The System

A revelatory account based on the authors' unprecedented access to the NCAA's highest-level programs throughout the 2012... (more)

A revelatory account based on the authors' unprecedented access to the NCAA's highest-level programs throughout the 2012 season describes its high-powered system of billion-dollar television deals, high-priced coaches, football "hostessing," castoff athlete-students and paid test takers. (less)

On December 6, 1993, a drug dealer called Scrappy is shot and left for dead on the lawn outside her mother{u2019}s house... (more)

On December 6, 1993, a drug dealer called Scrappy is shot and left for dead on the lawn outside her mother{u2019}s house in South Central Los Angeles. Augie, a heroin addict, witnesses the whole thing{u2015}before he steals all the drugs on her person, as well as the gun that was dropped at the scene. When Augie gets busted, he names local gang members Wizard and Dreamer the shooters. But only one of them is guilty. A search of Wizard and Dreamer{u2019}s premises uncovers the gun that was used in the shooting, and a warrant goes out for their arrest. They know it{u2019}s a frame-up, but the word from the gang is to keep their mouths shut and face the charges. With these two off the streets and headed for jail, Dreamer{u2019}s friend Little, the unlikeliest of new gang members, is given one job: discover how the gun got moved, and why. Played out in the streets, precincts, jails, and courtrooms of Los Angeles, Ryan Gattis's The System is the harrowing story of a crime{u2015}from moments before the bullets are fired, to the verdict and its violent aftershocks{u2015}told through the vivid chorus of those involved, guilty, the innocent, and everyone in between. (less)

A revelatory account based on the authors' unprecedented access to the NCAA's highest-level programs throughout the 2012... (more)

A revelatory account based on the authors' unprecedented access to the NCAA's highest-level programs throughout the 2012 season describes its high-powered system of billion-dollar television deals, high-priced coaches, football "hostessing," castoff athlete-students and paid test takers. (less)

"Millions of Americans have lost confidence in our political and economic system. After years of stagnant wages, volatil... (more)

"Millions of Americans have lost confidence in our political and economic system. After years of stagnant wages, volatile job markets, and an unwillingness 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. Using Jamie Dimon, the chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase as an example, Reich exposes how those at the top propagate myths about meritocracy, national competitiveness, corporate social responsibility, and the "free market," to distract most Americans from their accumulation of extraordinary wealth, and power over the system. Instead of answering the call to civic duty, they have chosen to uphold self-serving policies that line their own pockets and benefit their bottom line. Reich's objective is not to foster cynicism, but rather to demystify the system so that we might instill fundamental change and demand that democracy works for the majority once again"-- (less)