4 out of 5 stars
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Winners and Losers: Heretical Cartoons About the American Religion of Winning, is a book that addresses the obsession with winning and coming out on top by any means necessary. It discusses how being a decent human being will never make a person a winner, in the eyes of capitalist America especially. Qualities like honesty, kindness, and humility are looked down on, whereas intellect, pride, and overachieving are heralded. It has commentary on just how the big players, the “winners” reason and why they keep “winning." Although it is written in comic book form, it tackles some serious topics about what people are willing to substitute to become successful and rich.
This book's positives include a statement on page 26 that perfectly encapsulates capitalism. In part, it says, “To be great, get others to sweat the small stuff for you." And that is the pinnacle of every billionaire’s success. They are always dishonest about what it takes to reach that level of wealth, and this book put things into perspective about what it takes. The caricatures of literally every billionaire today were really something to behold. I have a newfound disdain for CEOs, as I should.
Arthur Hartz and his cartoonists are coming for everyone in this book. CEOs, Lawyers, Religious leaders, Celebrities, Teachers, etc. Anyone who holds some sort of power over another human being. And I love it. After reading this book, I would rather be a loser than a winner in the eyes of societal standards.
Most of the book sounds like a mumble jumble, and one must read between the lines to fully grasp the message being communicated. That was the only negative aspect I observed, which I owe to my lack of understanding and not the book not being clear.
I did not notice any errors, which shows just how exceptionally well-edited the book is. I will give it a rating of four out of five stars because of the one negative aspect I found that affected my understanding of the entire book.
I recommend this book to lovers of nonfiction political books; it addresses some political and economic issues in America. I would also recommend it to people struggling with perfectionism. I feel it will shed some light on what it takes to be “perfect” in the eyes of strangers. Lovers of self-help would also appreciate it, as it puts into perspective that some things self-help books try to sell as achievable are actually quite costly.
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Winners and Losers:
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