Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview
  • Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse

  • Inside the Collapse of Venezuela
  • By: William Neuman
  • Narrated by: Michael Manuel
  • Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (6 ratings)

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse

By: William Neuman
Narrated by: Michael Manuel
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

—Named Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2022 and the National Endowment for Democracy Notable Books of 2022

—Winner of the 2022 Cornelius Ryan Award of the Overseas Press Club of America for the best nonfiction book on international affairs

—Foreign Affairs Best Books of 2022

—National Endowment for Democracy Notable Books of 2022


"Richly reported...a thorough and important history." -Tim Padgett, The New York Times

A nuanced and deeply-reported account of the collapse of Venezuela, and what it could mean for the rest of the world.

Today, Venezuela is a country of perpetual crisis—a country of rolling blackouts, nearly worthless currency, uncertain supply of water and food, and extreme poverty. In the same land where oil—the largest reserve in the world—sits so close to the surface that it bubbles from the ground, where gold and other mineral resources are abundant, and where the government spends billions of dollars on public works projects that go abandoned, the supermarket shelves are bare and the hospitals have no medicine. Twenty percent of the population has fled, creating the largest refugee exodus in the world, rivaling only war-torn Syria’s crisis. Venezuela’s collapse affects all of Latin America, as well as the United States and the international community.

Republicans like to point to Venezuela as the perfect example of the emptiness of socialism, but it is a better model for something else: the destructive potential of charismatic populist leadership. The ascent of Hugo Chávez was a precursor to the emergence of strongmen that can now be seen all over the world, and the success of the corrupt economy he presided over only lasted while oil sold for more than $100 a barrel. Chávez’s regime and policies, which have been reinforced under Nicolás Maduro, squandered abundant resources and ultimately bankrupted the country.

Things Are Never So Bad That They Can’t Get Worse
is a fluid combination of journalism, memoir, and history that chronicles Venezuela’s tragic journey from petro-riches to poverty. Author William Neuman witnessed it all firsthand while living in Caracas and serving as the New York Times Andes Region Bureau Chief. His book paints a clear-eyed, riveting, and highly personal portrait of the crisis unfolding in real time, with all of its tropical surrealism, extremes of wealth and suffering, and gripping drama. It is also a heartfelt reflection of the country’s great beauty and vibrancy—and the energy, passion, and humor of its people, even under the most challenging circumstances.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

©2022 William Neuman (P)2022 Macmillan Audio
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

The Last Correspondent cover art
The End of the World Is Just the Beginning cover art
Among the Braves cover art
Populista cover art
Lion in the White House cover art
Cuba (Winner of the Pulitzer Prize) cover art
Socialism Sucks cover art
The Myth of Chinese Capitalism cover art
China's Civilian Army cover art
España cover art
Bolivar cover art
Born in Blackness cover art
There Are No Dead Here cover art
The Third Reich at War cover art
The Economic Weapon cover art
Beef, Bible and Bullets cover art

What listeners say about Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    4
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.