Finished Dave Eggers latest a few days ago, and regret not having read something of his sooner. A tremendous novel that captures so much of our collective socioeconomic anxiety, answering not only how it manifests but also how we got here. If, however, Eggers is implying that our nation is truly in decline, soon to be eclipsed by China and their newfound productive genius, then just as others before him thought we'd be surpassed first by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and then by Germany and Japan in the 1980s, I suspect he's being a bit premature.
Our strengths are such that sometimes we are unaware of just how many there are and what their true nature might be. As a small example, imagine you earn $110,000 per year, will do so with no chance of losing your job, and in addition, have assets of $500,000 and $170,000 in debt. Think you're okay? So do I. Add a few zeroes and that's America's balance sheet in a nutshell. But listen to the politicians and the commentators and you'd think it was the end of the world.
As Isay, a great novel, but in real life I think the ending is much happier than what Eggers suggests.
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