Publishers Weekly

The Way We'll Be: The Zogby Report on the Transformation of the American Dream - By John Zogby

Renowned political pollster Zogby distills a lifetime of surveying public opinion into a provocative—and heartening—portrait of American attitudes toward a host of topical issues that will shock cynics who regularly pronounce on the nation's divisions, apathy and appetite for excess. “The bullshit era is over and done,” Zogby notes; his surveys reveal a public craving for truth rather than hype, valuing thrift over luxury and ready to accept limits on consumption. A “New American Consensus” is emerging, according to the author; shared economic hardships are uniting people commonly perceived to be at odds, and self-defined identities such as “investor” are becoming more reliable predictors of worldviews than race or gender. The author reserves particular enthusiasm for the younger generation, whose responses reveal an unprecedented embrace of diversity, sensitivity to global human rights and a willingness to grapple with complex issues—such as abortion—free from orthodoxy and with a desire to find middle ground. “The American Century is over,” Zogby declares, “and the Whole Earth Century has begun”; his intriguing claims will likely stimulate hope and continued debate. (Aug.)