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Economics In Wonderland: Robert Reich's Cartoon Guide To A Political World
Cartoon essays by the champion of liberal values, and one of Time’s “Ten Most Effective Cabinet Secretaries of the Twentieth Century.” Anyone who watches the former U.S. Secretary of Labor and The Daily Show and CNBC commentator's podcast, viewed on his Inequality Media website, has seen Reich's informal lectures on student debt, social security, and gerrymandering, which he accompanies by quickly drawing cartoons to illustrate his major points. Collected here, for the first time, are short essays, edited from his presentations, and Reich's clean-line, confident illustrations, created with a large sketchpad and magic marker. Economics in Wonderland clearly explains the consequences of the disastrous policies of global austerity with humor, insight, passion, and warmth, all of which are on vivid display in words and pictures. Black & white illustrations with some color.
120 pages, Hardcover
First published November 7, 2017
19 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Robert B. Reich
58 books1,282 followersRobert Bernard Reich is an American politician, academic, and political commentator. He served as Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. Reich is a former Harvard University professor and the former Maurice B. Hexter Professor of Social and Economic Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. He is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy. Mr. Reich is also on the board of directors of Tutor.com. He is a trustee of the Economists for Peace and Security. He is an occasional political commentator, notably on Hardball with Chris Matthews, This Week with George Stephanopoulos and CNBC's Kudlow & Company.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
April 13, 2018
He is pretty much preaching to the choir with me, but I didn't enjoy it and skimmed most of it. I'd prefer this information in longer essay format. For some people this might be the right format, though.
The subtitle "Cartoon guide to..." was misleading. It is more a set of very short essays with cartoons. It is not a guide in the form of cartoons. You could completely remove the cartoons and it would still make sense, but you couldn't do the reverse.
The subtitle "Cartoon guide to..." was misleading. It is more a set of very short essays with cartoons. It is not a guide in the form of cartoons. You could completely remove the cartoons and it would still make sense, but you couldn't do the reverse.
March 18, 2020
I enjoy watching the author illustrate his talks on videos. In this book, though, I actually found the illustrations to be of no use. I just read the text and ignored the illustrations. The text is excellent by itself, for understanding progressive causes related to economics!
July 22, 2023
A bit dated -- but sadly, not dated enough.
May 26, 2018
A very quick introduction to a more compassionate capitalism and economics.
I'm a big fan of Robert Reich, but this seemed like a distilled version of his Netflix documentary "Saving Capitalism." The first few sections were more interesting, and informative, to me than the last sections. The last section in particular, Trumponomics, was mostly preaching to the choir (of which I am a member), so I didn't feel like I was learning anything.
A few interesting items gleaned (which I'm sure more substantive economists will be able to disagree with. Bear in mind, these are mostly simplified explanations):
- the fed has two purposes: prevent inflation, and keep borrowing power high, thus increasing bank's and companies' abilities to borrow money. The more money they can borrow, the more people can invest in the economy, and keep it running and growing, with shorter interest rates. Once the inflation begins to set in, one way to prevent inflation is to raise interest rates. The Fed, per Reich, is at a constant debate about which is needed more: borrowing ability or preventing inflation. This is an honest and legitimate debate, and Reich does not begrudge anyone their viewpoints. He just thinks we don't need to raise interest rates as often as we do.
- The effect of import and export taxes.
- Historical examples of what happened in the past when we decreased corporate tax rates to encourage companies to invest in America. Other countries, in response, lowered their already low tax rates to keep companies from leaving.
- His solution on companies incorporating internationally and keeping their profits as foreign profits: it's fine if they want to do that, but since they are then recognized as a foreign country, they don't get to donate to American political system.
- The repeated statements that Texas' economy boomed by lowering its taxes, luring more jobs and companies to the state. This did work while there was an oil boom, but Texas did not diversify its economy. I knew about Kansas and Louisiana's economies tanking after they drastically cut taxes, but I always believed Texas was an outlier. California and Minnesota's state economies improved with raising taxes.
Most of the figures, reports, and data in the book are not provided to back up his assertions. Knowing Reich's stature and intelligence, I believe he can provide these, and that all of his statements are backed up by fact. It would be good if there were endnotes providing where the information was pulled from. Most readers would not seek these out, but some (including newbs and aspiring wonks like me) would.
A good primer for socioeconomic reform and how to improve our corrupted governmental system to make it work for more people. Nothing groundbreaking, and also mostly preaching to the choir.
