The Big Fail Audiobook By Joe Nocera, Bethany McLean cover art

The Big Fail

What the Pandemic Revealed About Who America Protects and Who It Leaves Behind

Preview
Try for $0.00
Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Big Fail

By: Joe Nocera, Bethany McLean
Narrated by: Joe Nocera, Bethany McLean
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $22.50

Buy for $22.50

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

From the collaborators behind the modern business classic All the Devils are Here comes a damning indictment of American capitalism—and the leaders that left us brutally unprepared for a global pandemic

In 2020, the novel coronavirus pandemic made it painfully clear that the U.S. could not adequately protect its citizens. Millions of Americans suffered—and over a million died—in less than two years, while government officials blundered; prize-winning economists overlooked devastating trade-offs; and elites escaped to isolated retreats, unaffected by and even profiting from the pandemic.

Why and how did America, in a catastrophically enormous failure, become the world leader in COVID deaths? In this gripping economic, political, and financial history, veteran journalists Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera offer fresh and provocative answers. With laser-sharp analysis and deep sourcing, they investigate both what really happened when governments ran out of PPE due to snarled supply chains and the shock to the financial system when the world's biggest economy stumbled. They zero in on the effectiveness of wildly polarized approaches, from governor Andrew Cuomo's lockdowns to governor Ron DeSantis's insistence on keeping Florida open under the guidance of scientist Jay Bhattacharya. And they trace why thousands died in hollowed-out hospital systems and nursing homes run by private equity firms to “maximize shareholder value."

In the tradition of the authors’ previous landmark exposés, The Big Fail is an expansive, insightful account on what the pandemic did to the economy and how American capitalism has jumped the rails—and is essential listening to understand where we’re going next.

©2023 Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean (P)2023 Penguin Audio
Economic Conditions Economics Business
adbl_web_global_use_to_activate_T1_webcro805_stickypopup

Critic reviews

The Big Fail is a wide-ranging and devastating critique of the way the United States dealt with the COVID pandemic. As Nocera and McLean chronicle the litany of missteps and misrepresentations, the lack of transparency, and the frequent changes of direction by state and federal authorities of both parties, one begins to understand why the most significant legacy of the pandemic is a deep mistrust of government.” —Liaquat Ahamed, bestselling author of Lords of Finance and winner of the Pulitzer Prize

“The pandemic was like a scrim pulled up to show us all the economic and political vulnerabilities in our system. In The Big Fail, master storytellers Joe Nocera and Bethany McLean connect the narrative dots between fragile supply chains, faulty foreign policy, Wall Street greed and public sector dysfunction, weaving a cautionary and highly readable tale.” —Rana Foroohar, Financial Times columnist and author of Homecoming

“Nocera and McLean have written the book we’ve all been waiting for. The Big Fail is the story of a calamity, and the rays of hope that emerged amidst it, told by two of the finest storytellers at work. If you want to understand what happened to us, all of us, this is the book you need to read.” —Charles Duhigg, bestselling author of The Power of Habit and Smarter Faster Better

Excellent Research • Well-written Book • Valuable Information • Great Book • Well-performed Narration
Highly rated for:
All stars
Most relevant  
I liked the way it was explained and how we weren’t able to think for ourself and say no to the mandates that controlled our lives It was Stalinesque

Eye opening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Joe and Bethany always come with a stockpile of facts, and let the reader reach their own conclusion.

Powerful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

The book does a great job of breaking down the institutional barriers to an appropriate COVID response. Good retrospective that I hope our officials use to prepare for the next outbreak.

nonpartisan and fair

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A fair and balanced analysis of the pandemic IMO. I learned a lot from the information conveyed. A good listen, and well performed by both authors.

Plenty of blame to go around

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Wow, thoroughly researched in its A political presentation of a deeply politicized topic and time period in our world. Much appreciated the presentation of balanced view points!

Enlightening

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

God insights into the pandemic and strong reminder of the critical importance of of being open minded

Interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Detailed analysis of a complex issue. Refreshing to see both political parties called out (and in some cases praised) for their roles.

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Thought it was well written, unbiased and I liked the readers. Highly recommend if you want to revisit what went wrong and why.

Finally the truth is coming to light and the gaslighting is coming to an end

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A great deal of valuable information, presented well by the authors. McLean has done excellent work in the past on Enron and the 2008 financial crisis, and I salute her research and writing. It does seem in this book she reveals her personal political point of view.

Very Needed Information

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A one sided, left leaning recollection of the Great Scam. Basically, Trump bad/liberals good. No mention of the sanctimoniuos dancing nurses and doctors

Liberal Spin Job

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews