The Economics and Politics of Race

by Thomas Sowell

A study of racism in America and throughout the world challenges liberal views on prejudice, affirmative action, and segregation and argues that discrimination is not a cause of economic poverty

Genres: Economics, Politics, Nonfiction, Race, History, Sociology, Philosophy

324 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Thomas Sowell is an American economist, social philosopher, and political commentator. He is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. With widely published commentary and books—and as a guest on TV and radio—he became a well-known voice in the American conservative movement as a prominent black conservative. He was a recipient of the National Humanities Medal from President George W. Bush in 2002.
Sowell was born in Gastonia, North Carolina and grew up in Harlem, New York City. Due to poverty and difficulties at home, he dropped out of Stuyvesant High School and worked various odd jobs, eventually serving in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. Afterward, he took night classes at Howard University and then attended Harvard University, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1958. He earned a master's degree in economics from Columbia University the next year and a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago in 1968. In his academic career, he held professorships at Cornell University, Brandeis University, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He has also worked at think tanks including the Urban Institute. Since 1977, he has worked at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where he is the Rose and Milton Friedman Senior Fellow on Public Policy.
Sowell was an important figure to the conservative movement during the Reagan era, influencing fellow economist Walter E. Williams and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. He was offered a position as Federal Trade Commissioner in the Ford administration, and was considered for posts including U.S. Secretary of Education in the Reagan administration, but declined both times.
Sowell is the author of more than 45 books (including revised and new editions) on a variety of subjects including politics, economics, education and race, and he has been a syndicated columnist in more than 150 newspapers. His views are described as conservative, especially on social issues; libertarian, especially on economics; or libertarian-conservative. He has said he may be best labeled as a libertarian, though he disagrees with the "libertarian movement" on some issues, such as national defense.

Reviews

[Christopher Reid · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Sowell book I've had the pleasure of reading is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned. He reminds me of Mozart or Beethoven. A powerful balance between genius and restraint or perhaps discipline. Christopher Nolan seems to have this quality as well.

I sense a lot of passion and enthusiasm from Sowell but it's indirect. Rather than coming through via emotion and persuasion, it's evident in the amount of research carried out and the countless points and counter-points he acknowledges and addresses. I feel he sincerely covers both sides. This is not a book from a particular point-of-view. It's broad and thorough and focuses on facts, not on the author's personal agenda. It brings up common phrases and rhetoric and breaks them down to see if they are true and/or logical. Falsehoods collapse under the immense weight of the innumerable mundane and benign facts that Sowell points out. It infuriates me that so many people take blanket, strong statements and conclusions for granted without questioning them.

I used to find race a boring topic. I never cared about it. I rarely noticed things to do with race or ethnicity. I only found that various people were funny, smart, lazy, rude, stupid, kind and so on in differing amounts. But Sowell follows ethnic/racial groups over space and time and finds patterns. The shocking truth is revealed that groups have tendencies to be better/worse or more/less interested in various activities and skills at given points in time and carry these attributes with them even as they migrate around the world.

Why in the first place do people expect groups to perform equally well in all endeavours? The actual patterns are fascinating. Irish Americans in the early 20th century were more likely to be alcoholic and progressed economically very slowly but they dominated politics. Jews and the Japanese were much faster to develop economically but showed little interest in politics (perhaps because they didn't need it). The Chinese in Malaysia and Indonesia *created* a lot of industries and got discriminated against because of their superior passion for hard work and knowledge of running successful businesses. *Despite* racism, they succeeded economically (and helped the countries they moved to) but were punished for it. These are facts and the only agenda Sowell could be accused of having is putting an end to bullshit and showing people the reality of our world (the actual patterns that exist and the actual effects of various policies).

It's a colourful and interesting place and humans have a seemingly infinite capacity for good and for evil. Free markets are what bring cultures together even in the face of differences and hatreds.

This book is a timeless study of humanity that helps one understand the world much more deeply than convenient, unjustified assumptions ever could. The price of this knowledge is that I'm now even more acutely aware of the level of complete bullshit that pollutes our media and general population today. As I've learned about economics (and free markets in particular), I've found how similar it is to Darwin's theory of evolution. They are both deeply misunderstood and attacked illogically as a result. They both predict the rising of efficient systems in the face of many random changes and very non-random success/failure (life/death) processes. They are also incredibly *tame* in their basic concepts.

