The Original is a Classic

What would have made Wealth and Poverty better?

I am disappointed in this new edition. The degrees of logic and social commentary in this edition is disappointingly poor. I highly recommend you skip this addition and seek out an original edition. Read that with a mind toward the time period and environment it was written. The genius of Gilder is not his ability to defend supply side economics. His genius is identifying the secondary social externalities both good and bad of government policy.

6 people found this helpful

Great listen for any American

What made the experience of listening to Wealth and Poverty the most enjoyable?

Grover Gardner the narrator has a very fluent and yet distinctive voice that is very comforting to listen to..

What other book might you compare Wealth and Poverty to and why?

The Price of Inequality by Joseph Sliglitz

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The downsizing and the collapse of America

Any additional comments?

Very knowledgeable and powerful.

3 people found this helpful

Profound insights into economics and creativity

Well researched and thought-provoking. Creativity, not regulation and planning, is essential to progress. People need challenges, not guarantees, to excel.

2 people found this helpful

Wonderfully Insightful and Articulate

Clearly spells out immutable principals and supports them in a coherantly logical way.

Reader speaks clearly with good pace and intonation.

1 person found this helpful

The glorification of Capitalism :\

This author over glorifies the capitalistic system in the US. The point of view in the book mainly caters to Anglo-Saxon males that believe that there is a consistent opportunity for the acquisition of wealth. There are some truthful statistical findings of wealth and poverty, but the author uses it to direct his ideals of what constitutes the positive progression of wealth. There are too many red hearings and argumentative problems with some of the chapters.

My biggest problem with the book is the cause of poverty in African American communities and immigrant communities. The author lightly goes over the challenges of discrimination, but completely overlooks the institutional racism that has kept communities of color from obtaining wealth! And how the author used statistical findings that communities of color have lower IQs and lower wills to work which makes it hard to get out of poverty, and completely overlooks how his argument that individuals need faith in the future yet ignores that colored individuals have these problems. These points are evident in books such as 'The Color of Law,' or 'Evicted'.

This book should definitely stay in the 20th century and should be seen as what the wealthy class in the 20th century have recognized wealth and poverty. Otherwise, it is behind in times.

The chapters in the audiobook don't match the book.

1 person found this helpful

This book bears witnesses to the economic reality.

From my Scottish ancestry who owned shops, stores and factories to my own personal 30 years of retail business in the US. This book bears witness to the truth thay we have had to live by. Hearing these economic truths so eloquently presented was an absolute delight to my soul.

1 person found this helpful

George Gilder's thesis is spot on.

Every politician and every high school senior should be tested on the content of this book. It's the best book on the way the world works since "The Way the World Works". The narrator does an excellent job as well as each word is enunciated clearly and with inflection.

1 person found this helpful

Great Information Broad Perspective On The Economy

I like the book. Mr. Gilder has a commanding understanding of both the art and science of how economies rise, fall and work and makes clear the difference between capitalism in its purest sense and the "friction" caused by politics, religion and plain old human nature. It's positive on the future. The language in the book is a little archaic as Mr. Gilder tries to emulate the prose of the past. It would be great to see this book written with a more modern linguistic style. Also, the book would be more powerful without the bias of the author's strong perspective on God, feminism and races. In fact, all of the economic and capitalist theory and workings could be explained well without these topics being discussed in the point blank, unapologetic manner expressed in the book and would make this author's views on capitalism as a roadmap to the future more accepted by a much broader audience.

1 person found this helpful

This was awlful

Just a stack of phrases!! Not sure what this was supposed be at all. Awlful

Phenomenal Masterpiece

George Gilder leaves no stone unturned. Timeless lessons through history and facts. Brilliant a must read!