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Vulture Capitalism by Grace Blakeley

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Vulture Capitalism

Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
Publish Date
14 March 2024
Run Time
11 hours 45 minutes
Format
Audiobook
Rating
4.9 (8 reviews)

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What to expect

Bloomsbury presents Vulture Capitalism, written and read by Grace Blakeley.

* Longlisted for the inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction *
* A Foyles Top 10 Read for March and one of Glamour's Best Books of March *

'Blakeley charts a path forward based in hope, democracy and liberation' NAOMI KLEIN

'A must-read for anyone keen to put the demos back in democracy' YANIS VAROUFAKIS

Everything you know about capitalism is wrong.

Free markets aren’t really free. Record corporate pro­fits don’t trickle down to everyone else. And we aren’t empowered to make our own choices – they’re made for us every day.

Taking on the world’s most powerful figures and corporations – from JP Morgan to Boeing, Jeff Bezos to Donald Trump – Vulture Capitalism uncovers the causes of our modern crisis to reveal the true motives of our capitalist system. Because it isn’t broken: it’s working exactly as planned.

This is the book you need to understand what is happening in the world around you – and what you can do to change it.

'Read this book if you want to make fundamental changes to the world' HA-JOON CHANG
'If you've ever wondered why you (and everyone you know) feel so out of control of the world around you, this book will give you the answer' ASH SARKAR

Critics Review

  • Vulture Capitalism is a vigorous rejection of the liberal idea that if only some enlightened government were to tweak its policies correctly, democratic capitalism would bring prosperity to all

    Guardian

  • Blakeley recasts capitalist democracies as "system[s] of pervasive unfreedom", a thesis she backs up with excoriating case studies

    Vogue

  • Demolishes the idea that capitalism is dominated by the “freedom” of the market. Blakeley carefully goes over how businesses plan their own production and states coordinate society for profit

    Socialist Worker

  • We should not assume that there’s just one way to arrange a market economy in a democracy . . . This argument is having a bit of a public moment. The young economist Grace Blakeley’s new book Vulture Capitalism makes the case that capitalism as we see it now offers none of the virtues (free enterprise, moral hazard, market discipline) that its PR department claims for it

    Spectator

See more reviews
  • An insightful takedown of corporate excesses and shady dealings

    Irish Independent

  • For evocative and transportive nonfiction to educate, inspire and expand your perspective, look no further than Vulture Capitalism, a book that dismantles the modern financial systems of capitalism

    Glamour

  • A serious scholarly work which convincingly urges readers to entertain the thought that alternatives to capitalism really are possible . . . Vulture Capitalism makes a powerful case that a change in consensual knowledge, and a demotion of economics as the central authority in ordering contemporary civilisation, is necessary to move beyond the current destructive model of capitalism to reimagine an economics that is a better fit for our humanity

    Irish Times

  • A galvanising takedown of neoliberalism’s "free market" logic, one rooted as much in history as it is in current events. Blakeley’s argument is well researched, clear and devastating. Most important of all, she charts a path forward based in hope, democracy and liberation

    Naomi Klein

  • Brilliantly exposes the lie at the heart of capitalism – that there is no alternative – and systematically demolishes the myths that bolster its power. Rigorous and forensic, this ultimately hopeful book hands us the keys to redesign our own destiny. Another world is possible – and Grace Blakeley expertly charts the roadmap to reach it

    Caroline Lucas

  • Grace Blakeley’s excellent new book brings up to date Bevan’s insight. Capitalism, she shows by means of pertinent case studies, is the mortal enemy of freedom and democracy. A must-read for anyone keen to put the demos back into democracy

    Yanis Varoufakis

  • Blakeley's magnificent book is frightening, yes, but it brilliantly gives the lie to the concept that the (man-made) ties that bind us cannot be burst. It arms the reader with detailed knowledge of the history we're normally discouraged from looking into, lest we organize, fight, and very likely win the freedom and peace we deserve. It's the sort of book that will help us make a better world

    Rob Delaney

  • In this trenchant book, Grace Blakeley shows how it is the logic of ultra-monopoly capitalism, rather than greed of the elite or money politics, that is at the root of our socio-economic problems. Using sharp theoretical arguments and instructive real life examples, she tells us that only greater collectivism and a democracy that goes beyond the ballot box will allow us to create a system that can restrain that logic and make society better. Read this book if you want to make fundamental changes to the world

    Ha-Joon Chang

  • If you've ever wondered why you (and everyone you know) feel so out of control of the world around you, this book will give you the answer. Grace Blakeley brilliantly reveals that, for elites, economics is a weapon. This book wrests that power out of their hands

    Ash Sarkar

  • If you want to understand the evolution of corporate power structures that run our governments and world - then this book is for you. Breaking through all the commonly misused political and financial clichés, this book is a dive right to the heart of why money, power and control flow upwards and crystallise into a structure of irresponsible gambles, aggression, immunity and self-perpetuation

    Mike Galsworthy

User Reviews

Book 4.9

Narration 4.8

  • 5.0 5.0

    Powerful insight into the deeply troubling capitalist system we live in. Highly recommended read

    antsimpson34 2026-02-06
  • 5.0 4.0

    A really important & evidenced book.

    Mangoes16 2025-09-24
  • 5.0 4.0

    I wish everyone thinking of voting Reform would read this. I wish everyone who won’t join a union would read this. Clearly written and narrated. It will make your blood boil.

    berylb 2025-09-17
  • 5.0 5.0

    Covered so much and so in formative! I would recommend this book to anyone

    Sarahmccaffreyx 2025-01-27
See more reviews
  • 5.0 5.0

    Really informative book by an inspiring author and journalist. Turns out everything I knew about capitalism was wrong!

    sardow 2024-12-07

Details

Author
Grace Blakeley
Narrator
Grace Blakeley
Duration
11 hours 45 minutes
Release Date
14 March 2024
ISBN
9781526638113
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
Genre
Economics, Economics of specific sectors, Capitalism, Far-left political ideologies and movements, Far-right political ideologies and movements, Political structure and processes
Rating
4.9(8 reviews)
Narration
4.8(8 reviews)

Synopsis

Bloomsbury presents Vulture Capitalism, written and read by Grace Blakeley.* Longlisted for the inaugural Women's Prize for Non-Fiction ** A Foyles Top 10 Read for March and one of Glamour's Best Books of March *'Blakeley charts a path forward based in hope, democracy and liberation' NAOMI KLEIN'A must-read for anyone keen to put the demos back in democracy' YANIS VAROUFAKISEverything you know about capitalism is wrong.Free markets aren’t really free. Record corporate pro­fits don’t trickle down to everyone else. And we aren’t empowered to make our own choices – they’re made for us every day.Taking on the world’s most powerful figures and corporations – from JP Morgan to Boeing, Jeff Bezos to Donald Trump – Vulture Capitalism uncovers the causes of our modern crisis to reveal the true motives of our capitalist system. Because it isn’t broken: it’s working exactly as planned.This is the book you need to understand what is happening in the world around you – and what you can do to change it.'Read this book if you want to make fundamental changes to the world' HA-JOON CHANG'If you've ever wondered why you (and everyone you know) feel so out of control of the world around you, this book will give you the answer' ASH SARKAR

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