent the rise of American fascism; that conservatives have allowed authoritarianism to bloom in their midst, creating a grave danger for the republic.
-
-
The Daily Weasel
- By Jonathan Bruce Williams on 07-30-21
By: Ben Shapiro
-
American Marxism
- By: Mark R. Levin
- Narrated by: Jeremy Lowell, Mark R. Levin
- Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In 2009, Mark R. Levin galvanized conservatives with his unforgettable manifesto Liberty and Tyranny, by providing a philosophical, historical, and practical framework for halting the liberal assault on Constitution-based values. That book was about standing at the precipice of progressivism’s threat to our freedom, and now, over a decade later, we’re fully over that precipice and paying the price. In American Marxism, Levin explains how the core elements of Marxist ideology are now pervasive in American society and culture.
-
-
An articulate and point by point analysis of current affairs
- By Ricky_Savage on 07-13-21
By: Mark R. Levin
Critic reviews
“Teachout delivers a forceful, clearly articulated vision of ‘moral markets’ built on freedom, choice, and human dignity. Progressives will heed this clarion call for reform.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
“A graceful, witty, terrifying book - essential to understanding how monopoly threatens American democracy. Teachout was one of the first to grasp the magnitude of the crisis of concentrated private power in America, and she now drives the debate forward again. Break 'Em Up will challenge all easy assumptions about how to fix our nation, in ways that will arm you for the fight ahead.” (Barry C. Lynn, author of Liberty from All Masters)
“Break ‘Em Up is a shocking guide book to these corporate Dark Ages, these frightening times when private power seems to grow ever more centralized and the ordinary world we live in feels like it is dissolving. Thankfully, it is also a road map to the exit. Read it and let’s get ourselves out of this awful place.” (Thomas Frank, author of Listen, Liberal)
What listeners say about Break 'Em Up
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 08-04-20
The right path forward
This book is ssential knowledge for every millennial and Gen Z person. An in depth look at how monopolies rig the game and disenfranchise the less powerful
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Shelby Hall
- 08-13-20
It’ll piss you off
This book explains that sneaking suspicion we’ve all had; we’re getting screwed. Let’s do something about that.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- emjay
- 09-02-20
All you need to know!
Read passionately by the author, a one-stop shop for all you need to know about U.S. anti-trust history, concentration in modern industries, necessary steps to free citizens from consumerism, and philosophy of markets. Absolutely fantastic. Hopefully, a handbook for legislative change.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kimiko B.
- 08-26-20
Progressive path
I really enjoyed this book it feels like a path to a Progressive future. when Bernie Sanders conceded I knew there would be work to do and this is one of the things that help put things into perspective.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bernard Douthit
- 09-03-20
A fantastic book that everyone should read.
This book is a masterpiece of thoughtful research that everyone should read. Our economy and our democracy is at risk as industry consolidation is widespread. Consolidation not only causes inequality, it also reduces innovation because markets are less competitive. We need anitrust enforcement now and new laws passed reducing the use of arbitration.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-29-24
The selfishness and greediness of these people.
Great work I learned a lot about Capitalism and its perceive power that it has over people’s everyday life
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- P.
- 12-20-20
Needed Insight
This book grows the political imagination for justice. You’re not born with one, talent notwithstanding. It has to be learned, and this is a fine tools to seek justice and escape the modern matrix of corporate control.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 12-03-20
Amazingly researched and written!
This is a must read/listen to for anyone interested in democracy, liberty, and economy. Speaking truth to power may be an overused phrase of late, but I can think of no better summary for this work. As a scientist I have always wondered what was "wrong" with the US. I had long sense abandoned the idea that this was "the greatest country on earth" but the analytical part of me had yet to read a thesis on how it got this bad. Very eye opening and enlightened, Prof. Teachout has finally given me the data set to consider. Thank you for having the courage to put this thesis to print. If more people understood the failing of our current system I have no doubt that this will finally be a turning point. Dare to dream...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jackson Bladen
- 01-22-21
Spectacular!
Finally I know how the country and the economy works. Teachout is clearly brilliant and explains the human cost of monopolization eloquently and simply. There’s a lot packed in so I listened to it twice and will surely revisit.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jeff
- 12-19-20
Excellent book!
Couldn't put it down. A must read if you care about democracy. Let's start the revolution!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful