Economics, the not so Dismal Subject
Violet Forney
Naked Economics
By Charles Wheelan
To those who don’t understand it, economics can be an extremely tedious subject. Is it a science, or does it involve complex math? Why can’t I keep my eyes open when another person attempts to explain this mystery to me? Naked Economics answers these questions while relating the topics you learn about to real-world issues. Instead of boring the reader with overly complex vocabulary, Wheelan teaches the basic concepts of economics in a practical yet humorous way. He uses examples that will make a reader laugh out loud while they learn about important economic ideas which include the following: how markets work, human capital, financial markets, the use of incentives and disincentives, economic indicators, and many more. This book proves that learning about a subject like economics can be enlightening while simultaneously being enjoyable. Wheelan shows the reader how important an understanding of this science can be by explaining how prevalent its concepts are in the real world.
When I first saw this book on the shelf, I brought it to the register thinking that I was buying a sleep aid of sorts: a book that I could pick up late at night read two words of then effortlessly pass out from boredom. However, the first night I started reading I couldn’t stop. For a subject I expected to be so tiresome, this book brought economics to life in a way that kept me up late into the night.
Naked Economics
By Charles Wheelan
To those who don’t understand it, economics can be an extremely tedious subject. Is it a science, or does it involve complex math? Why can’t I keep my eyes open when another person attempts to explain this mystery to me? Naked Economics answers these questions while relating the topics you learn about to real-world issues. Instead of boring the reader with overly complex vocabulary, Wheelan teaches the basic concepts of economics in a practical yet humorous way. He uses examples that will make a reader laugh out loud while they learn about important economic ideas which include the following: how markets work, human capital, financial markets, the use of incentives and disincentives, economic indicators, and many more. This book proves that learning about a subject like economics can be enlightening while simultaneously being enjoyable. Wheelan shows the reader how important an understanding of this science can be by explaining how prevalent its concepts are in the real world.
When I first saw this book on the shelf, I brought it to the register thinking that I was buying a sleep aid of sorts: a book that I could pick up late at night read two words of then effortlessly pass out from boredom. However, the first night I started reading I couldn’t stop. For a subject I expected to be so tiresome, this book brought economics to life in a way that kept me up late into the night.
Throughout the text, Wheelan provided intelligent commentary on real-world issues that I was passionate about: “Global warming is one of the most difficult international challenges in large part because firms that emit large amounts of greenhouse gases pay only a small share of the costs associated with those emissions”(58). This explanation showed how the subject I was learning about related to my own life. Why would a person want to invest time into learning something new if it had no relation to the outside world? He uses these current issues to demonstrate the ideas of economics in a way that allows the reader to understand how valuable of a subject it is. Even as I read about the differences between command and market economies, the author’s clever one-liners made my stomach hurt from laughter. Just as I started to think about putting the book down, I read a random joke involving Steven King and shoplifting: “When you bought this book, you implicitly decided not to spend that money somewhere else. (Even if you shoplifted the book, you could have stuffed a Steven King novel in your jacket instead, which is flattering in its own kind of way)”(10). The author’s entertaining tangents made me want to keep reading. He was able to make learning about a dull subject enjoyable and funny. The humor also made the book seem less formal, an important aspect of any book attempting to appeal to a general audience.
Reading Naked Economics felt like the furthest thing a person could do from reading a college textbook while still learning about the material inside one. This book is not the kind that intimidates certain people; the complex topics Wheelan writes about are made more understandable by his humor. Instead of utilizing the vocabulary of a Harvard professor, he simplified explanations of how problems could be solved with economics. This encourages the reader to consider other applications of these ideas. Learning about this subject isn’t useful if it is unclear how one can apply it to solve a problem. The best thing about this book was that the author doesn’t just explain the subject of economics, he describes ways in which it can be used to resolve issues in the modern world. While discussing the ever decreasing numbers of black rhinos in Africa, Wheelan writes, “But economics also offers at least some insight into how the black rhino and other endangered species can be saved. An effective conservation strategy must properly align the incentives of the people who live in or near the black rhino’s natural habitat. Translation: Give local people some reason to want the animals alive rather than dead”(32). Understanding how to apply the information I learned showed me that it was worth reading about. With non-fiction books, the reader can learn about whatever they want to. The subject of economics connects to almost every transaction in the world. But, the value in learning about economics is that one can take their knowledge and not just understand what it means, but use it to solve a problem.
Naked Economics is essential for any reader who wants to gain a better understanding of why the world functions in the way it does. Charles Wheelan makes learning about the most relevant ideas in economics inexplicably entertaining. The book does, however, use some complicated terminology that a younger audience may not understand. As an older, non-fiction lover I very much enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I would strongly recommend this book to any reader who finds pleasure in learning new things and is old enough to understand somewhat complicated subjects.
Reading Naked Economics felt like the furthest thing a person could do from reading a college textbook while still learning about the material inside one. This book is not the kind that intimidates certain people; the complex topics Wheelan writes about are made more understandable by his humor. Instead of utilizing the vocabulary of a Harvard professor, he simplified explanations of how problems could be solved with economics. This encourages the reader to consider other applications of these ideas. Learning about this subject isn’t useful if it is unclear how one can apply it to solve a problem. The best thing about this book was that the author doesn’t just explain the subject of economics, he describes ways in which it can be used to resolve issues in the modern world. While discussing the ever decreasing numbers of black rhinos in Africa, Wheelan writes, “But economics also offers at least some insight into how the black rhino and other endangered species can be saved. An effective conservation strategy must properly align the incentives of the people who live in or near the black rhino’s natural habitat. Translation: Give local people some reason to want the animals alive rather than dead”(32). Understanding how to apply the information I learned showed me that it was worth reading about. With non-fiction books, the reader can learn about whatever they want to. The subject of economics connects to almost every transaction in the world. But, the value in learning about economics is that one can take their knowledge and not just understand what it means, but use it to solve a problem.
Naked Economics is essential for any reader who wants to gain a better understanding of why the world functions in the way it does. Charles Wheelan makes learning about the most relevant ideas in economics inexplicably entertaining. The book does, however, use some complicated terminology that a younger audience may not understand. As an older, non-fiction lover I very much enjoyed this book and learned a lot from it. I would strongly recommend this book to any reader who finds pleasure in learning new things and is old enough to understand somewhat complicated subjects.
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