Robert

Thoms Sowell's Basic Economics, Fourth Edition: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy was a greatly disappointing and annoying purchase for me. What I had hoped for was a clear and unbiased explanation of economic theory with some real world examples for clarification. What I got was a longwinded, one sided, and repetitious treatise on the superiority of unobstructed free market capitalism, using economic theory as its evidentiary platform.

There is a direct correlation between prices, supply and demand... Great! I get it. I do not wish to listen to an additional 45 minutes of questionable examples, of how minimum wage laws destroy jobs, or how rent control is the cause of homelessness in New York City. These aren't facts, they are conservative positions, demanding certain assumptions that may or may not be correct.

Nevertheless, I cannot deny that Sowell's Basic Economics is packed with information, and for this I give it two stars instead of one. Indeed if you find yourself aligned with its philosophy, you will no doubt enjoy your time with this audio book. If on the other hand you do not completely agree with the premise, or if you are one who likes to hear both sides, you may end up feeling like a participant in a brainwashing experiment, as you are inundated with endless examples of Sowell using economic theory as leverage in his argument for laissez-faire capitalism.