# The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back - Hardcover

by **Donald Cohen** (Author), **Allen Mikaelian** (Author)

**The book the _American Prospect_ calls "an essential resource for future reformers on how not to govern," by America's leading defender of the public interest and a bestselling historian**

  

**"An essential read for those who want to fight the assault on public goods and the commons." -Naomi Klein**

  

A sweeping exposéeacute; of the ways in which private interests strip public goods of their power and diminish democracy, _The Privatization of Everything_ has elicited a wide spectrum of praise: _Kirkus Reviews_ hailed it as "a strong, economics-based argument for restoring the boundaries between public goods and private gains," _Literary Hub_ featured the book on a Best Nonfiction list, calling it "a far-reaching, comprehensible, and necessary book," and _Publishers Weekly_ dubbed it a "persuasive takedown of the idea that the private sector knows best."

  

From Diane Ravitch ("an important new book about the dangers of privatization") to Heather McGhee ("a well-researched call to action"), the rave reviews mirror the expansive nature of the book itself, covering the impact of privatization on every aspect of our lives, from water and trash collection to the justice system and the military. Cohen and Mikaelian also demonstrate how citizens can--and are--wresting back what is ours: A Montana city took back its water infrastructure after finding that they could do it better and cheaper. Colorado towns fought back well-funded campaigns to preserve telecom monopolies and hamstring public broadband. A motivated lawyer fought all the way to the Supreme Court after the state of Georgia erected privatized paywalls around its legal code.

  

"Enlightening and sobering" (Rosanne Cash), _The Privatization of Everything_ connects the dots across a wide range of issues and offers what Cash calls "a progressive voice with a firm eye on justice \[that\] can carefully parse out complex issues for those of us who take pride in citizenship."

### Author Biography

**Allen Mikaelian** is a _New York Times_ bestselling author. He lives in Washington, DC.

**Donald Cohen** is the founder and executive director of In the Public Interest, an Oakland, California-based national research and policy center that studies public goods and services. His opinion pieces and articles have appeared in the _New York Times_, Reuters, _Los Angeles Times_, and the _New Republic_, among others. He lives in Los Angeles.

**Number of Pages:** 320

**Dimensions:** 1.3 x 9.1 x 6.1 IN

**Publication Date:** November 23, 2021

## Details

- **Price:** 38.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 38.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back - Hardcover

---

> Source: [Smart supply deals](https://smartsupplydeals.com/products/the-privatization-of-everything-how-the-plunder-of-public-goods-transformed-america-and-how-we-can-fight-back-hardcover)
> Updated: 2026-07-23
