William

This was my first book about pure economics (vs. economic history) and I learned a tremendous amount. Skousen takes a circumspect approach to each school of thought, briefly addressing the biography of each character and then describing his ideas and their ramifications.

It's worth pointing out that book is really about the big 3 schools of thought, rather than just the central personalities of the "Big Three". Skousen addresses the primary evangelists of each school who followed the three greats as well. Overall, his coverage of the topic felt thorough as he deftly switches between history, the nuts of bolts of each theory, and the effects of each.

One word of caution, however. I expected this book to be more "Just the facts, Ma'am" as it discussed each school of thought, leaving true evaluation of the theories up to the reader. However Skousen's neo-classical bent comes through almost immediately. His opinion is well-reasoned and I found myself agreeing with it almost unanimously, but the title left me expecting something slightly different than what the book delivered, which made it a 4-star overall.

The reading didn't detract from the text. Hey, we're talking economic theory, right? How much do you expect with regards to dramatic reading?

As I think back over the over 30 books I've listened to since joining Audible, this was my first listen and is still my favorite.

Call it voyeurism, curiosity, or whatever you like, but how many times do you get to hear a story from someone who witnessed it first hand and is such a powerful storyteller? Krakauer is gritty, circumspect, and at times raw in this gripping narrative, and to hear him read it makes this a true gem in the audiobook library.

One bit of practical advice, though. While Krakauer does an excellent job of describing the climb and the disaster, as someone with no knowledge of Everest, I found that a little accompanying research on the Internet illuminated his descriptions. I have since purchased a hardback copy of the book and there are maps and photos in there that bring one more level of depth to the book, but I was able to see a lot of the same information by researching the events online.

Only my second Heinlein book, but the story was fantastic. Outstanding technical detail for the nerd in you. Grade-A science in this sci-fi novel. Short story, but still packed the underlying morality that makes sci-fi a truly powerful genre. All in all, the book has it all, good science, exciting story, and a little bit of moral brain-food as well.

The reading was fantastic as it is really more of an audio play involving multiple actors. The book is set in first-person narrative so the reading really works and all of the characters read their roles exceptionally. This book is highly recommended and one of best experiences I've had in almost 20 audible books so far.