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The Thomas Sowell Reader
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: History, Americas
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excellent book.
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Summary
These selections from the many writings of Thomas Sowell over a period of half a century cover social, economic, cultural, legal, educational, and political issues. The sources range from Dr. Sowell’s letters, books, newspaper columns, and articles in both scholarly journals and popular magazines. The topics range from latetalking children to tax cuts for the rich, baseball, race, war, the role of judges, medical care, and the rhetoric of politicians. These topics are dealt with by drawing sometimes on history, sometimes on economics, and sometimes on a sense of humor.
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What listeners say about The Thomas Sowell Reader
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Elspeth
- 05-09-19
Grateful.
I have read this book twice and I will read it again and again and again until I memorize it
Thank you Thomas Sowell
2 people found this helpful
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Insightful, wise and brutal
While I don’t agree with everything Mr Sowell advocates or believes (gun control policy for instance) he is very succinct in arguing his case. There is some anecdotal repetition but overall I really enjoyed it especially the way he brutally dismantles left wing interventionist and racial policies. Considering this was written in 2011 it seems we have learned nothing from his insights and society could do with a revisiting his writing.
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- Bill Atkinson
- 27-01-22
A brief introduction to the man’s thinking
My first exposure to Thomas Sowell and one I have shared with others. I’m my 7th decade it rings so true and makes me despair
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- Jon P
- 01-01-22
a great selection of Thomas Sowell's works
this is a great book that touches in different aspects of Sowell's work. if you're interested in multiple topics that he discusses and writes about this is a great start.
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- Aaron Ison
- 08-11-21
Absolutely first class.
Everything Thomas Sowell says or writes is insightful, analytical and true. In this excellent book a pile of leftist shibboleths are debunked, especially regarding the topic of education. Sowell has no time for leftist dogmas and is scathing about their impact in both America and Britain. Conservatives need these arguments in their armoury and leftists need to explain themselves. This book should be compulsory reading in all schools and colleges .
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- James Guest
- 02-03-21
5 stars is not enough
Would give it 10 stars if I could. Thomas perfectly encapsulates the woke madness which plagues the modern age, but he saw it coming decades ago.
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- May
- 08-12-20
I feel like Solomon
Thomas sowell is a man of wisdom great wisdom and I appreciate the 10 hours of wisdom great wisdom that was outlined in this audiobook.
I would suggest anyone wanting to get into politics or economics or psychology should mandatorily need to read this book within the academic studies.
I cannot recommend this highly enough
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- Tommy
- 19-06-19
A wonderful introduction to Sowell
Thomas Sowell's wisdom and common sense are without parallel. This anthology of his short newspaper columns interspersed with longer, more reflective pieces is a wonderful introduction to his writings.
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- SiLondon
- 03-08-17
Yet more enjoyable brilliance from Sowell.
Love his books and this neat little collection is no exception. if you've never read him before, this book would be a good introduction.
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- Terje
- 07-07-13
Reality and the Intellectual are opposites.
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Very informative about so much, which is not really what it looks like on the surface, as defined by the Statist. The "do goder" leads to negative consequences for those the Statist tries to help.
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- Susannah
- 04-03-12
Brilliant thinker!
What did you love best about The Thomas Sowell Reader?
I loved the way Robertson Dean reads this just like he completely comprehends it all. Thomas Sowell is genius with a side of chips! He's very witty, too. I'm listening to this collection of articles and essays for the second time!
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
The logic behind the thinking process is very compelling. When I listened to it the first time I kept saying,
What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?
He actually reads this very much the way I could hear Thomas Sowell read it.
If you could give The Thomas Sowell Reader a new subtitle, what would it be?
Logical Thinking for and Increasingly Illogical World.
Any additional comments?
I just bought one of his audio books on economics! Does that make me a nerd? I don't care!
