Enjoyed may be the wrong word, as this book was fairly terrifying but extremely well written and a comprehensive explanation of capitalism and all of the not-so behind the scenes dodgy dealings. Will certainly recommend.

Wow, this book made me so angry. Ms Blakeley is a clear, dispassionate writer who lists the ins and outs of our capitalist structure and who it benefits. My understanding of a free market left alone to manage the economy via supply and demand has proven to be nonsense. "Let the market decide" rarely, if ever, happens. The support of the banking sector during the last crash never sat well with me but when explained simply in a cool way, it’s even more infuriating.

Every new Labour MP should be given a copy of this book and every schoolchild reaching majority should be given a copy. When we all understand how we’re being manipulated, then we can start to make the changes the writer recommends.

I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley

"We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings."

This book is well researched and gives a powerful insight into the diagnoses and perhaps a cure for the inequalities of capitalism. It shines a light on vast economic problems in our current system and how each individual can challenge abuses of power.
It’s on the heavy side for me personally who mainly reads fiction but it is an eye-opener and an important book about the world we live in and the forces who ‘control’ us.
3.5/5 stars
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Early release copy provided by NetGalley - in exchange for an honest review.

This appears to be mainly a college book, but is also well worth reading for those interested in where all the world's money has been going.
The author talks about capital, labour and markets, the basis of economics. She explains how capitalism is exploited to make the rich richer and the poor either poorer or more controllable. How Boeing got to put potentially unflyable planes in the air, leading to two crashes, due to massive cuts and cost-cutting in order to boost profits. I did feel several gaps were left. She could have told us how the developing world is being lifted out of poverty, more girls are being educated than ever, and more diseases are being eradicated and treated. How factories are springing up across Africa, often Chinese owned, employing local workers and raising standards.

Continued...

really interesting and fascinating book that gives an insight into what controls what (and how we all suffer in the end).

Eye opening as to the effects of capitalism and surely a call to arms overhaul our societal approaches... but inevitably those who benefit from the current systems will not change things

Interesting read that brings multiple case study examples to explain how large companies strive for further profits. The author presents ideas and information in an easy to digest way

This resource serves as a vital exploration of the significance of trade unions, particularly in light of recent events such as the strikes by Harper Collins workers and American film writers. It effectively communicates the importance of empowering workers in the workplace for the betterment of society as a whole.

However, while the book adeptly outlines the reasons behind the importance of worker empowerment, it falls short in providing detailed solutions or future steps for readers to implement in their own lives. As someone eager to take actionable steps towards positive change, I found this aspect lacking.

Nevertheless, I highly recommend this book to anyone with even a passing interest in the topic. Its clear articulation of key concepts makes it accessible to all readers, and its insights are invaluable for fostering a deeper understanding of labour issues in today's world.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/5.

I’ll start by saying this is an intense read.

Exceptionally well researched and detailed with examples that span multiple industries, countries and times.

It would be untrue to describe this book as ‘enjoyable’ but I sense that’s not the point and the aim is to teach and explain, rather than entertain. On that level it is successful if a tad dry in places.

The section about Amazon was especially interesting.

I found the conclusion a little flat - I’m not sure what would have been better but felt after such investment in thinking and exploration it was a little lacklustre.

Would recommend to some of my friends but be selective as one needs a certain amount of interest in politics and business to invest the time/thought into this one.

I wanted to read this prior to it being longlisted for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction, and was pleasantly surprised that it was. The title and tag line immediately got my attention. I enjoy reading anything about fraud, white-collar crime and businesses behaving badly ('enjoy' being a weird word to use!).

I found Vulture Capitalism an interesting read overall - some of the examples given at the beginning (for example, with Boeing) I already knew extremely well but was looking forward to learning about other similar scandals. I enjoyed learning more about capitalism, free markets and neoliberalism - although I found the shift from light reading about 'scandals' to fairly heavy economics-talk a bit of a whiplash sometimes.

The content was clearly very heavily researched and the writing style and explanations were clear. The main issue I had with the book was that I found the structure quite confusing. I kept losing track of the point Blakeley was trying to make. I found myself revisiting the introduction where she explains the direction and purpose of the book, and how the different sections linked together. It made it quite a frustrating experience at times.

Overall though, it's a really interesting book with strong, heavily-evidenced arguments, finishing with some practical suggestions. I'd definitely read more from Grace Blakeley.

This is an interesting and well researched book that covers the history and culture of capitalism.
This is not a topic that I know a huge amount about or read often so I did find it hard to keep going at some points. I found reading a few pages a day was the best way for me to keep my attention. I think maybe an audiobook might have worked better for me.
I loved the anecdotes and examples of companies that were slotted in throughout the chapters.
Would recommend to people who already have an I terst in economics or for those new to it who are prepared to slowly read this book.

I found this book interesting, but very slow reading and a little bit difficult to follow. I am new to economics but am interested in how it's effected the country and think the author is engaging , I did find myself getting lost in the wording slightly though. The writing was quite academic so found the writing a little bit repetitive but think it would definitely find the correct audience upon publication.

There's a lot to get out of Grace Blakeley's admirably detailed overview of neoliberal capitalism, but like some other readers, I found it heavy going at times. The central argument, made early on that "Life under capitalism means living in a planned economy, while being told that you are free", is well-made but hammered home repeatedly. While there are many very good examples of both how neoliberal has exploited the majority and been resisted by the few, they often seem over-familiar (e.g. the depiction of Allende's Chile). The final section on Democratic Planning is welcome but over relatively quickly. I would like to read a sequel focused more on how to get us out of this miss. A valuable overview nevertheless.

