ARLINGTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Comeback: How Innovation Will Restore the American Dream (Beaufort Books) by Gary Shapiro debuted at No. 7 on the New York Times Bestseller List during its inaugural release week, the paper announced yesterday. Released on January 10, The Comeback has also been a bestseller at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com, and it has been on the Publishers Weekly, USA Today Money, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post bestsellers lists.
The Comeback debuted during the 2011 International CES, the world’s largest technology trade show, with more than 140,000 attendees. Speaking at the show on January 7, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski acknowledged The Comeback’s availability as an ebook and called this year’s CES “one of the most elaborate book-launch parties in American history.”
In The Comeback, first time author, and President and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® Gary Shapiro outlines how the federal government has lost its way, and, in a critique of Washington, provides readers a blueprint to restore the American dream.
“It is an honor to make the New York Times bestseller list, but I believe this achievement reflects that Americans are frustrated with our economic situation and are hungry for decisive action,” says Shapiro. “My hope is that the positive feedback from readers and reviewers on the need for a national strategic plan and specific ideas presented in The Comeback will translate into action and an innovation-focused national agenda.”
As Shapiro explains, throughout its history America’s innovators and entrepreneurs have been the drivers of America’s economic success. Innovation creates jobs, markets and new industries where none existed before. Most important, innovation moves the country forward, pushing Americans to succeed and strive for a better future.
By returning innovation to its rightful place at the center of America’s economic policy, Shapiro shows that there is hope for America’s economic future, but it will require sacrifice and strategic thinking. In particular, some of the tough policy choices Shapiro says U.S. lawmakers must pursue include:
- Reforming our immigration laws to ensure that the world’s best and brightest come to and stay in America.
- Opening American products to world markets by concluding free-trade agreements.
- Obtaining spectrum for wireless broadband.
- Reducing litigation, encouraging investment rather than debt, improving education and supporting America’s best companies.
- Drastically reducing the deficit through triage, smarter tax collection and economic growth.
Shapiro has spent 30 years at the forefront of America’s most innovative industry, witnessing firsthand the most exciting, groundbreaking innovations the world has ever known. His time in the Washington trenches, fighting for our nation’s innovators, has shown him that when America leads in innovation, America – and the world – moves forward. All proceeds from The Comeback go to CEA.
The Comeback is a clarion call to the present generation that the America we know, that our parents and grandparents sacrificed for, is courting disaster. It provides both a disturbing analysis of the state and depth of America’s current decline, and a hope that from the economy’s collapse we have a chance to engineer a true American comeback that reasserts America’s hegemony in the world. It starts with innovation. From the preface by innovator Mark Cuban to the ending letter to Shapiro’s unborn son, the book presents innovation and policy intertwined in a readable and compelling format.
High Praise for The Comeback
“Informative, sobering, and at times frustrating, The Comeback is
that rare breed of book that actually delivers on what it promises: A
way forward.”
– Steve Forbes, President and CEO of
Forbes and Editor-in-Chief of Forbes Magazine
“By working together in public/private partnerships, we all can deliver
on the compelling vision Gary Shapiro details for innovation and
economic growth based on creating the products people really want and
value.”
– Alan Mulally, CEO, Ford Motor Company
“Our nation is facing a major crossroad and we need a new strategy to
excite our people. Throughout his career, Shapiro has always understood
the role of innovation in business; he is right that we can only
preserve the American Dream by doing what we do best – doing things
better.”
– Ivan Seidenberg, Chairman and CEO, Verizon
Communications
“We cannot afford to allow our nation to fall further behind in the race
to create innovation and save our American Dream. Gary offers a gripping
story that is a road map to American success.”
– Congressman
Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman, House Government Oversight and Reform
Committee
“The Comeback is exactly the kind of forward-thinking economic
strategy that America lacks right now. This should be required reading
for everyone in Washington. What Shapiro has done is deliver an honest,
tough assessment of the nation’s precarious economic situation. You
won’t agree with every solution he offers, but we ignore his advice to
our peril.”
– Grover Norquist, President,
Americans for Tax Reform
About the Author
Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), the U.S. trade association for more than 2,000 consumer electronics companies. CEA owns the International CES, the world’s largest annual technology trade show. Shapiro has led the technology industry through seismic shifts, including the transition from analog to digital television, and the move to wireless, personal computers and the Internet. He has received many awards including the Pinnacle Award, the exhibition industry’s highest award, and was recognized repeatedly as one of the 100 most influential people in Washington by Washington Life magazine. A graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center, he is married to Dr. Susan Malinowski, and commutes each week between Virginia and Michigan.
About the Book
Release Date: January 6, 2011
Publisher: Beaufort Books
Price:
$24.95 Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-8253-0562-7
About CEA:
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $186 billion U.S. consumer electronics industry. More than 2,000 companies enjoy the benefits of CEA membership, including legislative advocacy, market research, technical training and education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – The Global Stage for Innovation. All profits from CES are reinvested into CEA’s industry services. Find CEA online at www.CE.org.
UPCOMING EVENTS
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CEA Economic Retreat
March 1-4, 2011, Snowmass Village, CO
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CES on the Hill/Digital Patriots Dinner
May 10-11, 2011, Washington, DC
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CEA Line Shows
June 2011, New York, NY
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CEO Summit and Board Retreat
October 1-3, 2011, Stresa, Lake Maggiore, Italy
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CEA Industry Forum
October 2011 -
CES New York Press Preview featuring CES Unveiled @ NY
November 2011, New York, NY