We are a nation adrift. We lack neither wind nor sail, we have no shortage of captains or gear, yet our mighty ship flounders in a sea of partisanship, corruption, and selfishness.

Most Americans would probably agree that modern America is not perfect. The current political climate is undeniably tense, and we can’t seem to agree what the most prominent issues are, where they came from, and how we should aim to address them. This is why NYU professor Scott Galloway titles this book Adrift, stuck in the middle of the ocean, unable to select a direction to head to shore. In this book, Galloway examines the future of the nation by reflecting upon the the past, and uses 100 charts to summarize the main talking points of his (center right-ish) standpoint.

The format of this book is very simple. Each chapter has a main topic where Scott points to numerous examples using a few paragraphs and visualizes some sort of chart to capture the issue at heart. Despite how simple this feels, it’s quite effective, highlighting the trends and communicating what certain decisions could mean in the future. Each chart feels intuitive but researched enough where everything feels quantified. While I recognize that there is a danger in cherry-picking numbers and providing a very broad “balance sheet” overview to complicated issues, I see why it is necessary given the number of topics covered in the entirety of this book.

The strongest point of the book was easily the last chapter, as it focuses on ways to ameliorate the problems that the country faces. Up to this point, the tone of the book is grim, as the book only focused on listing the issues and how they came to be. In chapter 10, he prioritizes certain issues mentioned throughout the book and finds reasonable solutions that the government could take. He mentions a lot of policies such as redefining the tax structure, investing in families, and better regulations in the markets as solutions to changing the current trajectory of our society.

This book is a great short read for anyone interesting in US history and policy making. While it doesn’t dig particularly deep into any one issue, Galloway does a good job demonstrating the importance of issues. I have a newfound appreciation for the past and present leaders of the country who have to make difficult decisions day by day. I also now recognize how patriotism means loving your country enough to criticize when it does wrong.

Overall Rating: 6/10