Still recommended.
I'm a big fan of Robert Reich, but this seemed like a distilled version of his Netflix documentary "Saving Capitalism." The first few sections were more interesting, and informative, to me than the last sections. The last section in particular, Trumponomics, was mostly preaching to the choir (of which I am a member), so I didn't feel like I was learning anything.
A few interesting items gleaned (which I'm sure more substantive economists will be able to disagree with. Bear in mind, these are mostly simplified explanations):
- the fed has two purposes: prevent inflation, and keep borrowing power high, thus increasing bank's and companies' abilities to borrow money. The more money they can borrow, the more people can invest in the economy, and keep it running and growing, with shorter interest rates. Once the inflation begins to set in, one way to prevent inflation is to raise interest rates. The Fed, per Reich, is at a constant debate about which is needed more: borrowing ability or preventing inflation. This is an honest and legitimate debate, and Reich does not begrudge anyone their viewpoints. He just thinks we don't need to raise interest rates as often as we do.
- The effect of import and export taxes.
- Historical examples of what happened in the past when we decreased corporate tax rates to encourage companies to invest in America. Other countries, in response, lowered their already low tax rates to keep companies from leaving.
- His solution on companies incorporating internationally and keeping their profits as foreign profits: it's fine if they want to do that, but since they are then recognized as a foreign country, they don't get to donate to American political system.
- The repeated statements that Texas' economy boomed by lowering its taxes, luring more jobs and companies to the state. This did work while there was an oil boom, but Texas did not diversify its economy. I knew about Kansas and Louisiana's economies tanking after they drastically cut taxes, but I always believed Texas was an outlier. California and Minnesota's state economies improved with raising taxes.
Most of the figures, reports, and data in the book are not provided to back up his assertions. Knowing Reich's stature and intelligence, I believe he can provide these, and that all of his statements are backed up by fact. It would be good if there were endnotes providing where the information was pulled from. Most readers would not seek these out, but some (including newbs and aspiring wonks like me) would.
A good primer for socioeconomic reform and how to improve our corrupted governmental system to make it work for more people. Nothing groundbreaking, and also mostly preaching to the choir.
Still recommended.
November 27, 2017
I’m a fan of Robert Reich. He’s not just a world-class economist, but also a decent man and an independent thinker. And he does not answer to anyone.
Much as I am ideologically firmly to his right, I’m an even bigger admirer of his books that I am of the man himself. I thought “Saving Capitalism” was unbelievably persuasive, for example, because it laid out very clearly the case for why the choice between government and free markets is fake: the two need each other. I did not much care for the “solutions” discussed in that book, but I challenge anybody to show me a book from my side of the argument that addresses the basic premises as well.
And these days Reich also does podcasts, which I find to be tremendous, and very well judged in terms of getting the amount of detail just right. Enough so, that I can overlook the fact that they tend to be a bit too political.
So I’m disappointed to report that “Economics in Wonderland” fails to clear that last hurdle: by dint of skimping on the necessary analysis (example: on p.7 the crucial role of government in shaping markets is only discussed in bullet points in the cartoon, rather than in the text) it’s more of a cram sheet of soundbites to blurt out if you are about to appear on TV.
In fact, it kind of took me back to my youth, growing up in Greece. My communist youth friends and relatives were the butt of endless jokes, because all their “spontaneous” chants were first blurted out by the organizers and then mindlessly repeated by the enraptured crowd, infamously (but not at all apocryphally) often starting with “once for the loudspeaker, three times for us,” often chanted in earnest by the mindless followers.
Now, there’s TONS here that’s screamingly right. And kudos to Bob Reich for making some extremely unpopular points, like for example against the middle-class tax deductions for employer-provided healthcare, mortgage interest and retirement income. You don’t gain much from pointing out truths your readers (for it’s us, the bourgeois, who read his books) will find unpalatable. It’s just that there’s almost zero motivation provided for all these pronouncements, which may as well be prejudices.
In short: there’s no economics here. And when you make economic claims without spelling out the economics, you’re merely doing politics.
At least he properly craps on Trump. That bit was real fun.
Much as I am ideologically firmly to his right, I’m an even bigger admirer of his books that I am of the man himself. I thought “Saving Capitalism” was unbelievably persuasive, for example, because it laid out very clearly the case for why the choice between government and free markets is fake: the two need each other. I did not much care for the “solutions” discussed in that book, but I challenge anybody to show me a book from my side of the argument that addresses the basic premises as well.
And these days Reich also does podcasts, which I find to be tremendous, and very well judged in terms of getting the amount of detail just right. Enough so, that I can overlook the fact that they tend to be a bit too political.
So I’m disappointed to report that “Economics in Wonderland” fails to clear that last hurdle: by dint of skimping on the necessary analysis (example: on p.7 the crucial role of government in shaping markets is only discussed in bullet points in the cartoon, rather than in the text) it’s more of a cram sheet of soundbites to blurt out if you are about to appear on TV.
In fact, it kind of took me back to my youth, growing up in Greece. My communist youth friends and relatives were the butt of endless jokes, because all their “spontaneous” chants were first blurted out by the organizers and then mindlessly repeated by the enraptured crowd, infamously (but not at all apocryphally) often starting with “once for the loudspeaker, three times for us,” often chanted in earnest by the mindless followers.
Now, there’s TONS here that’s screamingly right. And kudos to Bob Reich for making some extremely unpopular points, like for example against the middle-class tax deductions for employer-provided healthcare, mortgage interest and retirement income. You don’t gain much from pointing out truths your readers (for it’s us, the bourgeois, who read his books) will find unpalatable. It’s just that there’s almost zero motivation provided for all these pronouncements, which may as well be prejudices.
In short: there’s no economics here. And when you make economic claims without spelling out the economics, you’re merely doing politics.
At least he properly craps on Trump. That bit was real fun.
January 21, 2018
A quick and easy read in which Reich covers (essentially in bullet point-type fashion) the disastrous policies imposed by the current administration, the strong leaning toward tyranny by the current President and the extremely wealthy who strong arm our government and shape policies that only creates a widening divide between them and the poor and fading middle class, as well as other prevailing issues we face. The author does this using cartoons to supplement the text and humor to lighten the subject matter. And yes, this is more a politicized book that a straightforward view of Economics and I'm okay with that. It needs the political slant because the current state of politics our government and its polices consistently threaten the middle and lower class while the rich accumulate more and more wealth. The points he hits on are daunting, relevant issues that we are facing as a nation. Ultimately the author reminds us that united Americans can use their voices by demonstrating, voting and volunteering to make sure that our nation is geared toward pay equality, raising the minimum wage, assuring that we keep unions to protect the American worker and eliminate tax cuts on the rich, which do not work. These are but a few of the issues that Reich presents the reader and its worth the read. I sat down and read it this morning and now intend on buying a copy for myself (the current copy I borrowed from the library). For anyone disillusioned with the disaster in the Oval Office, wanting clear, simple and intelligent responses to the nonsensical arguments made by Trump supporters or wanting a basic guide of what we, as citizens, need to unite and focus on for this year in the midterms, in 2020 for the next Presidential election, as well as the future of our great nation, Reich's comical but relevant guide can serve as a simple light to start you on your way. To supplement the basics he uses for the book, I recommend adding more research and data to back up his assertions when debating those who stubbornly refuse to admit the faults of our current leader and in our economic policies. While this administration refutes facts, the truth is factual information will always be the only way we move forward.
August 29, 2018
Short version: I didn't bother to read after skimming and finding I knew and agreed with all of this. Reading this would make me feel angry, hopeless, exasperated, and despondent of my faith in my fellow man. Wake me when people are willing to fight and die. Really fight. Really die. Really "KILL" no wait, I mean MURDER! Everything else is useless talk.
Long Version: Wake me when people are no longer willing to try to change the system by playing by the rules of the people who benefit from the system and it's continuation. People who wrote the rules, so people (everyday) couldn't challenge the rules. We can't beat a rigged system, as our Donald might say, by playing by their rules. Donald is correct, we have a "rigged system". Just rigged in the opposite way he and the powerful claim.
Wake me when were finally ready to rebel and just stop listening to the disingenuous lies, stop trying to get along, trying to find common ground, etc. You can't get along with people who are not interested. Stop trying to change things by using the same crap that didn't work before, and just French Revolution already.
Example:
I just read something on the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. How all this great and good change happened. Because good people played by the rules, got them changed, and dolphins and rainbows. Except it didn't really change did it? Let me ask you 1 thing. Did anyone go to jail? Did anyone pay a non lip-service type of penalty? A penalty of significance? Haven't all the beneficial changes been eroded over time and replaced by the right words and policies, but essentially the rich went right back to business as usual? They threw us a bone and we forgot we were starving. Were still starving. As for the safety changes of the fire reform? Safety is my profession. I can tell you for certain, nothing REAL has changed. Apply this example to economic policy and there we are. Eventually Ghandi and MLK won, or did they? Really ask yourself that question.
