One of the primary reasons that I picked up this book was because it was endorsed by the guy who wrote Freakonomics. That might be one of the best things that this book as going for it.
I’m sorry, but this book was a complete bore. Sure, the author made some great points about Starbucks and the burgeoning Chinese economy. And yes, he made some of the finer points of economics come to life with pertinent examples from the real world; but something was missing. I think that this missing link was simply good writing.
Tim Harford (the author) should be commended for his excellent work in making economics more tangible to those of us out there in the real world, but it wouldn’t hurt if he got a professional writer to help him along with his next book. This one was actually painful to read through – very boring sometimes and at other times you want to scream, “We got the f’ing point! Move on!”
My suggestion is that if you want to read a book about economics, you should pick up a copy of Steven Levitt’s Freakonomics. It’s just better all-around.
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