Rating: 
Summary: A good book on the economics behind the life/work balance.
Review: Reich explains very well all the economic trends that make our society increasingly consumer friendly. Thanks to competition you can get more products and services at a cheaper price than you ever could. The dark side of this 24/7 consumer society, is that it is also a ruthless 24/7 workaholic society. The U.S. is a wonderful place to be rich (ideally financially independent). But, it is an increasingly competitive place to make a living. In other words, the U.S. is a consumer's paradise, but often a supplier's hell. Reich develops great metaphors to describe working people in few words. One of them is the Geeks and the Shrinks. The Geeks are the ones who know how to gather and manipulate data so as to develop new products and services. The Shrinks are the ones who research and understand what consumers really want through market research, focus groups, and other tools. The Geeks and Shrinks are like the Yin and Yang of this new business world. They both need each other to create new markets of products and services.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent in premise, disappointing in prescription
Review: This is an excellent book in describing the new economy and what it means to Americans, the world and, importantly, society in general. Robert Reich pulls no punches in telling us how society will sort itself into structures resulting from present capitalistic trends that are currently pervading the globe. We will see the advent of new "class" structures which will mean some will be rich and many will be poor in what is essentially a meritocracy. He doesn't use the word "class" but it is evident nevertheless. This book will be somewhat rewarding to those who will probably read it. It could be frightening for those who lack a post secondary education. This book will be disappointing for those who seek answers. Reich's prescription seems to be confined to about twenty pages at the end of the book. His ideas seem well thought out but lack the volume and depth required to balance the amount of text given to the effects of the new economy . I get the feeling that the last section was rushed to get the book finished. In conclusion this is a very good book, easy to read and good value, but begs a follow-up outlining more resolutions.
Maybe this book purposely begs enough questions to create a second good selling book for Rober t Reich.
Rating: 
Summary: Dissects the modern Work/Life balance problem
Review: This was a great, insightful, enjoyable, well-written book. It clearly dissects the problem of why it's so hard to achieve a suitable work/life balance today, and clearly describes some underlying causes. For me, it certainly lived up to the praise it has gotten. In short, Reich's central idea is this: as consumers, we love the terrific products and deals we're getting in today's marketplace as a result of increased competition. However, the dark site of this is that we must work longer hours as employees and be more innovative to ensure our companies outpace the competition. These time pressures are fragmenting our personal lives as we reduce the time we spend with friends, family and community. Reich has many interesting insights and observations beyond this overall theme as well. Overall, I recommend this book -- reading it was time well spent.
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