America 3.0: Rebooting American Prosperity in the 21st Century-Why America’s Greatest Days Are Yet to Come has started shipping, earlier than originally stated by our awesome publisher, Encounter Books.
We have started to get some great reviews on Amazon:
From Peter St. Andre:
Understanding America
“… Bennett and Lotus amass an impressive amount of evidence from history, anthropology, and allied disciplines to carefully explain where we’ve come from, where we are, and where we’re going.”
Links to Peter’s writings are here
From Jeff Carter:
To Understand America, Where it has been and where it could go, you must read this
“As a Venture Capitalist, I try to extrapolate into the future a lot. Science fiction and books like this really help with that vision. Don’t miss this book.”
Jeff runs the Points and Figures blog which I heartily comment to your attention.
And from Leif Smith:
Well reasoned optimism about America
“It proposes a way forward in which realism and idealism strongly support each other. … I regard this book as important reading.”
Leif’s website for his Explorers Foundation contains much fascinating material, especially his collection of glyphs, which are educational and inspiring for all lovers of freedom.
If you find these reviews helpful, please click yes where it asks: “Was this review helpful to you?”
Thanks to Dan from Madison, Whitehall, WiTexan, Grurray and MikeK for being early purchasers! Gentlemen, I hope you will like the book. If you do, please put up an Amazon review with your thoughts. That will be greatly appreciated.
I’m a few chapters through, and so far I’m really enjoying it. I think I have to read The Anglosphere next because the background of our culture that you laid out is damned interesting.
I’m not sure I can add any more to the excellent reviews.
Just an offhand observation – I bought the hardcover, but it is the first non ebook I’ve read in probably a couple years. It’s definitely a better experience both in a tactile and visual way. However, the ebook is better for convenience. I’m traveling soon, so will also be buying the Kindle version.
“I’m not sure I can add any more to the excellent reviews.” I think you can, based on this comment alone! You can tell potential readers about the Anglosphere background, for example, and that the hardcover is good visual and tactile experience to read! No downside, and it helps us a lot.
Also, any questions you may have about the book or the history, put up on one of these posts. Jim or I will try to respond. We are VERY interested to hear from readers about what they like or don’t like about the book, what they want to know more about, what further questions we can answer. That is all VERY helpful.
You can tell potential readers about the Anglosphere background, for example
“Intellectuals and city planners and politicians have persisted since Tacitus’s time in saying it is wrong for us to want to live in dispersed single-family houses rather than some form of dense urban arrangement or even in communal housing. These critics have always berated us for not wanting to live in “proper” towns and cities instead… Such critics admire the Europeans, who have far greater restrictions on living in suburbs, and who supposedly know how to live well while crowded together in cities.”.
Bennett, James C.; Lotus, Michael J. (2013-05-28). America 3.0: Rebooting American Prosperity in the 21st Century-Why America’s Greatest Days Are Yet to Come (Kindle Location 1095). Encounter Books. Kindle Edition.
Just got my Kindle edition. It’s great for searches, referencing, tagging, notes, etc.
I was pleasantly surprised to see you taking some jabs at Modernism.
I was talking with some friends who live in the city about the crime and violence. It was hitting close to home for them because of a recent burglary spree in the developments that replaced Cabrini-Green. The subject of public housing came up and who was responsible for such a spectacularly bad idea.
Too few people these days are aware of the responsibility of early 20th century cultural, political, and technological movements for our current societal ills. In this case, transplanting the Continental European “International Style” to our Anglo-American culture:
“England’s European neighbors were shaped by the perpetual warfare that raged on the Continent, down even to the bedrock level of the types of families they came to live in. In general, a more authoritarian and communal life was necessary for mutual defense and protection, both against attack from foreigners and against the depredations of their own lawless rulers.”
Bennett, James C.; Lotus, Michael J. (2013-05-28). America 3.0: Rebooting American Prosperity in the 21st Century-Why America’s Greatest Days Are Yet to Come (Kindle Locations 1698-1700). Encounter Books. Kindle Edition.
This is where Le Corbusier was coming from. Housing became a modern utopian reimagining of the fortress or rampart, stripped of ornamentation because that would be a symbol of the oppressive aristocracy (the fall of the Hapsburgs really messed things up for everybody). Taken to its logical conclusion, it became reduced until buildings became like machines, and people became more parts to fit in like any other piece.
Alien and unatural to the individualistic self-starters and community builders especially in Middle American Chicago where population grew ten fold in the 30 years after the great fire. That didn’t happen from a defensive, top down posture.
It took an extremely well developed lack of insight to not recognize this, and there seemed to be no shortage of that quality amongst the Euro-centric Modernists. Now it seems we’re repeating a lot of the same mistakes.