-
Free Lunch
- How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)
- Narrated by: David Cay Johnston
- Length: 6 hrs and 19 mins
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
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $15.75
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
The Big Cheat
- How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While the world watched Donald Trump’s presidency in horror or delight, few noticed that his lifelong grifting quietly continued. Less than 40 minutes after taking the oath of office, Trump began turning the White House into a money machine for himself, his family, and his courtiers. The Big Cheat offers a guided tour of how money flowed in and out of Trump’s hundreds of enterprises, showing in simple terms how a corrupt president used our government for his benefit, even putting national security at risk.
-
-
Good info bad narrator
- By Reggie M. on 12-20-21
-
The Fine Print
- How Big Companies Use 'Plain English' to Rob You Blind
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Cay Johnston has made a name for himself as the defender of the common man, calling out the rich and powerful for cheating the system at the expense of everyone else. Whether he's exposing unjust loopholes in the tax code that help the rich get richer or pointing out how powerful corporations pocket government subsidies at excessive taxpayer expense, Johnston is an eloquent town crier for justice and equality.
-
-
A must listen if you love or hate Trump
- By Rob D on 04-19-17
-
It's Even Worse Than You Think
- What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No working journalist knows Donald Trump better than David Cay Johnston, who first met the 45th president in 1988 and has tracked him ever since. Featuring Johnston's renowned skill in bringing government policy to life, this crucial book explains how our daily lives will be affected by the actions of the Trump Administration. This book is essential listening for all Americans.
-
-
An important look at America under Trump
- By Elisabeth Carey on 01-24-18
-
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
-
Enough
- By: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Narrated by: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since a childhood visit to Washington, DC, Cassidy Hutchinson aspired to serve her country in government. Raised in a working-class family with a military background, she was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Despite having no ties to Washington, Hutchinson landed a vital position at the center of the Trump White House.
-
-
Painful
- By Melissa C. on 09-28-23
-
They Want to Kill Americans
- The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency
- By: Malcolm Nance
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They Want to Kill Americans is the first detailed look into the heart of the active Trump-led insurgency, setting the stage for a second nation-wide rebellion on American soil. This is a chilling and deeply researched early warning to the nation from a counterterrorism intelligence professional: America is primed for a possible explosive wave of terrorist attacks and armed confrontations that aim to bring about a Donald Trump led dictatorship.
-
-
It's informative and frightening
- By Amazon Customer on 07-17-22
By: Malcolm Nance
-
The Big Cheat
- How Donald Trump Fleeced America and Enriched Himself and His Family
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 6 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While the world watched Donald Trump’s presidency in horror or delight, few noticed that his lifelong grifting quietly continued. Less than 40 minutes after taking the oath of office, Trump began turning the White House into a money machine for himself, his family, and his courtiers. The Big Cheat offers a guided tour of how money flowed in and out of Trump’s hundreds of enterprises, showing in simple terms how a corrupt president used our government for his benefit, even putting national security at risk.
-
-
Good info bad narrator
- By Reggie M. on 12-20-21
-
The Fine Print
- How Big Companies Use 'Plain English' to Rob You Blind
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Cay Johnston has made a name for himself as the defender of the common man, calling out the rich and powerful for cheating the system at the expense of everyone else. Whether he's exposing unjust loopholes in the tax code that help the rich get richer or pointing out how powerful corporations pocket government subsidies at excessive taxpayer expense, Johnston is an eloquent town crier for justice and equality.
-
-
A must listen if you love or hate Trump
- By Rob D on 04-19-17
-
It's Even Worse Than You Think
- What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 10 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No working journalist knows Donald Trump better than David Cay Johnston, who first met the 45th president in 1988 and has tracked him ever since. Featuring Johnston's renowned skill in bringing government policy to life, this crucial book explains how our daily lives will be affected by the actions of the Trump Administration. This book is essential listening for all Americans.