The prevailing orthodoxy in Western countries contrasts the free market and the planned economy. However, as Blakeley makes clear, capitalist economies are planned too. Companies and states collude to protect the interests of capital. Her argument is backed up by numerous examples. Many of these were stories I sort-of knew, but the detail is devastating. The story of Boeing and its safety failings in the interests of profit is particularly topical.

Blakeley has a punchy and engaging writing style which makes this accessible if you’re coming to these issues for the first time, and uplifting and inspiring if you’re all too familiar with this litany of injustice.
*
Copy from NetGalley.

A wonderful introduction to the vagaries of capitalism. Grace Blakely provides a wealth of examples of the inextricable links between big business, governments, state institutions, and the 'free markets', all acting together in the interests of large corporations. The examples she uses cross the spectrum of economic activity from Boeing to United Fruit, Thames Water to J P Morgan., Evergrande to Ferdinand Marcos. She illustrates the growth and hegemony of neo-liberalism as the dominant economic theory in the early 1980s and explodes many of the myths of that economic witchdoctery.

However, where the book is weakest is in its analysis of the monopoly and oligopoly of tech companies and the inability (or lack of desire and even understanding) of governments to monitor their growth and ubiquity in our lives. In addition, the examples given of action against 'vulture capitalism' are not very strong. This is not Ms Blakely's fault though, there has been a shocking lack of scrutiny of and alternatives to the pandemic of capitalism in its many forms.

In fact, the myths of neo-liberalism seem to have returned with a vengeance in the United Kingdom, dominating thinking in both the Conservative and Labour parties. One Conservative chancellor makes jokes about the ':Lafler Curve' during a budget speech. While the Labour (supposed) opposition repeats the Thatcherite canard of 'maxing out the govern credit card) as if macro and micro-economic theory was equivalent to a household budget.

This book should be required reading for both front benches, Unfortunately, its honesty and detail will probably mean it will be absent from both parties Christmas stockings. A shame really. They actually might learn something.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

This book was so eye-opening and shocking. It provides examples of where companies and corporations have engaged in extremely unethical behaviour to maximise profits. This includes falsifying information, deception and manipulation which in some instances led to the deaths of hundreds of people. I was so horrified by some of these examples. This in non-fiction and the book has been carefully referenced. There’s even examples of where companies could have done things better but chose not to just because they didn’t want to let their workers have any influence.

This is an economics book and I was surprised at how quickly I read it. It’s written in such a compelling way that it really starts to make you question why things are done in certain ways. It challenges long held views about certain economic structures. I’m not surprised this book is up for awards, it’s very well-written and though-provoking.

This a detailed and seemingly well researched exploration into the interplay between capitalism and democracy, and the utter pervasiveness we have seen of capitalism in our economy.

It’s not the easiest read, especially if you aren’t used to reading academic texts or books in this genre, but I think there was a good attempt to try and make this accessible. I think the numerous examples and instances that were used to highlight various were both interesting in themselves but also really brought to life the points being made.

There were moments here where it felt like depth was sacrificed for breadth in terms of trying to cover too much ground. Which, I can absolutely understand as Capitalism touches so many areas of life, but it meant that at times I think there was a tendency towards sweeping statements without exploring or backing things up.

Throughout I felt that Blakeley had a really clear idea where she was going with the book and the message was clear which I think really strengthened the book and made it much easier to follow. I can also see that towards the end she very much tried to inject optimism and hope, and the importance of activism for a better future but this didn’t really hit home for me as it all felt a bit hopeless after reading about the invasiveness of capitalism for the last few hundred pages.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

Overall, "Vulture Capitalism" offers a critical analysis of contemporary capitalism, interrogating its underlying assumptions, power structures, and socio-economic consequences. By shedding light on the negative impacts of vulture capitalism, the book contributes to broader discussions about the need for transformative change in economic and political systems to create a more just, sustainable, and inclusive society.

As someone who is more left-leaning, I was keen to read this to learn more about how capitalism has got it wrong , some shocking stories, and some hope about where we can go from here and hope for how things could be better.

What I got was a detailed look into the economics of capital vs democracy and how it’s not really free-markets vs planning, because there is always an element of planning in economics. There were certainly shocking stories, such as Boeing, Ford and Amazon, and how if you have enough capital you can ensure that you always ‘win’. I’m not sure that it left me with much hope though, as the overriding sense is that ‘capital’ will always win, as Grace Blakeley states “over time, the rules of the market game we’re all supposed to be playing come to favour the interests of the powerful” and also “The wealthiest and most powerful are best able to shape the ideas we use to make sense of the world by exercising their power within schools, universities, the media and other sites of cultural production”.

The section on how empires struck me particularly as I read it on the day it was announced that the UK had gone into a recession (following months and years of strikes from workers demanding more pay): “Volcker had a plan. His goal was to convince financial markets that the Fed had the power – and the courage – to tame inflation for good by destroying unions demanding higher wages. Volcker is remembered as a hero among neoliberals for bringing down inflation by engineering a recession…”

I found the book slow going and somewhat hard to read, both in context and the style. I am a novice in economics, and have a passing interest in current politics but little theoretical knowledge, and often found myself getting lost in the terminology. I found the writing repetitive in places which is probably akin to academic writing but it slowed my progress through the book. I would recommend that everyone reads this but recommend that you take it slowly .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced ereader copy in exchange for a honest review.

I've been a fan of Grace Blakeley for a long time. I'm always incredibly grateful for any economist who can express complex ideas and issues in a coherent and engaging way. This book is no different. A comprehensive, stirring examination of the insidiousness of capitalism. It is pertinent, intelligent and essential reading for all.

A very comprehensive look at the problems of capitalism. You may not agree with all the solutions, but the problems are all very real