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• The Spirit Level comes highly recommended from yours truly. The book draws up the efforts of decade long research that has gone into collecting evidence which shows that: equality is -the one- axis in society upon which all other major ones rest. To say it the blunt way; no matter how well of the rich are off in an unequal society (USA) their birth death rates are still miles above the poorest segment of the population in a more equal society (Sweden) (!). Equality is that which upon everything from mentioned birth-death-rates to crime and health is hinged. Anyone wishing to go into political office in one form or another (say we all do a bit when we go to voting booth..) should read this book.

  5.00 out of 5

  8ight

• The Spirit Level comes highly recommended from yours truly. The book draws up the efforts of decade long research that has gone into collecting evidence which shows that: equality is -the one- axis in society upon which all other major ones rest. To say it the blunt way; no matter how well of the rich are off in an unequal society (USA) their birth death rates are still miles above the poorest segment of the population in a more equal society (Sweden) (!). Equality is that which upon everything from mentioned birth-death-rates to crime and health is hinged. Anyone wishing to go into political office in one form or another (say we all do a bit when we go to voting booth..) should read this book.

  5.00 out of 5

  8bitmore

• The Spirit Level is one of the few books, similar for example to Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel, that will blow your mind. Its simple message that a more equal society is a better society, even for the rich, strikes deep. Reading some of the reviews here and at Amazon, this simple truth hurts some too much. So if you are one of the USA! USA! USA! crowd or if you think obesity, diabetes or poverty are beautiful, then this book is not for you. Reality has a liberal bias.Some conservatives have tried to undermine the message by mixing in non-OECD (i.e. non-rich) countries into their sample. Which is completely beside the point. Naturally, life in the United States of America is better than in most African nations or in Russia. But isn't it a rather weak claim to say that the US is better than a Second or Third World nation. Among First World nations, the (peer reviewed) statistics presented by the authors conclusively show that more equal societies score better in whatever goal one targets (health, crime, social mobility, innovation, etc.). It used to be different: The American founding fathers were deeply shocked seeing the unequal societies in Europe. The US used to be a beacon of equality and liberty (this cherished image instead of reality still lingers in many a conservative mind).The authors could also have used the economic concept of marginal utility. A family with food insecurity will have much greater benefit from an extra one thousand dollars than a hedge fund billionaire. While the book is tight in making its case that more equality is better, it fails to develop a case how to revert the damaging policies of the Reagan revolution. Barack Obama's craven surrender in prolonging the wasteful, unpaid for Bush cronies tax relief shows how difficult it is to get this simple message across in some are more equal NewSpeak United States of America.Highly recommended.

  5.00 out of 5

  jcbrunner

• I loved reading this book because it confirmed for me much of what I had suspected, and suggested that my views were supported by the data. In reading the reviews here though, I fear I may have been too uncritical, and I intend to reread the book with a mind on the comments below.

  5.00 out of 5

  petrolpetal

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