Persuasively arguing that Americans haven't learned the economic lessons of the Great Depression and the stock crash of 2008, and stating that "the U.S. economy won't really bounce back until America's surge to inequality is reversed," former labor secretary Reich (Aftershock) examines how we got into this mess and offers solutions in this slim but informative study. In his view, "An economy should exist for the people who inhabit it, not the other way around," Reich writes, assailing the ramifications of Wall Street's unchecked power and the detrimental impact of the "Regressive Right," his term for conservative Republicans whose social Darwinist agenda, helped along by passivity on the part of Democrats, poses a very real threat to the nation. Reich charges Supreme Court Justices Scalia and Thomas, and Newt Gingrich with shady political dealings, while he systematically debunks various right-wing tactics, such as the benefits of lowering taxes on corporations in order to stimulate job growth. As for solutions, Reich's advice ranges from the simple (become an active citizen) to the specific, such as restoring taxes on the rich to pre-1981 levels, expanding Medicare to cover all Americans and tightening restrictions on big banks. Regardless of where readers stand on many of the polarizing concepts he addresses, Reich offers food for thought. (Sept.) H From the Jaws of Victory: The Triumph and Tragedy of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement Matt Garcia Univ. of California, .95 (394p) ISBN 978-0-520-25930-0
 This monumental chronicle complicates the heroic image of Cesar Chavez, the founder of the United Farm Workers, America's "most successful farm worker movement," showing the labor leader's role not only in the UFW's rise but also in its decline. Garcia, professor of transborder studies at Arizona State University (A World of Its Own: Race, Labor, and Citrus in the Making of Greater Los Angeles, 1900–1970) rivetingly analyzes turf-fighting, strategic failures and successes, giving women and others credit equal to Chavez's for the multicultural, international movement's formation of unprecedented coalitions. In a detailed rendering of Chavez's painful decline, Garcia finds that preoccupations with Synanon's psychological experiments and with communal living hamstrung UFW decision-making. Chavez's isolation intensified after Proposition 14, an effort to reform farm labor law, failed in 1976. Ultimately, his "famous obstinacy and a willingness to risk everything to achieve his goals" contributed to the UFW's unraveling as it struggled with management and legal oversight instead of its original, successful strategy strikes, consumer boycotts, and marches. Garcia's personal portrait of Chavez is not pretty: foul-mouthed, homophobic, power-hungry, and a philanderer. This rich and bracing account is a must-read for today's community organizers. 18 b&w photos, 1 map. (Sept).