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    2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America
    2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America
    2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America
    Audiobook14 hours

    2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America

    Written by Albert Brooks

    Narrated by Dick Hill

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Is this what's in store?

    June 12, 2030, started out like any other day in memory-and by then, memories were long. Since cancer had been cured fifteen years before, America's population was aging rapidly. That sounds like good news, but consider this: millions of baby boomers, with a big natural predator picked off, were sucking dry benefits and resources that were never meant to hold them into their eighties and beyond. Young people around the country simmered with resentment toward "the olds" and anger at the treadmill they could never get off of just to maintain their parents' entitlement programs.

    But on that June 12th, everything changed: a massive earthquake devastated Los Angeles, and the government, always teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, was unable to respond.

    The fallout from the earthquake sets in motion a sweeping novel of ideas that pits national hope for the future against assurances from the past and is peopled by a memorable cast of refugees and billionaires, presidents and revolutionaries, all struggling to find their way. In 2030, the author's all-too-believable imagining of where today's challenges could lead us tomorrow makes for gripping and thought-provoking listening.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 1, 2011
    ISBN9781452672908
    Author

    Albert Brooks

    ALBERT BROOKS is among the most inventive practitioners of motion picture comedy, as well as one of its most incisive commentators on contemporary life. Brooks began his career as a stand-up comic, and went on to become an award-winning actor, writer and filmmaker. Brooks has written, directed and starred in seven feature films: Real Life, Modern Romance, Lost In America, Defending Your Life, Mother, The Muse and Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World. Brooks made his acting debut in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 classic, Taxi Driver. His other acting credits include such films as Private Benjamin, Unfaithfully Yours, I’ll Do Anything, Critical Care, Out of Sight and My First Mister. He earned an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Broadcast News. Finding Nemo, which he starred in, received an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and has become one of the highest grossing animated films ever made.Born and raised in Los Angeles, Brooks studied drama at Carnegie Mellon University before starting his performing career in 1968 doing stand-up comedy on network television. He began on The Steve Allen Show, later became a regular on The Dean Martin Show, and performed on such variety programs as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Merv Griffin Show, The Hollywood Palace and had over forty appearances on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Brooks has recorded two comedy albums: Comedy Minus One and A Star is Bought, the latter earning him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Comedy Recording. His first directorial effort was in 1972 for the PBS series The Great American Dream Machine. He adapted an article he had written for Esquire Magazine, “Albert Brooks’ Famous School for Comedians” into a short film. Following this, he created six short films for the debut season of Saturday Night Live. Brooks has been honored by the American Film Institute with a retrospective of his work at the first U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen Colorado. His first novel, 2030, was published in 2011.

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    Reviews for 2030

    3.5/5

    157 ratings23 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This was really a fun read. The year 2030 is recognizable but with differences that are really interesting. Communications are easier and cancer has been cured and people live long past their 70's and 80's. Younger people resent the 'olds' for the drain they cause on the country's resources. An earthquake nearly destroys L.A. Health care finally comes to everyone in the United States.

      Brooks paints picture that is different, credible, fascinating, compelling and optimistic.

      Fun.

    • 3/5
      An interesting book but it had an irritating habit of dumping large amounts of information instead of telling a story. I wish the story had been more important than the predictions of what the world might look like. This was closer to 2.5 stars than 3.
    • 1/5
      I hope I'm not the only heavy reader who occasionally finds himself deep into a book and wondering why he's still reading.In this case, the reason was that the plot (a dystopian future America in which numerous medical advances have prolonged human life to the point where it's all the government can do to keep borrowing enough money to maintain entitlement commitments) was just interesting enough to keep me wondering how the story would turn out. The characters weren't particularly vivid for the most part, though I found myself heavily empathizing with the President, who seemed to be a compassionate and principled man.The story finally ended with a blah-blah-blah conclusion. And I'll never get back the time I spent reading those nearly 400 pages.Keep your day jobs, Albert Brooks. That's where your talent lies.
    • 1/5
      I don't know why I finished this. Perhaps it was the 1.5x speed setting on the audiobook that helped. Barely. The one kick I got out of it was that the reader was Dick Hill, the same guy who reads Lee Child's Reacher books so well.This book is just a series of one character after another giving speeches, which are received with thunderous applause by an unthinking, lobotomized audience. Every single character seems to be missing some core piece that would make them three dimensional and the narrative assumes its readers have very little knowledge or imagination (or perhaps is assuming that maybe they stopped paying attention to the story?) by hammering very banal facts about this future that's really not so far removed from our own present into our eyeballs.I liked the cover.
    • 3/5
      This book tells the story of what the United States may look like in 2030. It is a very interesting depiction of what could happen if there are no solutions in the areas of national debt, health care, and Social Security/Medicare. In the year 2030, cancer and a number of other diseases have been cured and people are living longer than ever. The AARP has a massive amount of power. Few people have adequate health care, and if they do, they spend their entire lives trying to pay for it. China is the richest and most powerful country. The United States is in huge debt, and many younger people blame this on "the olds," who are using more than their share of federal money because they live so long. In the midst of all this, there is a massive earthquake in Los Angeles, and the government doesn't have the money to rebuild or supply any form of adequate relief.

