Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age
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- Author：Amy Klobuchar
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Summary
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - Antitrust enforcement is one of the most pressing issues facing America today--and Amy Klobuchar， the widely respected senior senator from Minnesota， is leading the charge。 This fascinating history of the antitrust movement shows us what led to the present moment and offers achievable solutions to prevent monopolies， promote business competition， and encourage innovation。
In a world where Google reportedly controls 90 percent of the search engine market and Big Pharma's drug price hikes impact healthcare accessibility， monopolies can hurt consumers and cause marketplace stagnation。 Klobuchar--the much-admired former candidate for president of the United States--argues for swift， sweeping reform in economic， legislative， social welfare， and human rights policies， and describes plans， ideas， and legislative proposals designed to strengthen antitrust laws and antitrust enforcement。
Klobuchar writes of the historic and current fights against monopolies in America， from Standard Oil and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to the Progressive Era's trust-busters; from the breakup of Ma Bell （formerly the world's biggest company and largest private telephone system） to the pricing monopoly of Big Pharma and the future of the giant tech companies like Facebook， Amazon， and Google。
She begins with the Gilded Age （1870s-1900）， when builders of fortunes and rapacious robber barons such as J。 P。 Morgan， John Rockefeller， and Cornelius Vanderbilt were reaping vast fortunes as industrialization swept across the American landscape， with the rich getting vastly richer and the poor， poorer。 She discusses President Theodore Roosevelt， who， during the Progressive Era （1890s-1920）， busted the trusts， breaking up monopolies; the Clayton Act of 1914; the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914; and the Celler-Kefauver Act of 1950， which it strengthened the Clayton Act。 She explores today's Big Pharma and its price-gouging; and tech， television， content， and agriculture communities and how a marketplace with few players， or one in which one company dominates distribution， can hurt consumer prices and stifle innovation。
As the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust， Competition Policy， and Consumer Rights， Klobuchar provides a fascinating exploration of antitrust in America and offers a way forward to protect all Americans from the dangers of curtailed competition， and from vast information gathering， through monopolies。
In a world where Google reportedly controls 90 percent of the search engine market and Big Pharma's drug price hikes impact healthcare accessibility， monopolies can hurt consumers and cause marketplace stagnation。 Klobuchar--the much-admired former candidate for president of the United States--argues for swift， sweeping reform in economic， legislative， social welfare， and human rights policies， and describes plans， ideas， and legislative proposals designed to strengthen antitrust laws and antitrust enforcement。
Klobuchar writes of the historic and current fights against monopolies in America， from Standard Oil and the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to the Progressive Era's trust-busters; from the breakup of Ma Bell （formerly the world's biggest company and largest private telephone system） to the pricing monopoly of Big Pharma and the future of the giant tech companies like Facebook， Amazon， and Google。
She begins with the Gilded Age （1870s-1900）， when builders of fortunes and rapacious robber barons such as J。 P。 Morgan， John Rockefeller， and Cornelius Vanderbilt were reaping vast fortunes as industrialization swept across the American landscape， with the rich getting vastly richer and the poor， poorer。 She discusses President Theodore Roosevelt， who， during the Progressive Era （1890s-1920）， busted the trusts， breaking up monopolies; the Clayton Act of 1914; the Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914; and the Celler-Kefauver Act of 1950， which it strengthened the Clayton Act。 She explores today's Big Pharma and its price-gouging; and tech， television， content， and agriculture communities and how a marketplace with few players， or one in which one company dominates distribution， can hurt consumer prices and stifle innovation。
As the ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust， Competition Policy， and Consumer Rights， Klobuchar provides a fascinating exploration of antitrust in America and offers a way forward to protect all Americans from the dangers of curtailed competition， and from vast information gathering， through monopolies。
Reviews
Frank Brunckhorst
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Should be required reading for all incoming congress critters。
Marie。D
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I think that it was overall interesting but at times was difficult to stay engage。 I think that she did a good job making anti trust law as interesting as is possible。 Several key points about non competing agreements， arbitration agreements， vertical and horizontal integration。
