Rich

May 18, 2009
If ever anyone needed proof that history repeats itself, Samuel offers ample and compelling evidence in this witty portrait of American wealth culture in times of boom and bust. He argues that Americans have always been obsessed with becoming rich, regardless of how much they may momentarily despise the fat cats. Just as the social standing of the wealthy has changed dramatically (from robber barons to entrepreneurial heroes), the acquisition of wealth has become more democratized, as seen in the 1950s when the pursuit of wealth became normalized—even a hobby—among the emerging postwar bourgeoisie. Samuels shows the cycles of excess, vilification and re-emergence of the wealthy classes, from the freewheeling 1920s to the ostentation of the 1980s—and the constant—and uniquely American—mythology of the self-made man, as reinvigorated by the rise of the unpedigreed cyber-rich in the 1990s. Samuel offers a glimmer of optimism for those still struggling to join the ranks of the rich: “The coming future of the American rich after 2008 remains uncertain, but history tells us that reports of their collective death are greatly exaggerated.”

May 15, 2009
Samuel (founder, Culture Planning, LLC) has made a career of studying the superrich and consulting with companies that cater to them. Here, with an anthropologist's eye for detail, he covers the rise of megamillionaires over the 20th century. Each generation has produced new industries that have created different kinds of millionaires, from the Texas oil baron to the Silicon Valley dot-commer. While these groups have varied in what they spend on luxury items and philanthropy, they have much in common, such as difficulties with hiring the help, tensions between old and new money, and the rapid rise and fall of fortunes. Samuel also analyzes the American middle- and working-class obsession with get-rich-quick schemes and the range of admiration, envy, and disgust toward the wealthy. While Samuel acknowledges the present economic crisis and its effect on the wealthy, he argues that many have exaggerated the downturn and that the superrich will rise again. Fascinating, humorous, and readable, this book is recommended for anyonegeneral reader or scholarinterested in wealth in this country.Kathryn Stewart, Centreville, VA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2009
In this country there are now more people with more money than any other civilization in history, states consultant Samuel, who explores the increasing demise of old money and the rise of the first American democratized wealthy elite, which looks like Everyman; less than 10 percent of todays rich inherited their fortunes. The entire group of old and new money numbered approximately 10 million in mid-2007 and have never been more influential in spite of the 2008 economic downturn. In tracing the cultural dynamics of the wealthy since the 1920s, the author also points out that the U.S. currently is the most unequal society of haves and have-nots in the advanced, democratic world. In the appendix, Samuel presents his fascinating Wealthology study, in which he categorizes the American rich based upon their values and the purpose and meaning they assign to their lives. This is an excellent book offering valuable insight into Americas wealthy, an important target market for many corporations products and services.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)