22 people found this helpful
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- Dave
- 20-10-11
The Best Book By The Smartest Guy in the Room
I've read a lot of Thomas Sowell's writing, and I found this to be the most interesting yet. It's full of pithy, intelligent shorts on a variety of subjects, but they are all unified by the clarity of his thinking. I've always found Sowell to be compelling, but this particular book actually changed my views on a couple of issues. If you already know and like Sowell, this is a great addition. If you've never read his work, this is a great place to start.
57 people found this helpful
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- Antoine
- 10-11-11
Thomas Sowell does it again!
I hate to raciallize a review, but that is what I am going to do. I am an African American listener. Once upon a time I would have called myself a Democrat, at this point I am more moderate on many of my beliefs. This book which is a collection of Mr. Sowell's writings, challenged me to rethink the way I think. Thomas Sowell challenges me to rethink the way I think. In the long run I believe it has made me a better citizen. I would recommend this book for any of my friends. I would love to iconoclast Thomas Sowell and Cornell West. They are polar opposites when it comes to there politics, but not when it comes to their genius.
39 people found this helpful
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- Ann
- 08-05-18
A Must Read
A great book to start with for anyone unfamiliar with Thomas Sowell. It covers everything from personal anecdotes, to his views on economics, education, civil rights, the justice system, identity politics, right up to current events like SJWs, BLM and the state of American politics today.
Sowell has a clear and easy to understand style of writing and this in turn translates beautifully into the spoken word with a brilliant reading by Robertson Dean. Whether you plan to listen for a longer stint or you only have five or ten minutes to spare each chapter is a stand alone essay, so either way you’ll come away more knowledgeable about the way things get done (or not done) in America today.
7 people found this helpful
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- Bella
- 06-02-12
Eye opening.
What did you love best about The Thomas Sowell Reader?
It contains so much information that, after reading it, one feels so much knowledgeable about a myriad of topics.
What did you like best about this story?
It stimulates the desire on the reader to research further most subjects presented.
What about Robertson Dean’s performance did you like?
I enjoyed his voice and his clear pronunciation of words.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No. I listened to this book on my long runs, when I could give it my full concentration. I loved it.
Any additional comments?
I love this book. I have already more books, from the same author, ready to be listened to.
14 people found this helpful
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- Lee Doty (Nerd. Kindle author. Nerd!!)
- 10-09-12
The best truths are those put plainly
If you could sum up The Thomas Sowell Reader in three words, what would they be?
deep simple true
Who was your favorite character and why?
Thomas Sowell
His brief autobiography was like the rest of his writing. Concise, interesting, full of deeper insights.
What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?
The book has something like a hundred one-line quotables. I've probably use four already in discussions on facebook.
Too many to mention. The entire "random thoughts" chapter was pure gold.
Any additional comments?
I'm looking forward to my next Sowell purchase.
His unique life has led to a unique wisdom, and fortunately he's got both the talent and inclination to share.
13 people found this helpful
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- em
- 24-04-18
Sowell so good
Thomas Sowell is one of the most brilliant mind of our time. His books should be taught in every schools!
5 people found this helpful
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- BERT J ANZINI III
- 29-01-18
Great sampling of a great modern day philosopher
The variety was wonderful and the points made salient. Easy to listen to and such complex concepts explained in simplicity.
5 people found this helpful
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- David
- 01-04-17
The antidote to fuzzy, well-meaning thinking
Thomas Sowell thinks and speaks clearly. This is a lost art. His primary talent is demonstrating that certain important questions are often skipped over as we evaluate the world around us. He asks those important questions and arrives at unexpected answers.
For instance, it's customary to survey companies before and after implementation of minimum wage laws to demonstrate that they've fared tolerably. However, companies that have failed during the transition are not surveyed. Sowell points out that, by that logic, Russian Roulette could be shown to be a perfectly safe recreational activity. He has a similar view on the "safety" of minimum wage laws.
Not an essay goes by that doesn't make me gasp with a mixture of delight, surprise, and horror that I never thought of that before.
5 people found this helpful
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- Larry
- 23-11-17
Great Book!! Amazing!!!
Thomas Sowell is a genius I have been. heavily influenced by his knowledge I have. his books are amazing. Buy this book.
4 people found this helpful