The Untied States of America

August 29, 2005
American history, both distant and recent, is troubled with violence and schisms that constantly threaten the foundations of the country. The country has endured a civil war, two world wars, slavery, genocide and now, of course, the raging battle between the red and blue states. Are we on the brink of dissolution? That's the question Enriquez poses in this fact-filled, statistic-laden book. For more than 200 pages, Enriquez, the founding director of the Life Sciences Project at Harvard Business School, gives readers as many reasons as he can for why America may be headed toward an un-united future. On occasion this means glossing over pesky details and relying on simple generalizations, such as lumping together various quotes about the deficit and social security to maximize the sense of impending doom. Enriquez skips from topic to topic, relying on the fractured narrative layout (perhaps deliberately reminiscent of essayist Paul Metcalf's work) to heighten the book's sense of urgency. The facts, dates and numbers he presents are undoubtedly interesting, but in the end they don't add up to much. What's lacking is the complexity and depth that come with focused, developed arguments, the kind that provide a meaningful context for statistical information.

November 15, 2005
This intriguing work resembles a blog more than a book because of its snippets and stanzas. The disjointedness enhances Enriquez's theme that the United States could unravel into different configurations in the future because its present government, as well as other institutions, serves fewer of its citizens and residents. The growing economic gap between rich and poor, globalization, the failure of the Republican and Democratic Parties to deliver what they promise, and changing immigration patterns might result in a geographically redefined United States. The book is especially effective at showing how Mexico, Europe, and Canada are also countries on the brink of becoming untied. The author (fellow, Ctr. for International Affairs, Harvard Univ.; How the Future Catches You: How Genomics & Other Forces Are Changing Your Life, Work, Health & Wealth) has written this guide as a basis for a dialog to determine how the nation can become responsive to all its citizens and to prevent this balkanization. Recommended for public libraries.

Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2005
Could the U.S. As we know it shrink or expand, change its overall values, or lose its position among nations of the world? The U.S. can and will change, for better or worse, according to Enriquez. With an amazing collection of statistics, stories, ideas, ruminations, charts, graphs, and photographs, Enriquez examines a host of trends showing decisive fissures in the U.S. that threaten to pull us apart as a nation if we don't heed warnings of past nations, notably the British Empire. The divisions between the red and blue states made clear in recent elections are only part of myriad other developments that could sever the U.S. or throw it into decline. He cites rising legal challenges to American sovereignty from Native Americans, Alaskans, and Hawaiians as well as demands for reparations from descendants of slaves. The increasing gulf between the haves and have-nots, along with gross inequities in education, also threaten greater divisions. Enriquez is stunning and dazzling in his analysis of a nation on the brink of coming unglued. This is compelling reading for those of all political persuasions who care about the future of the U.S.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)