Long Version: Wake me when people are no longer willing to try to change the system by playing by the rules of the people who benefit from the system and it's continuation. People who wrote the rules, so people (everyday) couldn't challenge the rules. We can't beat a rigged system, as our Donald might say, by playing by their rules. Donald is correct, we have a "rigged system". Just rigged in the opposite way he and the powerful claim.
Wake me when were finally ready to rebel and just stop listening to the disingenuous lies, stop trying to get along, trying to find common ground, etc. You can't get along with people who are not interested. Stop trying to change things by using the same crap that didn't work before, and just French Revolution already.
Example:
I just read something on the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. How all this great and good change happened. Because good people played by the rules, got them changed, and dolphins and rainbows. Except it didn't really change did it? Let me ask you 1 thing. Did anyone go to jail? Did anyone pay a non lip-service type of penalty? A penalty of significance? Haven't all the beneficial changes been eroded over time and replaced by the right words and policies, but essentially the rich went right back to business as usual? They threw us a bone and we forgot we were starving. Were still starving. As for the safety changes of the fire reform? Safety is my profession. I can tell you for certain, nothing REAL has changed. Apply this example to economic policy and there we are. Eventually Ghandi and MLK won, or did they? Really ask yourself that question.
December 23, 2017
This book is an easy read. Lots of cartoons by Robert Reich and brief witty explanations about current economic situations in the US. Nothing very in depth so it may lack some detail. But it does give a good overview of the economic conditions and the political viewpoints. Robert Reich is a former Clinton Administration Secretary of Labor and has a Democratic viewpoint about these conditions. So, you should be open-minded to reading his viewpoints to enjoy it and the cartoons. I thought it was a good book highlighting many of my concerns. And it is a quick read.
March 11, 2018
I agree with most of Reich's ideas, but the format of the book was weird. Each section had a page or two of text, followed by a drawing that illustrated that same text. I understand the original source for these is videos that he does, drawing while talking, which makes a lot of sense! But it doesn't translate to book form very well.
Also, the sections are short, which keeps things moving but means there isn't space for much discussion. Still, if you're interested in economics and politics, it's worth a read!
Also, the sections are short, which keeps things moving but means there isn't space for much discussion. Still, if you're interested in economics and politics, it's worth a read!
March 18, 2020
I agree with everything in the book, but not much I didn’t know. Doesn’t go into detail and some questions left unaddressed. The cartoons are not helpful at communicating the information they are more like notes. I hadn’t heard of the idea to tax trading on Wall st. I like that idea. Could slow dow speculation, raise revenue, and make a market more fair to small investors.
What I learned: the word “media” comes from “intermediate” as in from the powerful to the public or the informed to the ignorant.
What I learned: the word “media” comes from “intermediate” as in from the powerful to the public or the informed to the ignorant.
February 27, 2019
Informative enjoyable easy read
I am constantly reminded that economics studies require understanding of conflicting theories. This book puts government spending theories in an understandable format within the framework of the Trump administration. We can all benefit from this perspective.
I am constantly reminded that economics studies require understanding of conflicting theories. This book puts government spending theories in an understandable format within the framework of the Trump administration. We can all benefit from this perspective.
March 13, 2018
Clear and concise explanation of economics under Trump and the present conservative incarnation along with a cry for action.
April 12, 2018
Quick easy way to brush up on a lot of the inner workings of our current economy and political systems in the USA.
February 21, 2019
Good illustrations of current political scenario
August 12, 2018
I'll echo what some of the other reviewers wrote and say that the cartoons just didn't really add anything. The text has clear (if very brief) policy outlines or economic explanations. However, the cartoons are parasitical to and entirely derivative from the text. If the text has 6 major reasons to support X, then the "cartoon" is just those 6 reasons regurgitated in a few terse words, with doodles of workers or capitalists or children around it. I think having "cartoons" that are centered around words rather than, you know, an actual cartoon misses the point of the genre. Moreover, the cartoons serve no purpose - they do not tell an independent story, there are no characters or scenes or even actions, they can not be understood without the text, and they do not interact with the text in any way. I was excited by the concept and disappointed by the output - I think the book space would have been better utilized if Robert Reich had just replaced his drawings with more thorough explanations or content.
