Review

     I first became intrigued with this book on a visit to Boston in May of 2001 while browsing a bookstore on the MIT campus. As the cover price was a little steep and later attempts to convince my public library to purchase it failed, I did not get to read it until two years later when I found it at my local used book exchange. It is always satisfying to cross a book off of your "to read" list, but this book was worth reading for more reasons than that alone.

     As an often unwilling and unwitting participant in sometimes infuriating conversations surrounding economics, I enjoyed this book greatly because it offered both sides of many of the arguments I feel very passionate about. Roberts did a great job of framing the issues of charity, public versus private schools, and corporate responsibility in a fictional account of two very different people falling in love. Like his character, economics teacher Sam Gordon, Roberts seems to present many economics lessons intended to make you think in a way that is enjoyable (and hard to put down!) and also unbiased. It is this combination of factors that not only gave me several hours of enjoyment, but also leads me to believe that this book could serve as an equally excellent study tool for someone just delving into economic thought or for someone more knowledgeable who could use a refresher course in the passion and thought at the heart of the discipline of economics. For anyone who has any remote interest in the subject, this is a fictionalized account that you should not miss!

Kelly L. Bryan
Editorial Correspondent
theshortrun.com

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