Jerrid Kruse
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The book makes important points with examples， but it doesn’t give a very strong roadmap to improving the situation。
Tim Penning
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A great history of monopolies and the need for some modern day trustbusting。
Valerie
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Senator Klobuchar did a fantastic job of telling the story of America’s trust-busting and Union-protecting history and laws。 She was able to weave that story to more recent battles and how the laws have not kept up with today’s challenges， and she details what those challenges are and her plans to overcome them。 I appreciate her detailing through proposed legislation so that I can point to it when I call my dipshit Senators to do something about it。 Lastly， this was VERY readable - I was expecti Senator Klobuchar did a fantastic job of telling the story of America’s trust-busting and Union-protecting history and laws。 She was able to weave that story to more recent battles and how the laws have not kept up with today’s challenges， and she details what those challenges are and her plans to overcome them。 I appreciate her detailing through proposed legislation so that I can point to it when I call my dipshit Senators to do something about it。 Lastly， this was VERY readable - I was expecting to skim through boring parts， but there were none。 。。。more
Daniel Schulte
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This was a surprisingly good introduction to Antitrust （Competition） laws in the United States。 I admittedly didn't know much if anything about Antitrust laws before reading this book， but I'd say that Amy Klobuchar definitely helped me to understand it better。 This was a surprisingly good introduction to Antitrust （Competition） laws in the United States。 I admittedly didn't know much if anything about Antitrust laws before reading this book， but I'd say that Amy Klobuchar definitely helped me to understand it better。 。。。more
Angela
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Some of it was really interesting， but some of it got into the weeds of the laws surrounding antitrust history。 It was necessary， but hard for me to follow。
Monte Lamb
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Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote a book about the history of Big Business and the anti-trust legislation created to insure fair practices in our economy。 The first chapters are devoted to the history of the legislation and cover the years after the Civil War to the present。 I think she does a good job of this。 The remaining sections of the book discuss the current problems with monopoly power and then she finished with recommendations on what needs to be done to combat the current problems。 If you wa Senator Amy Klobuchar wrote a book about the history of Big Business and the anti-trust legislation created to insure fair practices in our economy。 The first chapters are devoted to the history of the legislation and cover the years after the Civil War to the present。 I think she does a good job of this。 The remaining sections of the book discuss the current problems with monopoly power and then she finished with recommendations on what needs to be done to combat the current problems。 If you want to learn how the Sherman and Clayton Acts were passed and the judicial reviews and updates of legislation that has passed， it's a good book。 It would be a little dry when it gets to the current policies needed for many people。 However， it makes its case and does offer solutions。 。。。more
Tamar
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Political cartoons！！
Collin
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Antitrust started off strong with a deep and engaging history of antitrust， but latter chapters felt like Klobuchar was making stump speeches and party platform recitations。
Dave Roberts
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This is an outstanding book， very well written。 It tackles a complex subject， antitrust， but the author shows how antitrust is central to a number of economic problems that we are experiencing now， particularly economic inequality。 I strongly recommend this book。
Sam
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Amy knows her stuff。
Justin Hart
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The book is well-timed given the ongoing global supply chain mishaps that are related to market consolidation-induced bottlenecks。 For as comprehensive a look as the book takes at the history and current challenges of corporate “bigness” and antitrust legalese， its focus skews sharply to domestic policy with limited attention to globalization， state-sanctioned IP theft （e。g。 China with Cisco or Russia with the Sputnik vaccine）， international organized crime （e。g。 the Pandora papers or the film C The book is well-timed given the ongoing global supply chain mishaps that are related to market consolidation-induced bottlenecks。 For as comprehensive a look as the book takes at the history and current challenges of corporate “bigness” and antitrust legalese， its focus skews sharply to domestic policy with limited attention to globalization， state-sanctioned IP theft （e。g。 China with Cisco or Russia with the Sputnik vaccine）， international organized crime （e。g。 the Pandora papers or the film Collective）， or domestic labor movements that may also play a role in the harms and solutions the book covers。 Klobuchar makes an effective case for urgent antitrust reform without losing sight of just how mind-numbing the subject is。 。。。more
David Gerlach
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Good overview of antitrust and monopolistic case law since post Civil War times thru 2020。 Precise thinking on the most pressing issues surrounding monopolies and monopsonies。 Little has been done since the Reagan years to battle the bigness of business and its affects on consumer choice。 75% of all industries are in the hands of 3 or 4 companies in each market。We need muckrakers and trust busters like never before！
Rebecca
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The author is passionate about this subject and knows it well， having practiced in the area of antitrust before becoming a DA and a US Senator。 She is scary-smart。 This book was just too textbookish to me。 Sometimes I felt like I was drowning in all the words， almost panicking， needing to come up for air。 I don’t mind long sentences， but these were just too much sometimes。 Doesn’t make me any less a fan of Sen。 Klobuchar， though。 I wish the people of Nebraska had such competent representation。 T The author is passionate about this subject and knows it well， having practiced in the area of antitrust before becoming a DA and a US Senator。 She is scary-smart。 This book was just too textbookish to me。 Sometimes I felt like I was drowning in all the words， almost panicking， needing to come up for air。 I don’t mind long sentences， but these were just too much sometimes。 Doesn’t make me any less a fan of Sen。 Klobuchar， though。 I wish the people of Nebraska had such competent representation。 The section of the book about Klobuchar’s family’s American beginnings is fascinating。 This book contains over two hundred pages of notes。 I did not read the notes。 。。。more
Karen
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A very thorough examination of monopoly and antitrust actions and policies from the 1800s to 2020。 I initially thought it read like a history textbook so I put it down for a while。 When I re-engaged I saw it contained lots of examples relevant to today， with a good discussion about the dangers of Big Tech。 I especially appreciated the Top 25 Things we can do to keep American business competitive， from the US Congress to the individual。 I learned a lot， about monopsonies， about pay-to-delay tacti A very thorough examination of monopoly and antitrust actions and policies from the 1800s to 2020。 I initially thought it read like a history textbook so I put it down for a while。 When I re-engaged I saw it contained lots of examples relevant to today， with a good discussion about the dangers of Big Tech。 I especially appreciated the Top 25 Things we can do to keep American business competitive， from the US Congress to the individual。 I learned a lot， about monopsonies， about pay-to-delay tactic used by Big Pharma， about all the innovation that happened after AT&T was broken up in 1980， about ways companies make it appear there are so many choices/brands when there are really just a few companies in an industry due to M&A activity， and so much more。 All backed up by data and charts。I loved the cartoons and Klobuchar's attempts at humor。 After all， Antitrust law can be pretty boring。I hope we are not to late。 Given the conservative， pro-business Supreme Court we currently have， it will be very tough。 Recommended。 。。。more
Eric
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I really only gave this one three stars because it refreshes the mind about so much that is wrong in eco-political world today。 If I were to critique only Klubuchar's views on the issue it would probably be only two stars （one might be overkill， but it was an initial reaction until I got about half way through）。 I think we can thank our lucky starts that Klobuchar's run for President was short-circuited。 I shall leave it to the good voters of Minnesota whether she suits their needs in representi I really only gave this one three stars because it refreshes the mind about so much that is wrong in eco-political world today。 If I were to critique only Klubuchar's views on the issue it would probably be only two stars （one might be overkill， but it was an initial reaction until I got about half way through）。 I think we can thank our lucky starts that Klobuchar's run for President was short-circuited。 I shall leave it to the good voters of Minnesota whether she suits their needs in representing them。 。。。more
Corey Hagstrom
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Not HistoryI got this book because a history of antitrust sounded fascinating。 Unfortunately there is little history here。 This is a political trope。 And given that， it's ironic the author doesn't recognize the correlation between anticompetitive government and the anticompetitive trade it allows。 Both parties are responsible for this toxic economic environment。 But reading this book you'd think its all because of Trump。 Hogwash。 Both parties have done their part and it isn't surprising given th Not HistoryI got this book because a history of antitrust sounded fascinating。 Unfortunately there is little history here。 This is a political trope。 And given that， it's ironic the author doesn't recognize the correlation between anticompetitive government and the anticompetitive trade it allows。 Both parties are responsible for this toxic economic environment。 But reading this book you'd think its all because of Trump。 Hogwash。 Both parties have done their part and it isn't surprising given their abhorrence of competition in politics， where two parties exclude any real change or hope from ever happening even as they campaign on it。 This kind of nonsense is precisely why you have the economy you have。 Outlaw and break up both parties。 Then you'll see changes。 Then you'll see antitrust policy working again。 For now these politicians are at best lap dogs for corporations。 This book is disingenuous， at best。 。。。more
Dfoulser
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In depth review of antitrust history and why we're failing to regulate monopoly and monopsony now。 I had hoped to see a clear path for how to fix it。 Instead there's a broadside of everything we might do。 In depth review of antitrust history and why we're failing to regulate monopoly and monopsony now。 I had hoped to see a clear path for how to fix it。 Instead there's a broadside of everything we might do。 。。。more
Oren Mizrahi
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excellent history of early and modern antitrust issues， what’s stifling antitrust actions today and what changes can be made。 though parts of the book are bafflingly partisan - like unsubstantiated black/white generalizations about which party is to blame - the rest is extremely reasonable。 i hope klobuchar runs for president again。 this action is critically important to american wealth and innovation。
Maddy Barnard
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Less a nonfiction book more a campaign for reelection。
Harry Steinmetz
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Must read if you want to understand the American economyThis is a marvelous book that brings the history of antitrust into the modern world。 Sen。 Klobachar is a fierce advocate for a modern competition policy and how it will improve this country。
Patrick Kelly
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Antitrust By Amy Klobuchar - [ ] It starts with the heart care industry - [ ] I need to take plenty of notes Monopolies - [ ] American colonists rebelled against British monopolies。 The Boston Tea party was about monopolies - [ ] Adam Smith was against monopolies。 He believed that is suppressed the invisible hand。 George Washington was against monopolies。 George Mason and Thomas Jefferson tried to put a clause in the constitution to check monopoly power- [ ] The history of the game monopoly is a Antitrust By Amy Klobuchar - [ ] It starts with the heart care industry - [ ] I need to take plenty of notes Monopolies - [ ] American colonists rebelled against British monopolies。 The Boston Tea party was about monopolies - [ ] Adam Smith was against monopolies。 He believed that is suppressed the invisible hand。 George Washington was against monopolies。 George Mason and Thomas Jefferson tried to put a clause in the constitution to check monopoly power- [ ] The history of the game monopoly is an anti monopoly game， is there a second set of rules that was played differently and distributed wealth。 The game was in long trade mark disputes and the original creator really did not get the credit or sales from it- [ ] Throughout American history Presidents particularly in the 19th century have fought against monopoly power- [ ] The Boston Tea party was a revolt against a monopoly on tea Trusts - [ ] Unions， violence of strikes - [ ] Workers push against tyrannical corporations - [ ] McKinley started the trust busting area in 1898 when he appointed the US Industrial Commission- [ ] Antitrust is a term used for anticompetitive practices - [ ] Definition of a trust: ‘Corporate trusts came into use as legal devices to consolidate power in large American corporate enterprises。[3] In January 1882， Samuel C。 T。 Dodd， Standard Oil's General Solicitor， conceived of the corporate trust to help John D。 Rockefeller consolidate his control over the many acquisitions of Standard Oil， which was already the largest corporation in the world。[3][failed verification][4] The Standard Oil Trust formed pursuant to a "trust agreement" in which the individual shareholders of many separate corporations agreed to convey their shares to the trust; it ended up entirely owning 14 corporations and also exercised majority control over 26 others。[3] Nine individuals held trust certificates and acted as the trust's board of trustees。[3] One of those trustees， Rockefeller himself， held 41% of the trust certificates; the next most powerful trustee held only about 12%’ - Wikipedia - [ ] The Sherman Antitrust Act， 1890: ‘broadly prohibits 1） anticompetitive agreements and 2） unilateral conduct that monopolizes or attempts to monopolize the relevant market。 The purpose of the Sherman Act is not to protect competitors from harm from legitimately successful businesses， nor to prevent businesses from gaining honest profits from consumers， but rather to preserve a competitive marketplace to protect consumers from abuses’ - Wikipedia - [ ] The courts have since built a frame work around the Sherman Antitrust Act- [ ] The Clayton Act of 1914: expanded upon the Sherman Act and has become one of the foundations of antitrust law in the US。 - [ ] price discrimination between different purchasers if such a discrimination substantially lessens competition or tends to create a monopoly in any line of commerce （Act Section 2， codified at 15 U。S。C。 § 13）; - [ ] sales on the condition that （A） the buyer or lessee not deal with the competitors of the seller or lessor （"exclusive dealings"） or （B） the buyer also purchase another different product （"tying"） but only when these acts substantially lessen competition （Act Section 3， codified at 15 U。S。C。 § 14）; - [ ] mergers and acquisitions where the effect may substantially lessen competition （Act Section 7， codified at 15 U。S。C。 § 18） or where the voting securities and assets threshold is met （Act Section 7a， codified at 15 U。S。C。 § 18a）; - [ ] any person from being a director of two or more competing corporations， if those corporations would violate the antitrust criteria by merging （Act Section 8; codified 1200 at 15 U。S。C。 § 19）。 - [ ] It added specific provisions to protect unions。 Because the Sherman Act was enforced against unions， it stated ‘that the labor of a human being is not a commodity or article of commerce， and permit[ting] labor organizations to carry out their legitimate objective。’ Implying that unions were an essential part of fighting against monopolies， they had to be protected - [ ] The creation of the Federal Trade Commission in 1914 was another pillar towards the structure of antitrust and consumer protection - [ ] More about the FTC:- [ ] William Jennings Brian - ran on antitrust - [ ] Anti trust and populism in the Midwest。 The antitrust movement started in the Midwest - [ ] Teddy Roosevelt and his war against trusts。 He was not popular amongst trusts， he and his DOJ actively prosecuted over 40 trusts。 Many of these were resolved by the courts after he left office - [ ] Lincoln opposed trusts - [ ] The Sherman act was not enforced for the first 10 years， in fact it was used against unions。 Courts just choose to ignore it I need to be taking more notes - [ ] The break up of Standard Oil and Taft - [ ] The break up of American Tobacco- [ ] Rosevelt was not impartial， he went after some trusts and not the ones that supported him， the JP Morgan backed trusts - [ ] By 1904 there were over 300 trusts that accounted for x billion dollars？- [ ] The 17th amendment was passed because senators were representing corporations instead of the people。 Senators were representing families and corporate trusts。 The progressives were fighting against corruption and this corruption of the senate。 It sounds a lot like today - [ ] By 1910 most of the major trusts had been broken up - [ ] Roosevelt， Taft， Wilson - the progressive era - [ ] The progressive area ended after Wilson and started with WWI。 Presidents gave antitrust less attention， there was less public pressure to break up trusts， and WWI lead to some companies have monopolies on certain sectors - Dupont over gun powder- [ ] In the last hundred years antitrust has moved to the role of courts， academics， and politicians。 During the progressive area there was support amongst the public to bust trusts， Taft， Teddy， and Wilson all ran on it - it was the basis of the 1912 campaign。 In the past hundred years there has been less popular support - [ ] The other laws that support anti trust enforcement - [ ] There are many exemptions and loopholes that make enforcement challenging - [ ] MLB is not antitrust but the NFL is - [ ] Business can not get together to control pricesThe courts - [ ] The U Chicago school v Harvard school。 Yes the same U Chicago of the 60’/70’s economics department - [ ] Robert Bork argued vociferously against anti trust and laid the ground work for conservative arguments - [ ] He asked a crucial question， what is the purpose of antitrust law？ Chicago sided with it stifling legitimate competition and Harvard argued that is protected consumers - [ ] Shoot there is so much more in this chapter - [ ] Antitrust enforcement had basically evaporated by the Reagan administration - [ ] AT&T breakup was controversial but beneficial to innovation and consumers。 It was big win for antitrust - [ ] The pro business Reagan administration promoted mergers and ignored antitrust。 It all but eliminated the antitrust infrastructure and prompted trickle down economics。 It was said that the lawyers in the antitrust division answered to the economists - [ ] The emergence of Microsoft， Apple， and other tech companies - [ ] Antitrust enforcement improved under Clinton - [ ] The cases against Microsoft， - [ ] Had to do with internet explorer？ - [ ] It was so bad that even Bork thought that Microsoft should be broken up - [ ] It was a higher court that found Microsoft guilty but did not deem them to be broken up。 Finally it was the W Bush administration that ended the long case- [ ] W Bush administration was lax while Obama administration was middle - 5/10- [ ] Through its time the Sherman Act has wavered in its enforcement - [ ] Tech， health care， Facebook， AT&T/Time Warner and other mergers during Obama- [ ] Trump was mixed on antitrust。 He appointed judges that had strong views on antitrust- Kavanaugh and Gorisch are extremely weak on antitrust。 His actions tended to be more personal than genuine actions towards antitrust - [ ] More mergers and consolidations in the past 20 years - [ ] An antitrust case has not made it to SCOUTUS in decades。 Antitrust has become increasingly hard to enforce We the people， why antitrust matters to the people and our democracy - [ ] The online discount travel search engine industry is dominate by two companies that represent， Orbitz， Hotels。com， Travelocity， Priceline， etc。 it is market dominance。 What seems like diversity and competition is not。 A small handful of companies own the majority of brands。 The same company owns Oakley， Raybans， and most sun glasses。 Two companies own all of those travel search engines - [ ] She sponsored the constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United - [ ] Mergers and consolidations are happening in almost every industry， health care， tech， telecommunications， beer， cat food， sun glasses， tooth paste etc - [ ] Income inequality， raising the corporate tax rate， increasing the minimum wage， progressive reforms - [ ] The importance of unions - [ ] Suppressed wages from non compete clauses and fewer employers - [ ] National Labor Relations Board: Media consolidation - [ ] Depressed speech and leads to misinformation- [ ] Media consolidation is a threat to our democracy - [ ] The telecommunications act - [ ] Net Neutrality - [ ] Net neutrality must be restored and fiercely defended - [ ] We need a diversity of media outlets， access to information for all people - [ ] A powerful section about diversity in media - [ ] The threat of social media news， Facebook， Google， Twitter， Amazon - [ ] Dark money in politics， dialing for dollars - [ ] Publicly funded elections， end gerrymandering， reinstate the VRA， end Citizens United， make it easier for people to vote Modern day antitrust challenges: consolidations， conservative courts， congressional inertia - [ ] 12 categories - [ ] Crushing local businesses - [ ] Pharmacies and publishing - hugely damaging to pharmacies， authors， and book stores - [ ] Antitrust fights discrimination， it puts diversity in the market， it does not allow one ideology to dominate the market。 Minority owned business flourished in the progressive era， antitrust fought against red lining， and it promotes equality - [ ] The DOJ antitrust division has lacked funding and it’s importance diminished - [ ] This is most pro business SCOTUS since the 1930’sSCOTUS- [ ] An antitrust case has not come to SCOTUS in decades and the court has not ruled in favor in longer - [ ] This is most pro business SCOTUS since the 1930’s- [ ] Simply being a monopoly is not a violation of the Sherman Act， it is knowingly stifling competition， conspiracy， or violating laws that is illegal - [ ] It is extremely hard to prove actual conspiracy or violations - [ ] Many companies argue that their merger will improve competition; IE competing with Amazon - [ ] She suggests changing the burden of proof - [ ] Vertical integration Horizontal integration - [ ] Shareholders， stocks， Wall Street， boards， mutual funds owning large percentages of multiple companies in the same sector - [ ] Anticompetitive practices - [ ] It is not a sexy issue， there is not a popular movement for it The way forward Congress:- [ ] Increase funding for antitrust divisions - [ ] End monopsonies。 She spends significant time on monopsonies - [ ] Monopsony: ‘is a market structure in which a single buyer substantially controls the market as the major purchaser of goods and services offered by many would-be sellers。 The microeconomic theory of monopsony assumes a single entity to have market power over all sellers as the only purchaser of a good or service。 This is a similar power to that of a monopolist which can influence the price for its buyers in a monopoly， where multiple buyers have only one seller of a good or service available to purchase from。’ - Wikipedia - [ ] Change the burden of proof- [ ] Make it easier to prosecute antitrust - [ ] Take on the tech and pharmaceutical industries - [ ] Pay to delay - pharmaceutical companies pay competitors to not release certain drugs， so they can have more of a foothold on the market It’s hard to keep notes on everything。 Antitrust is deeply important but it can still be rather drab I need to go through a physical copy Executive:Judicial:- [ ] Cartels - business definition - [ ] End OPEC， interesting You:- [ ] Write， call， protest， be involved - [ ] Green new day， unions， raise the minimum wage， progressive politics - [ ] This was an awesome book but it can be dense。 I still find this incredibly important and hope more people know/learn about。 I need to go back and review the details 。。。more