December 18, 2017
Cute idea, but I stopped reading when he suggested removing tax deductions from healthcare, because the majority of healthcare recipients are "wealthy." THAT MAKES NO SENSE. Approximately 30% of employer-provided healthcare recipients are below the Federal Poverty level and you want their healthcare to be TAXED?!? You know what that accomplishes? It pushes those households into higher, more tax-burdened brackets. A household of three earning less than $20,000 per year, who is receiving healthcare valued at $10,000 per year (conservative numbers here), easily knocks the household out of eligibility for benefits, increases their tax-liability, and reduces their economic worth considerably, with absolutely no return on that cost. I've heard of this author, but based on this one argument, he is a heartless, close-minded idiot and not worthy of any more of my time.
December 30, 2019
The comics were redundant and sometimes confusing. It left me wanting economic models. (Who would have thought that would ever come out of my mouth?) There was an overwhelming lack of sources, and a complete lack of evidential support. It’s as if Reich is perpetually scared of an infinite regression argument so he offers no justification for his arguments. I’m left asking “why?” a thousand times like a toddler with no answers better than “because I said so.”
April 29, 2020
Fun, short little book on economics. I’m not sure the cartoons added a whole lot (just repeated what was written) but they were fun to look and made reading about economics a bit easier for me.
One of the last lines in the book (published in 2017): “So there you have it - the 10 steps that must all take place to impeach the president. It may come in handy.” WHY, YES, that DID come in handy!
One of the last lines in the book (published in 2017): “So there you have it - the 10 steps that must all take place to impeach the president. It may come in handy.” WHY, YES, that DID come in handy!
June 14, 2024
Politics and economics explained via cartoons. It feels dated since it was written during Trump's first presidential campaign but the ideas are still relevant. One of Reich's concerns in the growing economic inequality in America.
November 8, 2025
Robert Reich is hugely influential in how I see the world. the way he breaks down big economic systems/ideologies and their consequences in such a simple yet impactful way deserves a reward in my book.
September 7, 2020
This is a great overview into economic issues and how they play out today. Very digestible, leaves me wanting to know more - which I think is the point !
July 29, 2021
It was a short book. At times it feels a bit like political propaganda to me. It wasn’t informative enough throughout, but it is a cartoon guide so I shouldn’t have expected much.
September 27, 2021
This should be required reading for anyone who aspires to be a politician.
August 11, 2024
The images did help me digest the information, but they were still summaries with lots of words. This was written in 2017, so it is fascinating to see the idea to maybe impeach the former president. Fascinating info, and it is good to stay informed.
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December 29, 2020This is an easy and short introduction to progressive/social-democratic economic beliefs, in the U.S. that is.
So much of the information has went out of date, because it was written at the start of the Trump presidency: discussions on what Trump “may do”, criticisms of Rand Paul, and the explanation of impeachment are all largely irrelevant now. Also, there is an underlying message under ever essay that social democratic policy would be beneficial to individuals economically, which I believe takes focus from the morality of them. I would recommend this to someone with very little economic knowledge or understanding of center-left policy, as each essay is very easy and the whole book took me about an hour to read. I will say, personally I found a lot of hidden gem facts outside of the ideas I already understood.
So much of the information has went out of date, because it was written at the start of the Trump presidency: discussions on what Trump “may do”, criticisms of Rand Paul, and the explanation of impeachment are all largely irrelevant now. Also, there is an underlying message under ever essay that social democratic policy would be beneficial to individuals economically, which I believe takes focus from the morality of them. I would recommend this to someone with very little economic knowledge or understanding of center-left policy, as each essay is very easy and the whole book took me about an hour to read. I will say, personally I found a lot of hidden gem facts outside of the ideas I already understood.
Read
August 16, 2018Good but not what I was expecting. I was thinking something more along the Larry Gonick explain a complicated subject well and with cartoons. Instead the illustrations were more like editorials next to paragraphs.
I mean, preaching to the choir, I agree with it, but I found nothing new here either. I was hoping a little more for something that would explain how the economy functions or have more tips on handling personal finance to cope with the screwed up economic situation.
I mean, preaching to the choir, I agree with it, but I found nothing new here either. I was hoping a little more for something that would explain how the economy functions or have more tips on handling personal finance to cope with the screwed up economic situation.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews