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The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance
A love story that embraces the business and economic issues of theday?The Invisible Heart takes a provocative look at business, economics, andregulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at theexclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. Hethinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He be
...morePaperback, 282 pages
Published
February 22nd 2002
by MIT Press (MA)
(first published 2001)
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How do you get teenage girls interested in economics?
Write a romance novel of course.
Just kidding. The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance by Russell Roberts is a terrific read almost impossible to put down. Sam Gordon is an economics teacher at a prestigious high school for the wealthy elite of the DC area, Laura Silver is the new literature teacher. Using their budding friendship and romance, Roberts explores various ideas and arguments in the economic world, from paychecks to e...more
Write a romance novel of course.
Just kidding. The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance by Russell Roberts is a terrific read almost impossible to put down. Sam Gordon is an economics teacher at a prestigious high school for the wealthy elite of the DC area, Laura Silver is the new literature teacher. Using their budding friendship and romance, Roberts explores various ideas and arguments in the economic world, from paychecks to e...more
The title of this book doesn't do it justice. I'm not clever enough to think of a new title, but this one isn't right. It's like a crinkled brown paper cover, hiding a treasure of a book. Russ Roberts has managed the seemingly impossible. He teaches basic economic principles through story and plot, in a page turning novel you'll find hard to put down. It has a little bit, (yet not too much) of everything- love, drama, action, and intrigue. You wont realize you're learning until you've fini...more
PASSIONATE about the free market!
SENSUAL about stir-frying!
Set in an upper class private school, this sweet treatise presents the most stereotyped of unthinking liberals as no match for the brilliant incisive yet meant to be endearing prophet of unfettered capitalism. Well -edited, it's a cleverly constructed but undisguised &simplistic intro to economics curriculum which exposes naive liberalism to the common sense of Adam Smith as if Milton Friedman were the only economist si...more
SENSUAL about stir-frying!
Set in an upper class private school, this sweet treatise presents the most stereotyped of unthinking liberals as no match for the brilliant incisive yet meant to be endearing prophet of unfettered capitalism. Well -edited, it's a cleverly constructed but undisguised &simplistic intro to economics curriculum which exposes naive liberalism to the common sense of Adam Smith as if Milton Friedman were the only economist si...more
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I have to agree with all the reviews. The Invisible Heart fails as a work of fiction. I do believe it works as an economics/philosophy book. Thinly veiled by a budding romance formed by an unlikely couple, the work is really a series of dialogues about free market economics and the values that it promotes. The discussions shows the multitude of perspectives around complex economic arguments, but convincingly demonstrates why a free market system is superior to the interventionist approaches ...more
This was required reading for my Microeconomics class in junior college. I couldn't find a copy until, maybe three days before it was due, a classmate finished his and lent it to me, which left me little time to digest it. It's pretty short though, just your basic cheesy paperback romance, without the sex, ladies. But the main character poses some interesting theories about law, society, and, of course, economics. He sees everything in a different light and has alternate solutions for some major...more
With all the grace of free market enthusiast Adam Smith, Russel Roberts' The Invisible Heart presents lessons of basic economics wrapped up neatly into a love story. While Roberts fails to convince that capitalism trumps all, the book is a clever and engaging peek into basic economics with a winsome storyline to boot.
The Plot: Set in an upper-crust neighborhood of Washington D.C., protagonists Sam Gordon and Laura Silver are both teachers in an affluent private high school. Laura, wh...more
The Plot: Set in an upper-crust neighborhood of Washington D.C., protagonists Sam Gordon and Laura Silver are both teachers in an affluent private high school. Laura, wh...more
This is a watered down version of Ayn Rand's more readable and more entertaining The Fountainhead. Before I go any further, I'd like to point out that I consider myself to be a libertarian-leaning moderate. One day, I'd like to think that I'm well-read and wise enough that I could be the bridge between Karl Marx and Milton Friedman. Until that day comes though, I'll just have to analyze things for what they are with my own, relatively neutral lens.
Which brings me to this story. As an...more
Which brings me to this story. As an...more
Great book! This came my way because it is part of the Economics course Nigel is doing. Its subtitle is "An Economic Romance", because it is about free market theory in the guise of conversation between a man and woman debating ideas. I loved the protagonist's theories and beliefs and especially appreciated the examples and illustrations he used to buttress his concepts. It was a compelling read, and I learned a lot. I know Nigel will appreciate the views presented here!
More economics than romance, but we knew that going into it. Made you really think about what your stance on capitalism versus big govt. The guy had a lot of great points, but for a romance...this guy would be SUPER annoying to date since all he does is talk about economics for pages and pages...really interesting economics, but there is another person on the date buddy! Still a great read and fast. I enjoyed it.
I read this book while taking an economics course for my MBA. This really puts into perspective the reasons why different people see things the way they do. The story follows two people who have polar opposite viewpoints about the world, but who manage to come together through mutual understanding. If you don't mind a little preachiness about economic theory, this is a great story with a lot to teach.
