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Travel is broadening 2010-04-12

Reviewer: misterbeets

And it helps you understand that economics cannot be divorced from culture. Equal parts entertaining, due to the author's encounters at the far ends of the earth, and educational, as he explains how conditions developed there as a consequence of cultural forces meeting economic theories.

Started off alright, went downhill fast toward the end. 2010-03-16

Reviewer: Ryan J. Melena

A muddled, myopic, and relatively juvenile interpretation of economics. Eat the Rich presents a simplistic and rosy picture of Libertarian and laissez-faire ideas without delving into even the most obvious and well documented negatives of those systems (ie, negative externalities). The somewhat gushing praise of free markets and Friedman-esque oversimplification of Adam Smith presented by O'Rourke seem all the more silly in the light of our recent economic crisis. Read How Markets Fail for a much more interesting, intelligent, and in-depth analysis of unfettered free markets.

Hilarious, and informative 2010-01-02

Reviewer: S. Springer

This book could not be funnier. COULD NOT BE FUNNIER.

And, to top that off, you can (or at least, dear reader, I did) learn a ton between the tears of laughter.

I have tried previously in the course of my professional life to learn a little economics here and there, but more has stuck with me from this book than from all my prior efforts. I believe you will have the same response, whether you are liberal, conservative, or whatever -- (he really doesn't have that much of a prejudice one way or another in this book, or at least he loses it as the book progresses). Not to be missed.

Make them laugh and they'll listen 2009-09-26

Reviewer: Eugene A Jewett

This is a book about what makes some countries rich and what condemns others to poverty. PJ O'Rourke spends a couple of years traveling around the globe assessing capitalism and socialism. It could almost be about what made western civilization thrive, what made other countries poor, and what has made socialism a loser over time - which we know becomes a complete loss when you run out of other peoples money or you run out of expensive oil which industrialized companies in the west need.

O'Rourke goes to Wall Street (good capitalism,) Albania (bad Cap'ism,) Sweden (good socialism,) and Cuba (bad socialism,) followed by Tanzinia (how to make nothing from everything,) and to Hong Kong (how to make everything from nothing. He caps it off by going to Shanghai where he writes about "how to have the worst of both worlds." And he's very funny while doing it; probably the funniest writer around. He'll have you in stitches as you actually learn something. I don't know how he comes up with so many brilliant one-liners, but it's uncanny and seemingly never ending. He combines that comedic bent with a facile and knowledgeable mind; he really knows what he's talking about. A course should be adapted to every high school curriculum with nothing, but O'Rourke's books as reading material. Dull students would pay more attention and smart ones would develop greater curiosity while enhancing their collective world views.

It's hard to think of a better way to learn.

Eat The Rich 2009-09-14

Reviewer: Marta Insua

Reading it again after 11 years, I still find it truly enlightening on the elusive economic matters. Funny as well, as expected, and very insightful and free of the usual ethnocentrism.