Inequality persists in many forms in our society today, but dominating the headlines, the domestic and foreign policy debates, and even the household dinner table for virtually everyone is income inequality. This book examines how current systems allow the rich to get richer and prevent upward mobility for everyone except those with no one above them to profit from their work and station. Identifying everyone as belonging to one of three groups—bullies, parasites, or slaves—the author shows the number of ways people who are simply trying to sustain themselves or to provide a better future for their children are undercut by a myriad of institutions and figures designed to chip away at their gains and keep them in whatever position they were raised in.

However, in the second half of this examination, the author delves into how power still resides with the people, should they mobilize and choose to use it. These chapters contain actionable concepts that, if adopted, will create an opportunity for people to call out the predatory behavior of bullies and parasites and replace faulty methods with ones founded on community, care, and empathy. It may sound like a wide-eyed, optimistic view of the future, but each concept is introduced with firsthand accounts of how things work on a more individual scale, plenty of examples, and a roadmap that offers eventual solutions rather than just a destination with no idea of how to get there. This book is not intended to be merely a thought exercise or a theoretical exercise, but a real, collaborative way to end centuries of abuse for people of all locations and walks of life who are being taken advantage of by those who ordain themselves to have the power to do so on no other grounds.

The criticisms leveled at the exploitative, powerful forces keeping others from flourishing are not rooted in any particular political ideology or party affiliation, so readers are advised, from the opening pages, to set aside their feelings in that regard and focus on the larger issue. However, the actual position presented in both parts of the book isn't especially inflammatory or radical, given its roots in creating a society where resources are used fairly to benefit everyone contributing to said society, and to exclude those who sit on the outside, bending the rules and creating loopholes to siphon away those resources for their own gain. To be sure, there is a force of opposition at work in the framework provided by the author, but it is not a specific group or ideology so much as a pervasive element that works its way into any power structure, across history and geography.

One of the most interesting elements of this book is the way that it invites collaboration and further action from the reader, not just in the form of researching sources, but in its cry to take part in the conversation and become engaged. In so doing, its purpose of fighting inaction and making progress more tangible is realized, with readers seeing how they can create a more mutually caring exchange of support in their local sphere of influence. At the same time, any omissions or corrections that need to be recognized can influence the text itself, creating a kind of living community around the book that steers its ideas into regular practice. Odds are good that any reader picking up this book will be able to pinpoint the many ways their efforts toward self-sufficiency have been hamstrung by easily recognizable bullies and their decisions, so as divisive as the subject may be for many, by the end, it should be obvious where the enmity and the need for action should be directed.

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