Michael

Mischaracterization of cultures.
Author seems to be buried in right wing spin, and has not yet questioned it.
Austerity budgets lead to Much Lower Economic growth.

Black Swan is the Masterpiece by Taleb.
This book is a massive "Reversion toward the Mean".
A Total And Utter Tour de Force of Horseshit, on a massive list of subject's Taleb is utterly incompetent, holding neophyte status in.

Too many times, the vast majority of times Taleb enters subject areas assuming incompetence in the field based in his limited knowledge of the field, from diet to diabetes. Nassim assumes incompetence he may have read from the editorial pages of the WSJ, but not the actual journals of the subjects he discusses.

Just one example, on the one hand he ridicules the NY 20 oz soda ban, no the other he assumes dietitians and pediatricians don't know the dangers of juices and sodas.

He attacks "liberal" economists who generally agree with his proposals, as if Stiglitz doesn't know "Agency" problems, and hasn't railed against them, as Taleb himself has.

This book is a massive attack on "Straw Men", things that aren't true and no one believes.
At Total Waste of your Time and Money.

if you wish to read Taleb, competent in his subject matter, buy Black Swan.

The reading was very good, with good voices for the main characters.
The story is interesting, but, there are some slow sections of long pointless detail about landscape.