Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse

“22 Books to Look Forward to in 2022”–Newsweek

“This shocking, definitive account of Venezuela’s crumbling is driven by deep reporting, startling data and most of all, stunning humanity. Neuman draws on profound interviews he conducted and his deep knowledge of the country and its history to starkly detail how the country got to where it is today.” –Newsweek

“How did a country that Christopher Columbus described as paradise on earth, a country with more oil than Saudi Arabia, descend into a Hobbesian nightmare? Let William Neuman tell you. Things Are Never So Bad That They Can’t Get Worse is a timely, heartbreaking story of ruinous mismanagement, economic implosion and political cynicism (not least in Donald Trump’s Washington).”
–Bill Keller, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, founding editor in chief of The Marshall Project, and former executive editor of The New York Times

“A deeply reported, lyrically written portrait of a nation in freefall. Neuman chronicles Venezuela’s surreal descent from tragi-comic dysfunction to catastrophe with authority, wit and above all compassion. Anyone who wants to understand how a country with the world’s biggest oil reserves fell into the void should read this book.”
–Rory Carroll, author of Comandante: Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela

“William Neuman’s beautifully written, incisive, and often heart-rending account must be required reading for anyone who wants to understand our neighbor to the South.”
–Mary Jo McConahay, author of The Tango War

“Journalist Neuman presents a jaunty, intimate look at the recent (and ongoing) implosion of Venezuelan society that emphasizes the perils of the petrostate and the human cost of endemic corruption.” – Booklist

“As the Caracas-based Andes bureau chief for the New York Times from 2012 to 2016, Neuman is well qualified to recount the South American nation’s precipitous decline. … The author delivers the best kind of journalism, combining powerful facts and pointed observation, as he moves from one alarming event to the next, bringing into the spotlight countless Venezuelans who have little hope for the future. A heartbreaking yet authoritative, necessary look at a ruined nation.” –Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“Journalist Neuman debuts with a heartbreaking and deeply reported account of the ongoing crisis in Venezuela. … Through lyrical prose, in-depth interviews, and lucid discussions of political and economic matters, Neuman makes the scale of Venezuela’s tragedy clear. Readers will be riveted and appalled.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Neuman, who lived in Caracas for years, writes lyrically and uses in-depth interviews and reflections to put individual faces to Venezuela’s dissolving bonds of fellowship. … A riveting personal exploration of Venezuela’s slow-moving collapse.” –Library Journal

William Neuman is an author and journalist who reported for The New York Times for over 15 years. He served as the Times Andes Region Bureau Chief from 2012 to 2016 while based in Caracas, Venezuela. He previously reported for the New York Post, and his work has also been featured by CNBC, NBC News, Folha de S.Paulo, Jornal Extra, The Sydney Morning Herald, and La Nación, among others. He began his journalism career while living in Mexico, and has published English translations of several Spanish-language novels.

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