HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

Loading...

The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance

by Russell Roberts

Other authors: See the other authors section.

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1646167,897 (3.35)3
A lively, unorthodox look at economics, business, and public policy told in the form of a novel. A love story that embraces the business and economic issues of the day? The Invisible Heart takes a provocative look at business, economics, and regulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at the exclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. He thinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He believes that success in business is a virtue. He believes that our humanity flourishes under economic freedom. Laura prefers Wordsworth to the Wall Street Journal. Where Sam sees victors, she sees victims. She wants the government to protect consumers and workers from the excesses of Sam's beloved marketplace. While Sam and Laura argue about how to make the world a better place, a parallel story unfolds across town. Erica Baldwin, the crusading head of a government watchdog agency, tries to bring Charles Krauss, a ruthless CEO, to justice. How are these two dramas connected? Why is Sam under threat of dismissal? Will Erica Baldwin find the evidence she needs? Can Laura love a man with an Adam Smith poster on his wall? The answers in The Invisible Heart give the reader a richer appreciation for how business and the marketplace transform our lives.… (more)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 3 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
This is pretty ambitious, and while it didn’t completely succeed, that it was attempted at all competently makes it a good book. Basically, it is a “nicer” or “better” form of an Ayn Rand book — a romance novel (so, aimed at young women?) with a free market/libertarian economics message at core. There are some areas where it was a bit heavy handed (Rand-esque) with extended monologues about economics, and some bad guys who were caricatures. However, it is still interesting. ( )
  octal | Jan 1, 2021 |
I loved this book! It was very captivating and it brings economics to life AND I was very sorry that it had to end!

This was one of those books, that when I am reading it, I feel like I am wasting too much time, in the sense that I can kill two bird with one stone by reading it out loud to my family. And that way, I know all will have heard the story. So I started to read it to them before I finished the book because I couldn't wait. ( )
  Plumfieldcirca1868 | Feb 9, 2013 |
Under the thin facade of a love story, Roberts through the lead character sets out the stall for capitalism. Kinda like an accessible, readable and very much shorter Ayn Rand. Definitely worth read, especially for anyone starting out in economics. ( )
  jvgravy | Nov 11, 2011 |
I was thoroughly charmed by "The Invisible Heart," though I wasn't particularly expecting to be. While my economic sympathies are firmly in line with those of Russ Roberts and his hero, an economics teacher, an earlier experience reading Roberts's "The Choice" had left me feeling reluctant to deal with his prose again.

"The Invisible Heart," though, triumphantly address the numerous literary failings of "The Choice" while retaining the excellent economics lessons. This kind of pedagogical/didactic fiction is "damned hard writing" and can make for even harder reading. No one wants to pick up a novel and feel preached at--and a novel written for the express purpose of teaching a lesson cannot help but make the reader feel that way from time to time. But Roberts, here, does it elegantly and well, with a sense of humor and some lovely passages of writing.

And, as an English professor, I felt that he conveyed perfectly the way that we feel about poetry--and the way that we hope to make others feel about it as well.

As several friends have pointed out to me, I've been long overdue on reading this book. I'm sorry to have waited so long. It's a good solid read. Not great literature, but great economics, and a good solid piece of fiction to hold it all together. ( )
1 vote sskwire | Mar 14, 2011 |
This was a book assigned in a module I was editing at the time. I thought it sounded interesting, so I read it. It really did cause me to think about my views on economics. ( )
  carka | Jul 25, 2010 |
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (1 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Russell Robertsprimary authorall editionscalculated
Heyborne, KirbyNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
Dedication
First words
Quotations
Last words
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (1)

A lively, unorthodox look at economics, business, and public policy told in the form of a novel. A love story that embraces the business and economic issues of the day? The Invisible Heart takes a provocative look at business, economics, and regulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at the exclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. He thinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He believes that success in business is a virtue. He believes that our humanity flourishes under economic freedom. Laura prefers Wordsworth to the Wall Street Journal. Where Sam sees victors, she sees victims. She wants the government to protect consumers and workers from the excesses of Sam's beloved marketplace. While Sam and Laura argue about how to make the world a better place, a parallel story unfolds across town. Erica Baldwin, the crusading head of a government watchdog agency, tries to bring Charles Krauss, a ruthless CEO, to justice. How are these two dramas connected? Why is Sam under threat of dismissal? Will Erica Baldwin find the evidence she needs? Can Laura love a man with an Adam Smith poster on his wall? The answers in The Invisible Heart give the reader a richer appreciation for how business and the marketplace transform our lives.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.35)
0.5
1 1
1.5 1
2 4
2.5 1
3 4
3.5 1
4 13
4.5
5 2

Is this you?

Become a LibraryThing Author.

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 206,438,895 books! | Top bar: Always visible