Product Description

One of conservatism's most articulate voices dissects today's most important economic, racial, political, education, legal, and social issues, sharing his entertaining and thought-provoking insights on a wide range of contentious subjects. "This book contains an abundance of wisdom on a large number of economic issues." - Mises Review

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #607248 in Books
• Published on: 2002-09
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 321 pages

Customer Reviews

Black Economist and White Liberals
CONTROVERSIAL ESSAYS
by Thomas Sowell

This is a collection of articles by the famed economist Thomas Sowell, only the majority of the texts aren't about economics. Rather they're about racial, political, educational, legal and social issues. I would say that they are controversial not because of the positions taken, but from the short and to the point fashion that they are delivered without regard for political correctness. The final chapter is made up of aphorisms and soundbites which are even more "short and the the point" than the essays.

If you're familiar with Sowell, then you can probably predict what most of his thoughts would be on these subjects. Of course he is against minimum wage laws, for example, and has written several huge books that are filled with statistics and footnotes supporting his position. But his gift is that he is able to make his point in a brief and direct manner as well. Indeed few of the essays in this book are over three pages long. If you've never read any Sowell before, this book would be a great crash course.

Sowell takes on everything from antitrust laws to Major League Baseball to telemarketers. He is known for being a staunch free market advocate and socially conservative on several issues, putting him at odds with some of his more libertarian readers. Nevertheless there is a lot to enjoy here for the limited government enthusiast. I'd say that the overall thrust of the book is against a collectivist mentality which Sowell views as being pervasive in modern America. Highlights include "Reparations for Slavery?", "perennial economic fallacies", "Access to Responsibility", "Lying Statistics", "Do Facts Matter Part II", "Racial Profiling of Authors" and "Barry and the Babe". "Sweeping Success Under the Rug" is a great look at the achievements of black Americans who worked hard and became financially independent during tumultuous times, but are unheard of in Black History programs. Many of these articles are available at Jewish World Review and Townhall.

There are a few things I disagree with here. One that comes to mind is "Law on Trial", Sowell's assessment of the Amadou Diallo shooting which he terms a "tragedy of errors". One specific mistake that Sowell makes is in the article titled "Loving Enemies". On page 111, Sowell states that David Koresh led his followers to their death. In fact the ATF escalated their rhetoric when Koresh was most likely to compromise, as detailed in From the Ashes, edited by James R. Lewis. Also, the federal government out and out lied to the Davidians about their lethal actions during the course of the standoff, making it especially difficult to trust the terms of their negotiations. You can hear the phone conversations yourself in the Oscar-nominated documentary Waco: the Rules of Engagement. Saying that Koresh "led" them to a situation where they would be lied to and shot at is like saying that a law abiding pedestrian crossing the street was "led to his death" by a drunk driver. Of course, the standoff incident isn't even the focal point of the essay in question.

This is a worthwhile book that makes a lot of good points. I would recommend this book to someone looking for a "light reading" Sowell book. Even if you disagree with his positions, you will probably still get something out of this book.

Throughout the chapters, Sowell recommends a few books, including:
India Unbound by Gurcharan Das
Losing the Race by James McWhorter
More Guns, Less Crime by John Lott
Hot Talk Cold Science by Dr. S. Fred Singer
No Excuses Samuel Casey Carter
The War Against Boys by Christina Hoff Sommers
Left Behind by Diane Ravitch
Life at the Bottom by Theodore Dalrymple
Coloring the News by William McGowan

This book continues in the themes of Sowell's earlier newspaper article collections:
1981 - Pink and Brown People and Other Controversial Essays
1987 - Compassion versus guilt, and other essays
1993 - Is Reality Optional?: And Other Essays
1999 - Barbarians Inside the Gates: And Other Controversial Essays

The next book in this "series" would be:
2006 - Ever Wonder Why? And Other Controversial Essays

Fantastic
Sowell's ability to explain things clearly and logically will cause many people to rethink their positions on many societal issues. He is a brilliant guy, this book is a must for rethinking social issues. Anything by him is a great read.....

OUTSTANDING BOOK
I believe Thomas Sowell is the best current OP-ED writer. His columns are consistently outstanding. As a black man and one who grew up in Harlem, he can make some of the candid comments needed on race without the "racist" protests from Yo-Yos like Jesse Jackson & Al Sharpton. His sage economic and political observations are excellent. I have several of his books, and am now "gifting" them to my children and grandchildren.