      That being said, the book has an interesting premise, and it is a quick read. The characters aren’t extremely interesting and there is a strange love story involving the president that seems kind of pointless. Overall, I am glad I read the book.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. You can hear Albert Brooks wry sense of humor throughout. But the issues he brings up are worth exploring. These include: social security, aging populations, the medical industry, generational conflict, selling off the country and euthanasia.

      While it doesn't seem like there could be humor in these issues, Brooks pulls it off. He has multiple story lines going and none of them lose any momentum as the book progresses. At some point, you can "hear" that the author has shifted gears and the wry humor drops off noticeably as he picks up steam discussing the issues the book raises in the various plot lines.

      The characters aren't fully round but that doesn't seem to matter because the readers interest in the story overcomes the weaknesses in character development. For anyone interested in the issues of an aging population, this book does a great job of pricking your imagination and making you think.
    • 3/5
      Like I said before, I think that Albert Brooks gives us real literature that will eventually end up on summer reading lists and college discussions.

      For me there were too many characters (and you're looking at a girl who LOVES 'Catch-22') The whole Max/Kathy thing could be eliminated in the abridged edition and not make any dent in the real storyline. We get it. The olds are getting all of the money and the young people are pissed off about it/tired of supporting them. Max and Kathy are unnecessary. Additionally, I think that the character of Susanna Colbert and

      the relationship/divorce of the president is extraneous.


      Enough. This book is eerie. It's definitely the '1984' of our generation and a cautionary tale of what happens if we don't figure out what to do with the nat'l debt. It gives a 'reality' to the debt that many of us don't understand/think about ... at least *I* don't understand/think about.