-
-
An important look at America under Trump
- By Elisabeth Carey on 01-24-18
-
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
-
Enough
- By: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Narrated by: Cassidy Hutchinson
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since a childhood visit to Washington, DC, Cassidy Hutchinson aspired to serve her country in government. Raised in a working-class family with a military background, she was the first in her immediate family to graduate from college. Despite having no ties to Washington, Hutchinson landed a vital position at the center of the Trump White House.
-
-
Painful
- By Melissa C. on 09-28-23
-
They Want to Kill Americans
- The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency
- By: Malcolm Nance
- Narrated by: Ari Fliakos
- Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
They Want to Kill Americans is the first detailed look into the heart of the active Trump-led insurgency, setting the stage for a second nation-wide rebellion on American soil. This is a chilling and deeply researched early warning to the nation from a counterterrorism intelligence professional: America is primed for a possible explosive wave of terrorist attacks and armed confrontations that aim to bring about a Donald Trump led dictatorship.
-
-
It's informative and frightening
- By Amazon Customer on 07-17-22
By: Malcolm Nance
-
Allow Me to Retort
- A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution
- By: Elie Mystal
- Narrated by: Elie Mystal
- Length: 8 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is an easily digestible argument about what rights we have, what rights Republicans are trying to take away, and how to stop them. Mystal explains how to protect the rights of women and people of color instead of cowering to the absolutism of gun owners and bigots. He explains the legal way to stop everything from police brutality to political gerrymandering, just by changing a few judges and justices. He strips out all of the fancy jargon conservatives like to hide behind and lays bare the truth of their project to keep America forever tethered to its slaveholding past.
-
-
Informative and Entertaining
- By Kindle Customer on 03-06-22
By: Elie Mystal
-
Justice Is Coming
- How Progressives Are Going to Take Over the Country and America Is Going to Love It
- By: Cenk Uygur
- Narrated by: Cenk Uygur
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The media can't stop talking about the gridlock in Washington, as if a handful of stubborn Republicans are the only thing standing between us and a fully-functional democracy. The reality is that our government was taken over by big business and their allies in both political parties. The getaway driver in this heist was corporate media. The good news is that the American people are very progressive. And soon progressives will take over Washington as well! And when they do, the great majority of Americans will love it.
-
-
Much better than expected
- By Tracy B on 09-23-23
By: Cenk Uygur
-
Confidence Man
- The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America
- By: Maggie Haberman
- Narrated by: Maggie Haberman
- Length: 17 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Few journalists working today have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few understand him and his motivations better. Now, demonstrating her majestic command of this story, Haberman reveals in full the depth of her understanding of the 45th president himself, and of what the Trump phenomenon means.
-
-
This is the only one you have to read
- By Amazon Customer on 10-06-22
By: Maggie Haberman
-
Hoax
- Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth
- By: Brian Stelter
- Narrated by: Brian Stelter
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the nation recovers from the Trump presidency, many questions remain: Why was the COVID-19 pandemic so grossly mishandled? How did we get so politically polarized? What caused White nationalist groups to come out of the shadows, and are they here to stay? The answers lie the twisted story of the relationship between Donald Trump and Fox News. Through firsthand accounts from over 250 current and former Fox insiders, CNN anchor and chief media correspondent Brian Stelter unlocks the inner workings of Rupert Murdoch’s multibillion-dollar media empire.
-
-
Just as I expeccted
- By Wayne on 09-18-20
By: Brian Stelter
-
The Devil's Chessboard
- Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government
- By: David Talbot
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An explosive, headline-making portrait of Allen Dulles, the man who transformed the CIA into the most powerful - and secretive - colossus in Washington, from the founder of Salon.com and author of the New York Times best seller Brothers.
-
-
Disturbing. Makes you question the company line.
- By KTS on 02-06-16
By: David Talbot
-
The Breach
- The Untold Story of the Investigation into January 6th
- By: Denver Riggleman, Hunter Walker - contributor
- Narrated by: Denver Riggleman
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Breach, a former House Republican and the first member of Congress to sound the alarm about QAnon, Denver Riggleman, provides listeners with an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the January 6th select committee’s investigation. With unique insights from within the far-right movement and from the front lines of the courageous team investigating it, Riggleman shows how our democracy is balanced on a knife’s edge between disinformation and truth.
-
-
Extremely important book by a Former Republican Congressman
- By Steven Hassan PhD on 09-29-22
By: Denver Riggleman, and others
-
The Plot to Destroy Democracy
- How Putin and His Spies Are Undermining America and Dismantling the West
- By: Malcolm Nance, Rob Reiner - foreword
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 12 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the greatest intelligence operation in the history of the world, Donald Trump was made president of the United States with the assistance of a foreign power. For the first time, The Plot to Destroy Democracy reveals the dramatic story of how blackmail, espionage, assassination, and psychological warfare were used by Vladimir Putin and his spy agencies to steal the 2016 US election. It will show how Russia and its fifth column allies tried to flip the cornerstones of democracy in order to reengineer the world political order that kept most of the world free since since 1945.
-
-
OH NOOOO
- By Red on 07-18-18
By: Malcolm Nance, and others
-
The Divider
- Trump in the White House, 2017-2021
- By: Peter Baker, Susan Glasser
- Narrated by: Michael Quinlan
- Length: 28 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The inside story of the four years when Donald Trump went to war with Washington, from the chaotic beginning to the violent finale, told by revered journalists Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker—an ambitious and lasting history of the full Trump presidency that also contains dozens of exclusive scoops and stories from behind the scenes in the White House, from the absurd to the deadly serious.
-
-
An expertly guided tour through history.
- By Cocoabelle on 09-24-22
By: Peter Baker, and others
-
It Was All a Lie
- How the Republican Party Became Donald Trump
- By: Stuart Stevens
- Narrated by: Dan John Miller
- Length: 5 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Stuart Stevens spent decades electing Republicans at every level, from presidents to senators to local officials. He knows the GOP as intimately as anyone in America, and in this new book he offers a devastating portrait of a party that has lost its moral and political compass. This is not a book about how Donald J. Trump hijacked the Republican Party and changed it into something else.
-
-
A party gone astray
- By Devin on 08-07-20
By: Stuart Stevens
-
The Scheme
- How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court
- By: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Jennifer Mueller
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 8 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Following his book Captured on corporate capture of regulatory and government agencies, and his years of experience as a prosecutor, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse here turns his attention to the right-wing scheme to capture the courts, and how it influenced the Trump administration's appointment of over 230 "business-friendly" judges, including the last three justices of the United States Supreme Court.
-
-
Dysfunctional democracy explained
- By Mark on 10-25-22
By: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and others
-
Holding the Line
- Inside the Nation's Preeminent US Attorney's Office and Its Battle with the Trump Justice Department
- By: Geoffrey Berman
- Narrated by: Geoffrey Berman
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ascending to the leadership role of US Attorney for the Southern District, which includes Manhattan and several counties to the north, is a capstone to any legal career: it entails guiding a team of the best lawyers in America in selecting and winning cases that often have global import. Geoffrey Berman was honored to be tapped for the job by Donald Trump in 2018. The manner in which Trump had dispatched his predecessor Preet Bharara was troubling, but the institution was fabled for its independence. Surely he could manage.
-
-
Excellent Story of SDNY JD during Trump Years
- By WLC on 09-14-22
By: Geoffrey Berman
-
Revenge
- How Donald Trump Weaponized the US Department of Justice Against His Critics
- By: Michael Cohen
- Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka
- Length: 7 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Michael Cohen's secret payoff to porn star Stormy Daniels on behalf of Donald Trump made Cohen look like a liability to the by-then-president of the United States, the end to their decade-long relationship came swiftly—with a knock on the door from the FBI. Soon, Cohen would find himself imprisoned—even though he had plenty of evidence to show he was innocent of most of the charges.
