Obviously, the book isn't for everybody, but it was really educational for me. How do we get to a place where S&P downgrades American government debt, and yet interest rates are as low as ever, even lower than before the downgrade? Author Krugman explains how, convincingly. Are there "shovel ready" immediate job making possibilities? Yes, just provide money to the states to rehire teachers, cops, and so on, good for at least a million jobs. Does fiscal austerity kill jobs? Yes, the IMF studied no fewer than 173 cases of fiscal austerity in advanced countries from 1978 to 2009, and found that austerity is consistently followed by higher unemployment. Does massive government spending create jobs and grow GDP? Yes, it most certainly did in WW2, very dramatically.

These are the sorts of issues explored in this timely book. If that's your cup of tea.