This was a fantastic book. I couldn't put it down therefore it got a little wet from the kids splashing in the bathtub. I gave it four stars since it doesn't get in super deep like an Ayn Rand or Plato piece of literature, but this would be a fantastic book for a high schooler or freshman college student. It does a pretty good job of using dialog to make its points, but without getting too preachy. It takes a fairly complex subject and makes it accessible.
This is a thought provoking book I think everyone should read to learn more about the economy and free enterprise. LOVED it, although it was a little like watching those cheesy safety videos at work bc there is a running dialogue between two people contemplating different sides of the economic debate citing facts and statistics. Overall, very good introductory econ 101 type book.
I had to read this book in college for my Seminar in Finance class and I really liked it. It was written clearly enough that I, a person who is not good at and does not like math, finance or economics, could really understand and even enjoy. I still rememmber many of the concepts I learned from this book and I have though about reading it again sometime soon just to refresh my memory.
I actually would highly recommend this book to everyone - what a great read! It was a fun story line, and gave some good perspectives on economic policy. Good food for thought. Jeremy read it after I was done with it (he had checked it out in the first place) and it has lead to some good discussions. Makes you appreciate agency more.
Well, I was prepared not to like this too much; I was prepared for a dumbed-down version of Ayn Rand or something. It's true, this book is not as deep or challenging as Rand, but it is just pure fun, with a lot of very good economic reasoning thrown in for good measure. I decided to pick this up because it was on a list for an economics course at a popular homeschool supply company, for possible inclusion in my son's schedule. It's a hit! Among other things, the author has PERFECTLY pegged wh...more
I loved this! It was very entertaining and educational at the same time. It teaches you about economics and issues that are pertinent today. You get a healthy dose of politics. Economics and politics and it was still very entertaining! I would recommend this to anyone.
I'm a bit of an economics junkie, so I was really looking forward to this. The economics is sound, but I doubt Russell Roberts has ever even picked up a romance, and he probably should learn how to show instead of tell before he writes any more fiction.
I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who would like a quick and entertaining lesson about the Free Market System in America. It is educational and romantic.
I've said before that the highest praise I can give any book is that it made me think. This is one such book. It is ostensibly the story of a romance that blossoms between two high school teachers, but underneath that sweet exterior it's one big lesson in economics. Sure, some of the conversations feel a bit forced in order to get the point across, but even so I found myself unable to put it down. It challenged my beliefs and made me ruminate on issues I'd never considered. I can't say I agree w...more
This book was a very enjoyable read. The author does a great job of explaining free-market economics in a way that anyone can understand and even enjoy.
I highly recommend it.
I highly recommend it.
Shirley Freeman
added it
A bit hokey but I enjoyed it. Lots to think about -- cost/benefits, freedom of choice, supply/demand/price, unintended consequences etc. etc. Pretty clever.
Good weaving of a defense of capitalism with a romance between high school English and Economics teachers. Perfect for my Econ Book List.
I picked this book up as a joke after we just finished reprinting it. I was pleasently surprised. It has more of an agenda than your average novel, but it was presented in an intelligent and witty way so that the lessons learned were enjoyable as well as didactic.
I had to read it for my macroeconomocs class and i just wasnt feeling it... Maybe it was economics idk..
Witty and fun, this book is a great read. The economic reasoning is of a high quality although it is not very challenging, which is the point I suppose.
I finished reading this book on election day. It was a great reminder that people who see the world differently in terms of politics and economic philosophy can still love each other. This book is an economics lesson first and a romance novel second. The back cover describes it as "delightfully didactic." The author's intent is to teach the reader to think like an economist, but he makes the lesson more palatable by couching it in terms of a love story. This book helped me think ...more
Both sides of the left/right debate on freedom and economics in a fictional love story.
Not a fabulously written book, but a very interesting lesson in free market economics. Even though I don't agree with the main character most of the time, the arguments for government deregulation are presented in an intelligent, persuasive manner with strong examples that apply to daily life. It's obvious that the romance plot is really just a coathanger to drape basic economic arguments on, but this book makes microeconomics entertaining and accessible. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants a q...more
I would not have called this book a romance at all. It was a wonderfully written book exporing two sides of many of todays social issues.....economic issues and political issues.........how involved is too involved when it comes to government help etc......the romance if you could call it that seemed such a minor part of the story in comparision to the many issues the two main characters discussed and argued about. A great book...truely makes you think.........
This book was required reading for Jeff's Economics class. I was very surprised how interesting it was! I thought I'd be bored silly. It was clean, and very informative! I had many "eye-opening" experiences as I learned more about the economy and politics in general. And to top it off, the author even through in a love story! I highly recommend it - especially with it being an election year - very thought provoking. I now am sure which way I am voting.
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Russell Roberts is a professor of economics at George Mason University. He blogs at www.cafehayek.com.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
More about Russell Roberts...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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