-
-
Obnoxious Reader
- By Kaine on 11-13-22
By: Michael Cohen
Critic reviews
"Here's a shocking novel with an amazing plot. Donald Trump, Ken Lay, and George Steinbrenner all conspire to siphon billions of dollars from the American middle class. Wait - it's not a novel! It's all true! .... Johnston narrates his own work with a newscaster's tone and perspective. His direct tone keeps listeners engaged throughout." ( AudioFile)
Related to this topic
-
The Fine Print
- How Big Companies Use 'Plain English' to Rob You Blind
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Cay Johnston has made a name for himself as the defender of the common man, calling out the rich and powerful for cheating the system at the expense of everyone else. Whether he's exposing unjust loopholes in the tax code that help the rich get richer or pointing out how powerful corporations pocket government subsidies at excessive taxpayer expense, Johnston is an eloquent town crier for justice and equality.
-
-
A must listen if you love or hate Trump
- By Rob D on 04-19-17
-
Supercapitalism
- The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life
- By: Robert B. Reich
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the 1970s, and notwithstanding three recessions, the U.S. economy has soared. American capitalism has been a triumph, and it has spread throughout the world. At the same time, argues the former U.S. secretary of labor, Robert B. Reich, the effectiveness of democracy in America has declined. It has grown less responsive to the citizenry, and people are feeling more and more helpless as a result.
-
-
Robert Reich for V.P. (of the U.S.)
- By Horace on 11-07-07
By: Robert B. Reich
-
FDR's Folly
- How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression
- By: Jim Powell
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the minds of historians and the American public alike, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents, not least because he supposedly saved America from the Great Depression. But as historian Jim Powell reveals in this groundbreaking book, Roosevelt's New Deal policies actually prolonged and exacerbated the economic disaster.
-
-
Scones for the Tea Party
- By Chiefkent on 06-11-12
By: Jim Powell
-
Third World America
- How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream
- By: Arianna Huffington
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America's middle class, the driver of so much of our economic success and political stability, is rapidly disappearing, forcing us to confront the fear that we are slipping as a nation - that our children and grandchildren will enjoy fewer opportunities and face a lower standard of living than we did. It's the dark flipside of the American Dream - an American Nightmare of our own making.
-
-
Sad... but with a ray of hope
- By Maciej on 10-20-10
-
FairTax
- The Truth
- By: Neal Boortz, John Linder
- Narrated by: Neal Boortz
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Offering stunning new insights not covered in the original book, FairTax: The Truth debunks the negative myths and gross misrepresentations of this groundbreaking idea. The FairTax plan is simple, brilliant, and it will work - enabling you to keep all the money in your paycheck; eliminating the fraud, hassle, and waste of our current system; and revolutionizing the way America pays for itself.
-
-
Sound, well-researched plan
- By Tim Hibbetts on 03-06-08
By: Neal Boortz, and others
-
New Deal or Raw Deal?
- How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America
- By: Burton Folsom Jr.
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this shocking and groundbreaking new book, economic historian Burton Folsom, Jr., exposes the idyllic legend of Franklin D. Roosevelt as a myth of epic proportions. With questionable moral character and a vendetta against the business elite, Roosevelt created New Deal programs marked by inconsistent planning, wasteful spending, and opportunity for political gain---ultimately elevating public opinion of his administration but falling flat in achieving the economic revitalization that America needed.
-
-
A must listen!
- By Book and Movie Lover on 06-14-09
-
The Fine Print
- How Big Companies Use 'Plain English' to Rob You Blind
- By: David Cay Johnston
- Narrated by: Todd McLaren
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
David Cay Johnston has made a name for himself as the defender of the common man, calling out the rich and powerful for cheating the system at the expense of everyone else. Whether he's exposing unjust loopholes in the tax code that help the rich get richer or pointing out how powerful corporations pocket government subsidies at excessive taxpayer expense, Johnston is an eloquent town crier for justice and equality.
-
-
A must listen if you love or hate Trump
- By Rob D on 04-19-17
-
Supercapitalism
- The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life
- By: Robert B. Reich
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Since the 1970s, and notwithstanding three recessions, the U.S. economy has soared. American capitalism has been a triumph, and it has spread throughout the world. At the same time, argues the former U.S. secretary of labor, Robert B. Reich, the effectiveness of democracy in America has declined. It has grown less responsive to the citizenry, and people are feeling more and more helpless as a result.
-
-
Robert Reich for V.P. (of the U.S.)
- By Horace on 11-07-07
By: Robert B. Reich
-
FDR's Folly
- How Roosevelt and His New Deal Prolonged the Great Depression
- By: Jim Powell
- Narrated by: William Hughes
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the minds of historians and the American public alike, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents, not least because he supposedly saved America from the Great Depression. But as historian Jim Powell reveals in this groundbreaking book, Roosevelt's New Deal policies actually prolonged and exacerbated the economic disaster.
-
-
Scones for the Tea Party
- By Chiefkent on 06-11-12
By: Jim Powell
-
Third World America
- How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream
- By: Arianna Huffington
- Narrated by: Coleen Marlo
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America's middle class, the driver of so much of our economic success and political stability, is rapidly disappearing, forcing us to confront the fear that we are slipping as a nation - that our children and grandchildren will enjoy fewer opportunities and face a lower standard of living than we did. It's the dark flipside of the American Dream - an American Nightmare of our own making.
-
-
Sad... but with a ray of hope
- By Maciej on 10-20-10
-
FairTax
- The Truth
- By: Neal Boortz, John Linder
- Narrated by: Neal Boortz
- Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Offering stunning new insights not covered in the original book, FairTax: The Truth debunks the negative myths and gross misrepresentations of this groundbreaking idea. The FairTax plan is simple, brilliant, and it will work - enabling you to keep all the money in your paycheck; eliminating the fraud, hassle, and waste of our current system; and revolutionizing the way America pays for itself.
-
-
Sound, well-researched plan
- By Tim Hibbetts on 03-06-08
By: Neal Boortz, and others
-
New Deal or Raw Deal?
- How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America
- By: Burton Folsom Jr.
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this shocking and groundbreaking new book, economic historian Burton Folsom, Jr., exposes the idyllic legend of Franklin D. Roosevelt as a myth of epic proportions. With questionable moral character and a vendetta against the business elite, Roosevelt created New Deal programs marked by inconsistent planning, wasteful spending, and opportunity for political gain---ultimately elevating public opinion of his administration but falling flat in achieving the economic revitalization that America needed.
-
-
A must listen!
- By Book and Movie Lover on 06-14-09
-
Other People's Money
- Inside the Housing Crisis and the Demise of the Greatest Real Estate Deal Ever Made
- By: Charles V. Bagli
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 12 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In just over three years, real estate giant Tishman Speyer and its partner, BlackRock, lost billions of investors' dollars on a single deal. In Other People's Money, Charles V. Bagli, the New York Times reporter who first broke the story of the sale of Stuyvesant Town - Peter Cooper Village takes listeners inside the most spectacular failure in real estate history, using this single deal as a lens to see how and why the real estate crisis happened.
-
-
Solid
- By BryanW on 05-22-24
By: Charles V. Bagli
-
Beyond Outrage
- What Has Gone Wrong with Our Economy and Our Democracy, and How to Fix Them
- By: Robert B. Reich
- Narrated by: Robert B. Reich
- Length: 3 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Robert B. Reich urges Americans to get beyond mere outrage about the nation’s increasingly concentrated wealth and corrupt politics in order to mobilize and to take back our economy and democracy. Americans can’t rely only on getting good people elected, Reich argues, because nothing positive happens in Washington unless good people outside Washington are organized to help make those things happen after the election. But in order to be effectively mobilized, we need to see the big picture.
-
-
Falls short
- By J. Klinghoffer on 11-04-13
By: Robert B. Reich
-
Hostile Takeover
- Resisting Centralized Government's Stranglehold on America
- By: Matt Kibbe
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hostile Takeover is a rebellious challenge to the "upper management" of government, who are choking American prosperity and liberty. Matt Kibbe exposes the privileged collusion of Washington insiders - and maps out a proven plan for how to return power from the self-appointed "experts" back to the people. Dubbed "one of the Tea Party's masterminds" by Newsweek, Kibbe reveals how grassroots citizens can and will check the federal behemoth and restore the American enterprise.
-
-
An amazing book from an interesting perspective
- By Aaron on 12-28-12
By: Matt Kibbe
-
Reckless Endangerment
- How Outsized Ambition, Greed, and Corruption Led to Economic Armageddon
- By: Gretchen Morgenson, Joshua Rosner
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Reckless Endangerment, Gretchen Morgenson, the star business columnist of The New York Times, exposes how the watchdogs who were supposed to protect the country from financial harm were actually complicit in the actions that finally blew up the American economy.
-
-
Required reading
- By David on 10-24-11
By: Gretchen Morgenson, and others
-
Who Stole My Pension?
- How You Can Stop the Looting
- By: Robert T. Kiyosaki, Edward Siedle
- Narrated by: Tom Parks
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s estimated that there are over 50 million pensioners - in the United States alone. Like the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Germany and many other countries around the world are all in big trouble when it comes to the solvency of their pension funds. Who Stole My Pension? was written to give them guidance, resources, and tools so they can take action...and stop the looting.
-
-
Very Eye Opening
- By Matt on 01-12-22
By: Robert T. Kiyosaki, and others
-
Arguing with Idiots
- How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government
- By: Glenn Beck
- Narrated by: Glenn Beck, Pat Gray, Steve "Stu" Burguiere
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Idiots can't be identified through voting records, they can be found only by looking for people who hide behind stereotypes, embrace partisanship, and believe that bumper-sticker slogans are a substitute for common sense. If you know someone who fits the bill, then Arguing with Idiots will help you silence them once and for all with the ultimate weapon: the truth.
-
-
Great Book
- By Stacy on 09-22-09
By: Glenn Beck
-
Phishing for Phools
- The Economics of Manipulation and Deception
- By: George A. Akerlof, Robert J. Shiller
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 7 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ever since Adam Smith, the central teaching of economics has been that free markets provide us with material well-being, as if by an invisible hand. In Phishing for Phools, Nobel Prize-winning economists George Akerlof and Robert Shiller deliver a fundamental challenge to this insight, arguing that markets harm as well as help us. As long as there is profit to be made, sellers will systematically exploit our psychological weaknesses and our ignorance through manipulation and deception.
-
-
Useful for a certain audience, but ...
- By Philo on 02-29-16
By: George A. Akerlof, and others
-
A Capitalism for the People
- Recapturing the Lost Genius of American Prosperity
- By: Luigi Zingales
- Narrated by: Jonathan Davis
- Length: 11 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Born in Italy, University of Chicago economist Luigi Zingales witnessed firsthand the consequences of high inflation and unemployment - paired with rampant nepotism and cronyism - on a country’s economy. This experience profoundly shaped his professional interests, and in 1988 he arrived in the United States, armed with a political passion and the belief that economists should not merely interpret the world, but should change it for the better.
-
-
Enjoyable but a tad predictable.
- By Kevin on 12-24-12
By: Luigi Zingales
-
Bought and Paid For
- The Unholy Alliance Between Barack Obama and Wall Street
- By: Charles Gasparino
- Narrated by: Lloyd James
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
According to business reporter Charles Gasparino, President Obama is faking his outrage at Wall Street, and his calls for new policies to rein in banks that are "too big to fail" are just pabulum. In reality, Obama has climbed into bed with Wall Street CEOs, giving them what they want so they will support his liberal, big-government agenda.
-
-
Revealing and Convincing
- By Walter on 10-24-11
-
Borrowed Time
- Two Centuries of Booms, Busts, and Bailouts at Citi
- By: James Freeman, Vern McKinley
- Narrated by: Fred Sanders
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To save the economy and keep Citi afloat in 2008, the government provided huge infusions of cash through multiple bailouts that frustrated and angered the American public. But, as Wall Street Journal writer James Freeman and financial expert Vern McKinley reveal, the 2008 crisis was just one of many disasters Citi has experienced since its founding more than 200 years ago. In Borrowed Time they reveal Citi’s disturbing history of instability and government support. It’s a story that neither Citi nor Washington wants told.
-
-
Biased
- By CF on 08-09-19
By: James Freeman, and others
-
Why Wall Street Matters
- By: William D. Cohan
- Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
William D. Cohan is no knee-jerk advocate for Wall Street and the big banks. He's one of America's most respected financial journalists and the progressive best-selling author of House of Cards. He has long been critical of the bad behavior that plagued much of Wall Street in the years leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, and because he spent 17 years as an investment banker on Wall Street, he is an expert on its inner workings as well.
-
-
An Inch Deep and A Mile Wide
- By Doug Sheridan on 04-26-17
By: William D. Cohan
-
How the Other Half Banks
- Exclusion, Exploitation, and the Threat to Democracy
- By: Mehrsa Baradaran
- Narrated by: Priya Ayyar
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The United States has two separate banking systems today - one serving the well-to-do and another exploiting everyone else. How the Other Half Banks contributes to the growing conversation on American inequality by highlighting one of its prime causes: unequal credit. Mehrsa Baradaran examines how a significant portion of the population, deserted by banks, is forced to wander through a Wild West of payday lenders and check-cashing services to cover emergency expenses and pay for necessities - all thanks to deregulation that began in the 1970s.
-
-
The Borrowers at the Fringe
- By Darwin8u on 09-13-16
By: Mehrsa Baradaran
What listeners say about Free Lunch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- stu wylam
- 06-13-22
Very informative and easy to follow.
Examines the distorted economic policies and corruption that gets fostered in this financial environment. Certainly makes the need for re- examining our economic/ government policies as our nation enters into another guilded age.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Fred Graichen
- 03-02-10
Disturbing
At times I found the information provided so upsetting I had to turn it off. That should be taken as an ultimate compliment, considering the subject matter. What made this so interesting throughout was that the author used many different scenarios to make his point.
What our representatives have allowed to happen in tax policies, lack of oversight etc. is nothing short of criminal. If only every person in our country spent just a few hours each month listen/reading materials like this, maybe we would not all fall for the sound bites we are fed by our political representatives we would not be selling the very future of our company to the elite few.
Thank you Mr. Johnston for this very illuminating read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
11 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Sirrics
- 11-02-12
Exposing Corporate Welfare In A Big Way
What made the experience of listening to Free Lunch the most enjoyable?
The openess of how the author discusses tax bailouts for Corporate America. No this is not about the Oil Companies. They aren't even the biggest offenders. WalMart and Cabela's are some of the worst. I know you Right Wing Conservatives might be shocked at Cabela's being on this list. But they have made an art out of demanding tax breaks from the Federal Gov't down to the local city or county agencies.
We hear the politician keep blowing hot air about people on welfare. Yet not once have I heard one of them complain about the ongoing Tax Welfare for the Mega Corporations. If more people were to read or listen to this book then maybe would could get the politicians to do something about it.
I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in wasteful Gov't spending! It eye opening and all revealing.
If you could give Free Lunch a new subtitle, what would it be?
A Guide For Discovering Corporate Tax Welfare
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
- C. Goldstein
- 12-10-22
Outdated!
This is a decent book and I certainly found parts of it interesting but it’s tough to hear an analysis of economic malfeasance, government subsidies for the richest without mention of Bernie Madoff, the ‘Great Recession’ and TARP. I’m sure none of it would have surprised the author but I would spend your money on a more recent examination.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- Amazon Customer
- 03-05-09
A Must Listen! Great narration!
This book documents with facts and entertaining true stories how the corporate world and their high paid lobbyists have taken over our government to enrich the few at the expense of the many. For anyone who wants to know where all our money went, this is a must read! The narration makes it all the better as it is by the author himself, and he does an excellent job. I was sad when it ended and look forward to Mr Johnston's next book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Salomon Garcia
- 02-02-15
Reader skips so many paragraphs that I lose track
What did you like best about Free Lunch? What did you like least?
The reader isn't too boring. He does a decent job at reading his own book. But how can the author of his own book skip so much? I read the book while he talks, and he skips too much. smh
What other book might you compare Free Lunch to and why?
I have no answer to this. It is a book about the government and corruption
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
- kristopher
- 01-09-11
Fair and balanced
If you despise welfare moms who keep having kids to leach off the government, wait til you read about these corporate welfare hogs. If you rush to vote politicians out of office when they're discovered taking extravagces at the taxpayers expense, wait til you read about famous wealthy folk who make a living using tax funds as their own bank.
These many shameful scams are described with careful reference to verifiable records - newspaper reports, court filings, etc. The author even takes pains to defend some of those involved where appropriate - abasent a company culture to the contrary, corporate officers are obligated to pursue the most profitable course lest they be blamed for incompetence - small town government officials don't want to see their towns become a footnote in history.
What makes this book masterful is that the author describes the scams like a journalist, as opposed to the overstated and dramatic styles that O'Reilley, Michael Moore, Limbaugh and other similar "reporters" have made fashionable.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
13 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Charles Marcus Lang
- 03-07-24
Beware that this is an abridgement
It is not an unabridged version. This AUDIBLE narration leaves out about ten chapters, but does include the main points of the most important chapters. Certainly enough material to make the reader's blood boil. (What I would truly look forward to is an unabridged narration of "Perfectly Legal," the first book in the trilogy of which "Free Lunch" is the second book.)
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- steve
- 02-14-13
Ratings warning for prospective purchasers
This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?
No one. My political and economic views are very similar to the author, So the subject matter was not a problem.
What could David Cay Johnston have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Completely rewrite it. I am very interested in the subject matter proposed but was extremely surprised to see that the book consisted of rhetoric combined with a few short stories in order to elucidate his subject matter.There was no real content to the book.
What aspect of David Cay Johnston’s performance would you have changed?
The performance was fine.
You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?
Not really. It was extremely undeveloped And the content was illusory.
Any additional comments?
I knew that this was a very short book going in. Because of the ratings I expected some real content but found very little. I can only surmise that,once someone purchases an audiobook, they feel they must give it a high rating.My review is intended to warn others to take the ratings for this book with a huge grain of salt. That old commercial, "where's the beef" is applicable here. I guess I'm the gullible one to purchase a 6hr. and 20 minute audiobook and think it could be long enough for the author to develop his premise. Alternatively, the inflated ratings ascribed to audiobooks are becoming deceptive. Buyer beware.
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
- abrahamaku
- 03-08-11
Bought this book thinking I would make money
I bought this book thinking that it would provide tips and tricks on how to save money from taxes and such. However it was the total opposite. It was a book that talked about how well connected individuals use tax money to make themselves richer! Well I already new these kind of things happen, it's not new. I was hoping I could learn some ways to do the same thing.
I bought this book with the wrong assumptions, and therefore didn't like it. For me it was a long winded book complaining about how the rich and well connected continue to get richer. My attitude is, quit complaining, if we invest the amount of time we complain about the rich, and put that time in learning how to think and become wealthy, we all would be in a better place.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful