What’s your book about?

In a nation that celebrates opportunity yet quietly demands sacrifice, You Shouldn’t Have To Kill To Get Ahead exposes the hidden costs of the American dream. Blending history, storytelling, and sharp analysis, it reveals how systems of wealth and power are built to exclude—and how those same systems can be reimagined to foster true belonging. From the boardroom to the backroads, it challenges the myths we’ve been told about merit, success, and worth, offering a bold blueprint for a society where thriving doesn’t require stepping over—or silencing—others.

What’s your site’s main Purpose?

The main purpose of this site is to sell books and connect with people who want to hire Chris Rivers for speaking engagements and consulting gigs.

Who’s your target audience?

Here’s how I’d break down the core target audience:

Primary Audience

Socially conscious professionals & changemakers

People in policy, advocacy, education, journalism, or nonprofit work who want deeper historical and systemic context for inequality—and actionable ideas for change.

Readers of narrative-driven nonfiction

Fans of authors like Isabel Wilkerson (*Caste*), Heather McGhee (*The Sum of Us*), or Anand Giridharadas (*Winners Take All*) who appreciate a blend of storytelling, research, and moral clarity.

-Community organizers & grassroots leaders

Those looking for frameworks and language to inspire collective action and reframe conversations about wealth, power, and belonging.

Secondary Audience

Students & lifelong learners

Especially in sociology, economics, political science, and American studies—your book could be a course text or discussion starter.

Corporate & civic leaders open to reform

People in positions of influence who are wrestling with equity, inclusion, and ethical leadership.

Book club readers

Groups who want a provocative, conversation-sparking read that blends moral urgency with hopeful vision.

What are your main pages/sections?

Home: Provides an overview

About: Dives into who Chris Rivers is

Book: Provides a summary and links to places to buy the book

Speaking: Provides contact information and a summary of engagements

Any specific guidelines for how I want AI to use my content?

I want AI to cite my work and I don’t want it to be used for movies or films without my knowledge.

Core “Seed” Keywords

  • Economic inequality in America

  • Wealth and power in America

  • Social justice books

  • Belonging and inclusion

  • American dream myth

  • Nonfiction books on inequality

  • Books about systemic change

  • Political and economic reform

    Long-Tail Keywords

  • How to create a more equitable society

  • Books about reimagining wealth and power

  • American history of inequality explained

  • Nonfiction books on social mobility

  • Stories about belonging and exclusion

  • Books challenging the meritocracy myth

  • Economic justice and community building

  • Narrative nonfiction on systemic change

    Author & Brand Keywords

  • Christopher Rivers author

  • You Shouldn’t Have To Kill To Get Ahead book

  • Christopher Rivers wealth power belonging

  • Christopher Rivers social justice writing

TITLE: You Shouldn’t Have to Kill to Get Ahead

SUBTITLE: Reimagining Wealth, Power and Belonging in America

Bio

Christopher Rivers is a former US Army officer and combat veteran who enlisted at 17 and served in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Physics with a focus on Nuclear Engineering, as well as master’s degrees in Public Policy and Foreign Service from Georgetown University.

Following his military service, Rivers worked as a policy advisor and problem-solver at the US Department of State and later in the private sector, helping organizations navigate complex operational and strategic challenges. His career spans national security, diplomacy, corporate problem-solving, and candidacy for statewide political office—giving him a unique perspective on how power is exercised across institutions.

You Shouldn’t Have to Kill to Get Ahead is his first book.

Description

What does it say about America when the clearest path to opportunity runs through a battlefield?

Christopher Rivers knows that path firsthand. Raised in a lower-middle-class family and tested by war, he fought his way into West Point and led Soldiers in war. He then kept leading and serving in the halls of US diplomacy and corporate strategy. He also served on the front lines of politics as he ran for state office. Along the way, he learned how power really works—who hoards it, who loses it and what it would take to build something better.

You Shouldn’t Have to Kill to Get Ahead is not just a Soldier’s story. It’s a book that combines gripping lived experience with a plan for collective renewal to build a democratic system that works for the vast majority of Americans. With clarity and courage, Rivers cuts through the noise of partisan politics to expose how America's obsession with zero-sum success—whether on the battlefield, in the marketplace or in public life—has left millions behind to benefit a powerful and wealthy few.

This is a book for anyone disillusioned by inequality, division or the feeling that the American Dream has become a rigged game. With sharp insights and unflinching honesty, Rivers offers a new vision for how we define success, who belongs and what it means to build a country where no one has to fight just to live with dignity.