Summary of William Neuman's Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview:

#1 Before the crisis, there were three or four operators watching the computer screens in the central control room in Caracas that monitored the electrical grid for all of Venezuela. But on March 7, 2019, there was just one man watching the computer screens: Darwin Briceño.

#2 The control room where the operators worked was a low-budget movie set. The six operators were the only ones left working there. The country depended on them, and they felt the weight of responsibility.

#3 On March 7, 2019, power went out in Venezuela. It stayed out for five days. Millions of people went short of food and water. Banks and grocery stores couldn’t function.

#4 When Darwin returned to the control room, he found it had been about three hours since the blackout hit. He and his colleague, Carlos Sánchez, drove around the city trying to find out what was going on.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 23, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669369011

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on William Neuman's Things Are Never So Bad That They Can't Get Worse

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Before the crisis, there were three or four operators watching the computer screens in the central control room in Caracas that monitored the electrical grid for all of Venezuela. But on March 7, 2019, there was just one man watching the computer screens: Darwin Briceño.

#2

The control room where the operators worked was a low-budget movie set. The six operators were the only ones left working there. The country depended on them, and they felt the weight of responsibility.

#3

On March 7, 2019, power went out in Venezuela. It stayed out for five days. Millions of people went short of food and water. Banks and grocery stores couldn’t function.

#4

When Darwin returned to the control room, he found it had been about three hours since the blackout hit. He and his colleague, Carlos Sánchez, drove around the city trying to find out what was going on.

#5

In 1989, I watched on television as Caracas was swept by riots and looting. It was like the crushing of a dream. The riots exposed Venezuela as a hollow fantasy, with rolls of money and shopping trips abroad, while inside, there was pulverizing poverty.

#6

I spoke with Ismael García, the head of a small Venezuelan party called Podemos, in 2016. He was a typical politician: loud, impatient, and full of energy. He didn’t talk to me; he shouted at me.

#7

As a foreigner traveling in Latin America, you have to observe and match your behavior to those around you. You don’t want to be the clueless gringo barging in.

#8

I waited for more than an hour outside the house of Luis Britto García, but he never showed up. I spoke to Britto García about books and movies, and eventually steered the conversation to politics. His voice was high-pitched and distant, as if he was speaking to me from a long way off.

#9

I went to visit Luis Britto García, a supporter of Chávez, to hear his side of the story. He was blind to the state of his garden and the country, and completely deaf to the criticisms against Chávez.

#10

Blackouts threw you off balance. You had no idea when or if the power