ThoughtGallery.org > Book Launch: The New Better Off by Courtney E. Martin

Book Launch: The New Better Off by Courtney E. Martin

For the first time in history, the majority of American parents do not believe that their kids will be better off than they were. While some may see this as sad, Courtney E. Martin reads it as a provocation: better off based on whose standards?

Americans today are constructing a completely different framework for success than their parents’ generation, using new metrics that TED speaker, author, and On Being columnist Martin has termed collectively the “New Better Off.”

The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream defines the growing American phenomenon of rejecting the traditional dream of a 9-to-5 job, home ownership, and a nuclear family structure—and illuminates the alternate ways Americans are seeking happiness and fulfillment today, in the wake of the Great Recession.

Through profiles of people from every walk of life—home health care attendants to inventors to philosophers—and in-depth research and reporting, Martin paints a vivid picture of a new America, one where being better off is more about community and creativity than dollars and cents.

From how we view work, to customs and community, marriage, money, technology, living arrangements, and spirituality, The New Better Off uses personal stories and social analysis to explore the trends shaping our country today. Martin highlights how people are realizing that there is safety and joy in numbers—whether that’s in a co-working space, a shared house, or a men’s group. They’re also realizing that our most precious resource isn’t money, but time. They’re asking, “How much money is enough money?”











When: Tue., Sep. 27, 2016 at 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Where: powerHouse Arena
28 Adams St.
718-666-3049
Price: Free
Buy tickets/get more info now
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For the first time in history, the majority of American parents do not believe that their kids will be better off than they were. While some may see this as sad, Courtney E. Martin reads it as a provocation: better off based on whose standards?

Americans today are constructing a completely different framework for success than their parents’ generation, using new metrics that TED speaker, author, and On Being columnist Martin has termed collectively the “New Better Off.”

The New Better Off: Reinventing the American Dream defines the growing American phenomenon of rejecting the traditional dream of a 9-to-5 job, home ownership, and a nuclear family structure—and illuminates the alternate ways Americans are seeking happiness and fulfillment today, in the wake of the Great Recession.

Through profiles of people from every walk of life—home health care attendants to inventors to philosophers—and in-depth research and reporting, Martin paints a vivid picture of a new America, one where being better off is more about community and creativity than dollars and cents.

From how we view work, to customs and community, marriage, money, technology, living arrangements, and spirituality, The New Better Off uses personal stories and social analysis to explore the trends shaping our country today. Martin highlights how people are realizing that there is safety and joy in numbers—whether that’s in a co-working space, a shared house, or a men’s group. They’re also realizing that our most precious resource isn’t money, but time. They’re asking, “How much money is enough money?”

Buy tickets/get more info now