Andrew Yang's 2018 book The War on Normal People is an interesting book. Released as a way for Yang to deliver his central campaign policies, Yang discusses things like technology change, automation, the economy (and jobs), and one of his core campaign policies: Universal Basic Income (UBI), which he rebrands as "The Freedom Dividend." In the book, he lays out his plan for UBI: each American over the age of 18 would receive $1,000 per month. He says that this would be paid for by a 10% Value Added Tax on all goods and services (it would also replace most -- if not all -- welfare programs, thereby lowering the cost of the program). Above all, though, this is a campaign book. It details Yang's plans for the country should he be elected President of the United States.
Upon release, the book received solid, albeit unspectacular reviews. Most reviewers said that the book was well-written; however, a number of reviews (some which include notable economists) criticized some of Yang's ideas, most particularly his thoughts on UBI. Emily Witt of The New Yorker liked the book and said that "Yang's arguments for his policies [are] empirical rather than sentimental." However, Harvard Economist Edward Glaeser criticized Yang's thoughts on UBI, saying that "[a] future in which two-thirds of America lives off UBI is a true horror."
