Professional football players, corporate tobacco advertisers, volatile gasoline prices, and the Cold War all share an undetected commonality—each is an intrinsic part of economics. Though not obvious to the naked eye, each entity shares a pattern with the others. This book helps to shed light on these mutual characteristics. It is an extensive compilation of theories interpreted using supportive examples.
Economics is an
enthralling science that encompasses our actions, thoughts, and
emotional rationality every day in the unconscious. This book dissects
economic theory into bite-size, entertaining snippets that anyone can
understand and apply to their daily routines. It is a compelling
depiction of history, business, pop culture, and social movements
intertwined with relevant economic trends. Economics is part of daily
life, and this book challenges readers to question how and why people
make decisions by adding a simple twist on normalcy.
Kersten L. Kelly is a self-published
author of narrative non-fiction and semi-fiction books. She grew up in
Munster, Indiana, and currently works in a sales role based out of
Chicago, Illinois. She started writing at an early age and graduated
from Indiana University with a dual Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and
Communication & Culture. She then went on to earn a Master’s in
Business Administration from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana
University. She has a passion for learning, teaching, and writing as
well as international travel in her spare time. This book is her first
piece of published work.
My Review:
Pros: I'm not a big fan of nonfiction, but this book was educational and rather entertaining. As a student of psychology, there were a few chapters and theories that I had heard of before (like the Prisoner's Dillema) but hadn't applied to anything other than psychology. Having these theories applied to economics was a new way of thinking for me and kept me reading.
Likewise, Kersten uses plenty of real world examples such as getting gas, football games, cigarettes and medication that will be relevant to the reader. Very unlike a textbook, this book is full of theories that are then applied to the real world, and I think that is what kept me going as well as something that will keep the reader turning the pages.
Cons: This, being a nonfiction book, didn't keep me up at night. It was fun to read, but I didn't get excited whenever I turned on my kindle to read. Most fiction books will have me reading at starbucks until the sun moves enough for me to be no longer in the shade and leaving with a sunburn. This was not such a book. If this book were a national holiday, I'd rank it to be that long weekend you get off of school for Columbus day, whereas Pawn Of Mine was a lot closer to thanksgiving or Christmas.
Writing style: It was simple and easy to understand, but not boring. Everything was explained thoroughly enough that I have a working understanding, but at the same time I don't think I'd like to be tested on what I learned. Mostly, understand, because I loathe tests. If I were to get a pop quiz on economics, after reading this book I may get at least a passing grade--anywhere from 78-85%
correct answers.
Format: Kindle--no problems with the words, but with the kindle app on my iPod I did have to zoom in for the graphs.
Overall Rating: 3/5 (For someone interested in economics, I'd say it would be a bit higher.)
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