FATE OF THE STATES The New Geography of American Prosperity

The author, who is CEO of her own investment firm, argues that the center of the U.S., as opposed to the coasts, remains largely untouched by the housing crisis and that those states' economies will drive a national recovery. Jo Anna Perrin's flat monotone does little to enliven the barrage of facts in this book. Myriad financial trade abbreviations and acronyms, undefined and unexplained, do little to frame the underlying argument or convince the listener of its validity. Several instances of poor phrasing in both the writing and the reading are noticeable. This lackluster performance--all facts, no feelings--will likely not even serve financial industry insiders and its countless analytic commentators. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2013]