Megan L （Iwanttoreadallthebooks）
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4 stars。 RTC。
Judah
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why is nearly everyone who has written a book on this topic deeply cursed。 this is the third antitrust book in a row ive read thats like this。
Graham Whittington
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3。5* A good review of antitrust law’s origins/history and its contemporary landscape/impact。 It also suggests action items and legislative fixes that would address issues with （perceived） monopolistic businesses and pervasive anti-competitive conduct today。 The book succeeds in conveying the importance of this subject matter to， and impact on， everyday people。 So， overall， I think the book is pretty solid。 It does suffer from Klobuchar not-so-sneakily pushing for certain legislation or naming le 3。5* A good review of antitrust law’s origins/history and its contemporary landscape/impact。 It also suggests action items and legislative fixes that would address issues with （perceived） monopolistic businesses and pervasive anti-competitive conduct today。 The book succeeds in conveying the importance of this subject matter to， and impact on， everyday people。 So， overall， I think the book is pretty solid。 It does suffer from Klobuchar not-so-sneakily pushing for certain legislation or naming legislation she has passed， which is fair， but don’t come into this read thinking it’ll be very objective。 Even with the advocacy push， though， I didn’t find it distractingly biased。 Several random political lines （e。g。， something like “As I always say on the campaign trail， I can see Canada from my door step！”）， however， felt like they were reflexively included， did not fit that neatly， and were eyeroll-inducing。 The chapter providing a random list of antitrust pop culture references was oddly placed and pretty unnecessary。 。。。more
Noah Leibold
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I wanted to like this book but I lost interest when Klobuchar referenced “Trump’s mean tweets” and legitimately meant that mean tweets was a credible attack on his economic policy。 She spends far too much time focusing personally on Trump in this book。
Ngaio
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Don't let my star rating fool you， this is a good book。 Klobuchar intelligently and passionately lays out how trusts/monopolies operate， why the results hurt everyone， and how she thinks we can tackle the problem。 It's action orientated and hopeful， even while acknowledging the problem is growing rather than shrinking。 So if it's so great， why two stars？ Because this is a dense book about a niche topic， for which I， as a non-American， am not its target audience。 Where it excels in thoroughness， Don't let my star rating fool you， this is a good book。 Klobuchar intelligently and passionately lays out how trusts/monopolies operate， why the results hurt everyone， and how she thinks we can tackle the problem。 It's action orientated and hopeful， even while acknowledging the problem is growing rather than shrinking。 So if it's so great， why two stars？ Because this is a dense book about a niche topic， for which I， as a non-American， am not its target audience。 Where it excels in thoroughness， it fails in accessibility。 Klobuchar does her best to make a usually dry topic engaging by exploring historical cases and the history of the game Monopoly。 And it does help。 But it she can't escape that the topic is complex and this book becomes a slog even with her best efforts。 As a politician Klobuchar has direct personal experience she brings to the story。 But she also spends some time tooting her own horn， pointing out over and over the bills she's tried to pass on the topic。 She's also aggressively pro-America。 Which one might expect from an American politician， but it plays weirdly to an international audience。 This book was written for Americans， about specific American laws。 There's nothing wrong with having a target audience， but it does bring down the book experience for non-Americans。 Hence two stars， despite it being a worthwhile read。If you have an interest in law， economics， or trade agreements， this book might be for you though。 。。。more
Sylvia Johnson
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I would give this a 3 1/2 stars as it was sometimes excellent in showing how much monopoly undermines all that we hold dear。 The downside was extraneous stories taking place in Minnesota， some interesting but not needed。 This could have been a briefer and to the point book that could have put people on notice that something needs to be done。 I highly recommend the first 100 pages。
Greg
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