The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back

The book the American Prospect calls an essential resource for future reformers on how not to govern, by America’s leading defender of the public interest and a bestselling historian

dubbed it a persuasive takedown of the idea that the private sector knows best.

From Diane Ravitch ( an important new book about the dangers of privatization ) to Heather McGhee ( a well-researched call to action ), the rave reviews mirror the expansive nature of the book itself, covering the impact of privatization on every aspect of our lives, from water and trash collection to the justice system and the military. Cohen and Mikaelian also demonstrate how citizens can-and are-wresting back what is ours: A Montana city took back its water infrastructure after finding that they could do it better and cheaper. Colorado towns fought back well-funded campaigns to preserve telecom monopolies and hamstring public broadband. A motivated lawyer fought all the way to the Supreme Court after the state of Georgia erected privatized paywalls around its legal code.

Enlightening and sobering (Rosanne Cash), The Privatization of Everything connects the dots across a wide range of issues and offers what Cash calls a progressive voice with a firm eye on justice [that] can carefully parse out complex issues for those of us who take pride in citizenship.