
Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse
Inside the Collapse of Venezuela
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
3 months free
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:
-
Michael Manuel
-
By:
-
William Neuman
—Named Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2022 and the National Endowment for Democracy Notable Books of 2022
—Winner of the 2022 Cornelius Ryan Award of the Overseas Press Club of America for the best nonfiction book on international affairs
—Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2022
—National Endowment for Democracy Notable Books of 2022
"Richly reported...a thorough and important history." -Tim Padgett, The New York Times
A nuanced and deeply-reported account of the collapse of Venezuela, and what it could mean for the rest of the world.
Today, Venezuela is a country of perpetual crisis—a country of rolling blackouts, nearly worthless currency, uncertain supply of water and food, and extreme poverty. In the same land where oil—the largest reserve in the world—sits so close to the surface that it bubbles from the ground, where gold and other mineral resources are abundant, and where the government spends billions of dollars on public works projects that go abandoned, the supermarket shelves are bare and the hospitals have no medicine. Twenty percent of the population has fled, creating the largest refugee exodus in the world, rivaling only war-torn Syria’s crisis. Venezuela’s collapse affects all of Latin America, as well as the United States and the international community.
Republicans like to point to Venezuela as the perfect example of the emptiness of socialism, but it is a better model for something else: the destructive potential of charismatic populist leadership. The ascent of Hugo Chávez was a precursor to the emergence of strongmen that can now be seen all over the world, and the success of the corrupt economy he presided over only lasted while oil sold for more than $100 a barrel. Chávez’s regime and policies, which have been reinforced under Nicolás Maduro, squandered abundant resources and ultimately bankrupted the country.
Things Are Never So Bad That They Can’t Get Worse is a fluid combination of journalism, memoir, and history that chronicles Venezuela’s tragic journey from petro-riches to poverty. Author William Neuman witnessed it all firsthand while living in Caracas and serving as the New York Times Andes Region Bureau Chief. His book paints a clear-eyed, riveting, and highly personal portrait of the crisis unfolding in real time, with all of its tropical surrealism, extremes of wealth and suffering, and gripping drama. It is also a heartfelt reflection of the country’s great beauty and vibrancy—and the energy, passion, and humor of its people, even under the most challenging circumstances.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.
Listeners also enjoyed...




















Featured Article: Top Audiobooks From Latino Authors to Help You Reconnect to Your Roots
Latino and Hispanic culture is a multi-voiced culture composed of individuals from across Latin America and beyond. This list of audiobooks celebrates the stories of Latina and Latino authors and history. Whether you can relate, reminisce, or discover something new from these tales, they will help you reconnect with Latino and Hispanic roots, reminisce, or reflect on your own stories and heritage. These powerful voices are diverse and beautiful.
People who viewed this also viewed...



Profound storytelling, anti-conservative bias
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
there's is a couple of biased opinions and comments but they are in mi opinión only 3 to 5 percent of the book outside of that super great information of the situation of this Latin American country as a hispanic man myself my heart goes out to all Venezuelans that are living through that horrible situation
A very informative insight on Venezuela
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent Review of Venezuela’s Sad Recent History
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What I was looking for
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent. A must read
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Not just because Venezuela, but to understand humankind
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Unfortunately the narrator is not bilingual— he reads the English portions fine, and would do fine with another book (but not this one). This book had many Spanish names for people, cities, companies, etc — he struggled with those words throughout and did a terrible job pronouncing them. As a Spanish speaker it was painful to hear and really detracted from the audio book. It’s a shame that the publisher dropped the ball on this and didn’t use someone that had decent pronunciation (there are many bilingual narrators available who speak both languages perfectly and could have done a better job).
Great book. Not so great narration
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You can tell which way the authors political bias leans. Some of his political assertions seemed rather uncalled for, however I came to respect his views.
In the performance, the narrator's poor Spanish accent made some parts a bit distracting. A better bilingual narrator would further strengthen the important message and story of this book.
Worth the listen, interesting insights.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great book! Very interesting and informative!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Incredible
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.