      I liked it. A good read.
    • 4/5
      A disturbing, but completely possible, look at the future.
    • 3/5
      Brooks, whose humor I have always enjoyed (who wouldn't love the man who once did a skit where he was an elephant trainer whose elephant had been lost in shipment, so did his elephant act with a frog?), has written a dystopian novel which may technically be a comic one, but it sure felt like a downer while I was reading it.
    • 3/5
      return to finish this when the reality of it might be slightly less!
    • 3/5
      Move over Jonathon Swift. Comedian and screenwriter Albert Brooks has written a compelling satire on our modern American life and political system that is both a fin and a thought provoking read.Set in 2030, America has become what many have predicted, a debt-ridden society where the older generation (known as "the olds" by the young) lives well at the expense of their children and grandchildren. The situation has been exacerbated by finding cures to many diseases - notably cancer - which has radically extended the life expectancy of Americans.When a massive 9.0 earthquake destroys Los Angeles, the country finds that it cannot afford to rebuild the city, nor is its main creditor (China naturally) willing to loan the trillions of dollars that the reconstruction is going to require.,What transpires is a partnership like no other that will leave the reader both appalled and also wondering if some of the ideas proposed here are really not so bad.
    • 4/5
      The title of Albert Brooks novel, Twenty Thirty, refers to the year in which this dystopian tale takes place. I've enjoyed Albert Brooks since I first saw him almost 40 years ago on The Flip Wilson Show. In his first novel, Brooks tells a story which is both frighteningly realistic, and funny as hell. By the title year, cancer has been cured, removing the biggest predatory threat to mankind. Many other health advances have also occurred, and the result is that 80 is the new 50. There is great resentment for "the olds" among younger people, as the entitlement safety net stretches to the breaking point. Then, in 2030, The Big One finally hits LA. 9.1 on the richter scale. The city and its suburbs are demolished; and the Government realizes that the money to repair and rebuild simply doesn't exist. Hilarity ensues. The book reminds me a lot of Christopher Buckley. It is a low-level satire, and thoroughly enjoyable. I'm glad I read it.
    • 4/5
      I've read a lot of futuristic fiction and this is by far the most realistic hypothesis I've seen for what it will really be like in 20 years. It's pretty depressing and a little more mundane than what I usually read but still a good read. If you want zombies, or vampire aliens or killer robots this is not your book. If you want something that will make you think keep you entertained at the same time then this is for you
    • 3/5
      I enjoyed the vision that Albert Brooks created of the future. It actually seemed possible and especially the issues of young versus old. However, the writing was very flat. The book dragged and the ending was too simplistic. I probably would not read another book by Brooks but it was an easy read and kept me entertained. A book like this is okay as an occasional diversion
    • 4/5
      Interesting books very economically written. I could really see how the even ts describe to the future could really happen, especially given the economic climate of today. We are a ageist society, worshiping youth but forgetting ages legacy. 2030 predicts just how bad it could get. Home grown terrorists??? For sure !
    • 1/5
      Set in the near future, a cancer cure is developed, allowing people to live far longer than before, which causes conflict between younger and older people, since many feel that the older ones are sucking up resources. The President has to deal with older people issues as well as a devastating national emergency, and many people in the U.S. are disenchanted with their lives and feel as if the quality of living is not the best it could be. The narrative is third-person omniscient and we follow the President, the cancer-cure developer, AARP, a Chinese health system administrator, and others as they maneuver through their lives. To be honest, I found the writing bland , boring and banal – many times the characters are boring and have boring conversations, especially the ones between Kathy and Max, almost like the author was playing make believe with himself and imagining scenarios with himself, which he was but without too much imagination. The writing was too one-dimensional, the tone too flippant and unrealistic. I did not like this style of writing, and unless it improves, will probably miss this author’s next book. It was definitely a task to finish this novel.
    • 2/5
      The idea behind Albert Brooks' 2030 is that in the not too distant future America will be so in debt that life as we know it will be completely changed. Medical advances, combined with the increasing power of Right to Lifers result in people living much longer lives (many on life support systems), draining all resources and money from the younger generation. Hate groups form, with increasing violence against "the olds." A thought provoking and somewhat believable premise.But then, it was written by Albert Brooks, actor and comedy script writer. So it is not surprising that the novel reads like an unmemorable tongue-in-cheek movie. It's not even particularly funny, just silly. The characters (including the President of the United States and the scientist who found the cure for cancer) are flat and unintelligent. I had to read this book for my book club. Otherwise, I would not have been motivated to finish. At no time in the book was I particularly interested in finding out what would come next in the plot or what would become of the characters. This is not a book I would recommend to anyone.
    • 5/5
      Brooks' idea about American society in the year 2030 is spot on. I could absolutely see this happening, which is pretty depressing. In Brooks' future, most ailments have been cured and people are living to be 120 or so. The generation gap is a bigger chasm than ever, and the "olds" hold most of the wealth and power. The middle-aged can't get ahead and the young are resentful. Brooks follows a representative of each age group, as well as the President, until their stories intertwine for the big finale. My only complaint is that said finale is not as big as I would have liked, and that it left me wondering what happens next. I hope he's got a sequel in there, but enough of the storylines were tied up that I kind of don't think so. As always, Brooks is witty, cerebral, and realistic. I was figuratively laughing through tears at several points. He really has a good idea of what go on inside people's heads, and makes you sympathize with every character, even ones in direct opposition to each other. You get the sense that everyone's doing the best they can with what they have to work with, instead of a good guys vs. bad guys tale. Again, I really enjoyed this; I am always a fan of Albert Brooks.
    • 3/5
      This could have been a lot better than it was. Very easy to put down; I was curious about where he was going with it but not enough to set other things aside to make time to read it. And it seemed much, much longer than it was....just kept going and going, and ultimately reached a very disappointing end; kind of felt like he got called away to do something else and decided not to get back to it but just let it end where he had left it. Parts of it were engaging, and the premise was very good, if somewhat bleak. Overall a good attempt for a first book but he needs to work on creating more interest.
    • 4/5
      Only a few pages into Albert Brooks’s 2030:The Real Story of What Happens to America, I was struck by how logical his version of 2030 America felt to me. Based on what 2011 America is like, it is very easy to see how America could find herself in the middle of a generational civil war by 2030 – or sooner. Let us just hope that the rest of Brook’s vision is not as likely a predictor of the country’s future.By 2030, thanks to China’s financing of America’s lifestyle, things are still looking good in America. Cancer has been cured and people are living longer, and more comfortably, than ever before. A score of other new drugs have even made it possible for the elderly to look and feel better than they did when they were in their forties and fifties. The cliché that “60 is the new 40” is, in fact, now an understatement of the truth about aging in America.And then it happens: Los Angeles is leveled by “the big one,” an earthquake so damaging that the government cannot even begin to rebuild the devastated infrastructure of one of its largest cities without a loan of trillions of dollars from China. But this time the Chinese refuse, correctly pointing out that there is no way America could ever pay back the money.China is not the only creditor weary of supporting a lifestyle in which it, for the most part, does not share. America’s young have reached their own breaking point, and they see only a bleak future for themselves if they have to finance the extended lifetimes of those who came before them. The “olds” sense the resentment directed their way but, despite the increased security measures most of them take, they are more and more often being targeted by assassins willing to die for the cause.This is Albert Brooks’s first novel and, while it does display a little of the kind of humor the author is famous for, readers should recognize coming in that this is not a comedy. Brooks tells his story through the eyes of several main characters from both sides of the equation: an American president faced with doing something unthinkable if it will save the country; an 80-year-old survivor of the earthquake with no place to go; a young woman burdened by the huge medical bills left behind by her deceased father; a wealthy young man determined to strike back at the elderly; and a Chinese billionaire holding the key to the future of California – and America.2030 is more warning than comedic farce. This is one road we both could be headed down, America and Europe. Let’s hope that Brooks’s vision does not become our reality.Rated at: 4.0
    • 3/5
      I'm fairly certain this book was meant to be at least somewhat funny, in a Swiftian satire way. Maybe that's because Albert Brooks is the author, and he's a funny guy. I can feel this book trying to be funny, but it never even makes it to chuckle-level. Better to take it in the spirit of a less-grim-than-usual piece of speculative fiction. (Perhaps it's intended as an unfunny parody?) The storyline isn't unlikely enough to be considered Swiftian, aside from the lack of amusement value. Sometimes Brooks makes really funny movies, and sometimes they're a slog. This book is the latter. If you want a similar storyline, just watch Torchwood: Miracle Day-it actually does have funny lines, and Captain Jack.
    • 3/5
      Film director and funnyman, Albert Brooks, takes a fictional look at the condition of our country 19 years in the future, if the United States’ current path remains unchanged. Brooks draws from the headlines of today and predicts some very startling outcomes. Written with numerous characters introduced throughout the novel, Brooks weaves the country’s desperate economic state through a myriad of personal stories concerning the nation’s aging population, extreme healthcare costs, and a massive earthquake which levels Los Angles in the first few chapters. The premise is very interesting and held my attention, but the payoff in the end didn’t quite hit the mark. 2030 reads more like a mediocre B-movie rather than an enthralling futuristic novel. However, the story will make all ages stop and think about what is happening right now in our country, and the possible future we could face.
    • 4/5
      The comedic actor, Albert Brooks, has written a fun and interesting first novel about America in the near future. Mr. Brooks tackles politics, aging, and future technologies in a delightful and engaging manner. In the beginning I found the characters difficult to distinguish and the writing at times stilted, but once the story took off I really couldn't put it down. Here's a dystopian novel where we can easily imagine most of the author's visions coming true, and for the most part, I like what he sees.