ANNOUNCING: Sally Hubbard’s New Book - Monopolies Suck: 7 Ways Big Corporations Rule Your Life and How to Take Back Control
In Monopolies Suck, Sally Hubbard, the director of enforcement strategy at the Open Markets Institute, shows us the seven ways big corporations rule our lives—and what must be done to stop them. Monopolies make your life harder every day, but you may not realize it. When your expenses keep going up but your income stays flat, when you’re price-gouged buying medicine for your child’s life-threatening allergy, when you live in a hyped-up state of fear and anxiety, monopoly power is playing a key role.
Throughout history, monopolists who controlled entire industries like railroads and oil were aptly called “robber barons” because they extracted wealth from everyone else—and today’s monopolies are no different. By charging high prices, skirting taxes, and reducing our pay and economic opportunities, they are not only stealing our money, but also robbing us of innovation and choice, as market dominance prevents new companies from challenging them. They’re robbing us of the ability to take care of our sick, a healthy food supply, and a habitable planet by using business practices that deplete rather than generate. They’re a threat to our private lives, fair elections, a robust press, and ultimately, the American Dream that so many of us are striving for.
In this blunt, accessible guide, Sally Hubbard gives us an easy-to-understand overview of monopolies and antitrust law, and urges us to use our voices, votes, and wallets to protest monopoly power.
ENDORSEMENTS
"A provocative call to restore economic competition by dismantling the ruling plutocracy."
—Kirkus Reviews
"Hubbard’s cogent, accessible analysis makes a persuasive case that unchecked monopolies have rigged the system against ordinary Americans. Policymakers and voters will want to take note."
—Publishers Weekly
"In this important book, Sally Hubbard explains with winning clarity, concision and humor the many ways monopolies hurt us all—and what citizens can do to combat the hydra-headed menace of concentrated corporate power."
—Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right’s Stealth Plan for America
“With expertise and an engaging writing style, Sally Hubbard’s Monopolies Suck is a must read for anyone wanting to understand how monopolies endanger our pocketbooks and our democracy. The book will leave you enraged at the role monopolies play in every facet of our daily lives, but encouraged that we can, in fact, beat them."
—Denise Hearn, co-author of The Myth of Capitalism: Monopolies and the Death of Competition
“Sally Hubbard is a rare combination: a former antitrust enforcer who knows the law deeply and a sharp, pull-no-punches writer. In this light, accessible guide, Hubbard shows how today’s corporate giants are breaking the laws intended to protect you—and what you can do about it.”
—Zephyr Teachout, author of Break ‘Em Up: Recovering Our Freedom from Big Ag, Big Tech, and Big Money
“In my 20-plus years in the tech industry, I have never witnessed the scale of monopolization that exists today with dominant internet platforms. They flagrantly steal ideas, suppress innovation, and limit consumer choice. We need meaningful change—before it's too late. Sally Hubbard's book spells out these pressing threats in lucid prose that reminds us how urgently we need to act.”
—Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos
“The creative community is paying a steep price in monopolized America, with millions of artists struggling to make a living under rules that prioritize Big Tech profits. Sally Hubbard lays out the case for how we fight back—and why we must.”
—Don Henley, musician, songwriter, producer, and founding member of The Eagles
REVIEWS, APPEARANCES & MORE
Morning Tech: Facebook, Twitter and Google’s bumpy road to Election Day - Politico book mention, October 26, 2020.
Sally Hubbard, "Monopolies Suck: 7 Ways Big Corporations Rule Your Life and How to Take Back Control" - C-SPAN book podcast feature, November 2020.
‘We Are Really At A Crisis Point For Our Democracy, Economy’: Sally Hubbard On Big Tech Corporations & Book - CBS Denver book interview, November 4, 2020.
P&P Live! Sally Hubbard with Sarah Frier - Politics & Prose book event, November 10, 2020.
"Monopolies Suck" By Anti-Trust Expert Sally Hubbard - WAMC/Northeast Public Radio book interview, November 19, 2020.
Monopolies have made America's Covid response worse - CNN book article by Hubbard, November 30, 2020.
The Best Political Economy Books of 2020 - ProMarket list of the best political economy books, December 21, 2020.
29 Best New Capitalism Books To Read In 2021 - Book Authority best new capitalism books list, January, 2021.
Your Antimonopoly Reading List - Institute for Local Self Reliance “Antimonopoly Reading List,” February 17, 2021.
How to Open Our Markets Back Up Again: Talking to Sally Hubbard- Los Angeles Review of Books interview with Andy Fitch, February 26, 2021.
PURCHASING DETAILS:
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 320
Publication Date: October 27, 2020
ISBN (Hardcover): 978-1-982-14970-3
Section: Non-Fiction