The First Universal Nation

Offering a blueprint of the future of the United States, an accessible synopsis of national indicators analyzes the trends and patterns of social, political, demographic, and business life in the nation

As the nation teeters on the brink of a recession and a possible war in the Middle East, Wattenberg is back with another upbeat look at the American condition in the tradition of the The Good News Is the Bad News Is Wrong ( LJ 9/15/84). He says predictions of a U.S. decline are false and concludes that America, the "first universal nation," will get better in the 1990s. This is a matter of interpretation, of course, but Wattenberg provides plenty of documentary support for his views, supplementing his prose with page-long groupings of statistical tables covering 26 different "indicators" in areas like immigration, crime, values, spending, and freedom. The rest of the book contains an intriguing blend of recycled syndicated columns, memoirs, analysis, and futurism. This lively and provocative title is recommended for popular collections.
-Thomas A. Karel, Franklin & Marshall Coll. Lib., Lancaster, Pa.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.