Product Description

Updated for the millennium, the latest version of "the best and . . . least solemn guide to the dismal science you are likely soon to encounter" (John Kenneth Galbraith). Revised and expanded with the most recent data, The Ultimate Field Guide to the U.S. Economy is an all-new edition of the classic primer on American economics that Noam Chomsky has called "an invaluable resource" and Juliet Schor has called "essential." As in the past, this highly illustrated guide brings key policy issues to life, reflecting the collective wit and wisdom of the best economic literacy activists in the country. Ten chapters tell you what you need to know about owners, workers, women, people of color, welfare and education, government spending, health, environment, macroeconomics, and the global economy. A glossary and conceptual tool kit help make sense of the facts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1319875 in Books
• Published on: 2000
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Library Journal
The authors, who are affiliated with the Center for Popular Economics at Amherst, state at the outset that "this book compiles useful information for non-economists (as well as students and teachers) who want to know more about the U.S. economy." Even more reader-friendly than the previous versions, this edition combines easy-to-read charts, graphs, and statistical compilations with short, pithy explanations and cartoons to make each section understandable. The explanation of how interest rates work is especially illuminating. The text, broken into ten chapters with headings like "Owners," "Workers," and "Macroeconomics," offers a wealth of statistical data. Unfortunately, the sources are all at the back, forcing the reader to flip back and forth. Still, this is a small quibble for such a helpful primer. Highly recommended for all school libraries (elementary through college) and public libraries.
-Richard S. Drezen, Washington Post News Research Ctr., Washington, DC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Business Week
Fair, informative, and enjoyable to browse.

Los Angeles Times
Both more interesting and more disturbing than it sounds.

Customer Reviews

Economists openly taking a stand! GREAT!
"Economics" in the US is usually code for "why 'free enterprise' is better than the tooth fairy." I get sick of so-called economists and many other social scientists telling us that being "objective" is somehow possible and desirable. Whenever someone in the U.S. says they are being "objective" about a subjective subject like economics - they really mean they are for the dominant capitalist status quo. This book makes no bones about being critical and NON-objective - and its refreshing and much needed. I teach high school economics and I can't get kids to put this book down. It may not be scholarly work - but it makes important HUMAN issues graphically clear in its pages. Every American should read this book. Excellent stuff. Bravo!

Just the Most Telling Facts
Readers seeking an introduction to capitalistic theory and its relationship to the U.S. economy can find better works elsewhere. This book doesn't purport to provide that kind of analysis.

But if readers want a book that provides facts on how capitalism effects individuals in the U.S. across a variety of racial, gender and class lines, then it is hard to imagine a better book than this one. The book is an easy read, but it is by no means simplistic. It is easy because capitalism isn't nearly as successful at providing a fair and equitable standard of living as is commonly held. The book proves that point quite well. Readers might be surprised to discover facts in this book about the U.S. economy that they've never read before. It's a real eye-opener.

My econ professor has always told me to...
My econ professor consistently instructs us to approach the topic of economics from an objective standpoint. This is the most slanted economics text I have ever read. No way people actually use this book in a classroom setting! I got through half of the book before I had to toss it out because it totally distorts the rational economic theories that I have learned throughout college. I am neither liberal or conservative, but a realist who understands enough about economic history to know that there is more than the one-sided arguments that are presented here.