The Economics and Politics of Race is unbelievably tame in its conclusions and yet very insightful and powerful. Just as Richard Dawkins ends up spending two thirds of his time explaining why common misconceptions are wrong or misleading, so must Thomas Sowell. If only people would stop jumping, or should I say, teleporting to distant unfounded conclusions, brilliant authors like Sowell could spend more time divulging the incredible beauty and reality of our world and less time on weeding out the rubbish that already clutters so many people's visions of our world.

[Alejandro Heracles al-Mu'minin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is quite the study. Following up on the thesis placed in Knowledge and Decision, Sowell traces many ethnic roots like in Ethnic America but across a whole international scene.

Through this application we get a study of cause-and-effect that observes the rise of prosperity around the globe. Allowing us to look at the data empirically instead of by mean of intended consequences where rhetoric tends to confuse.

[Joost Nixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in the 80’s, it is so timely and applicable today in 2022.

[Dustin Lovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written in 1983. The numbers have changed, but the economic principles haven't. Great book that adds nuance to an oft-galvanizing topic, as expected.

[Ken Mattes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1985, the insights, data, examples and perspectives are even more valid in today’s world of “oppressor” vs. “oppressed” political climate.
Worth your time to understand the political manipulation of Race.

[Yale Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incontrovertible

[Chrisanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would love an updated edition that focused on recent racism statistics. This focuses on worldwide racism stats from 17th century onward... ending around 1970-80 ish.

He doesn't go in for feelings. He never does. He's more interested in the stats. And all of them are horrifying.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Data-driven and thought-provoking. Just as relevant in 2020 as when it was first published in 1983.

Table of Contents:
Author's Preface
Part I: History
Ch 1: The Role of Race
Ch 2: The Overseas Chinese
Ch 3: Immigrants from Europe
Ch 4: Blacks and Coloreds
Part II: Analysis
Ch 5: An International Perspective
Ch 6: The American Experience
Ch 7: The Third World
Ch 8: The Past and the Future

Why have the Chinese excelled economically in every country they've been present in? What were some of the explicitly discriminatory policies they encountered around the world, and what were the economic consequences both for them and the non-Chinese in these countries as a result of these policies?

Why does Japan have a higher standard of living than Mexico despite having a far higher population density and far fewer natural resources?

How did the cultures and values of Irish, German, and Italian immigrants to the US differ and what were the consequences, both political and economic? How did Germans in Argentina differ from those in Europe? How were they the same?

How have "blacks" been treated vs "coloreds" in South Africa? In the Caribbean? In the US? How have they viewed and treated each other? What is even meant by such terms around the world?

These are but a few questions Sowell answers in his classic book. First published in 1983, initially I thought it might not be especially relevant today in 2020, but in some ways, I found it more insightful BECAUSE of when it was written. The material can be a little dry at times, but it is exceptionally informational and will definitely make you think. Every book from Thomas Sowell offers something new, and his work is empirically based and data-driven, even on controversial issues like race and economics. I feel comfortable in saying reading or listening to this single book alone will make you understand the subject matter better than >95% of the population. It should be required reading. If you want a real education, The Economics and Politics of Race (and every book by Thomas Sowell) is a tremendous bang for your buck.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book by Thomas Sowell. It is interesting at this time to read about the Soviet Union and apartheid being referred to in the present tense. While much has happened internationally since this book first came out, his underlying observations remain valid.

He writes this with an international perspective to show how certain groups of people, throughout history, have migrated and succeeded more than the local populations. He notes how some groups move and become very involved in politics, while others stay almost completely out of politics. He notes how some groups, most notably the overseas Chinese, exceed the prosperity levels of the local populations. He notes how some groups tend to cluster and recreate the culture of their home country, remaining very separate from the culture into which they move. At the same time other groups will move in and acculturate and merge to create a new culture (much of Latin America fits this description).

A worthwhile read if you are interested in these subjects. The international examples he gives really helps him make his case as it cannot be seen as specific to just one culture or race, but is indeed global in scope.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Sowell first gives you an overall look at how people groups have migrated around the world and how they have faired economically. He then shows how political talk and policies that are generated sound good, but actually have the opposite economic result than intended.

It's a great book if you want to understand why different cultures do better economically than others when faced with the same adversarial conditions (For example, the Japanse in America were placed in camps and discriminated against in WWII. Now they do better ecomically than the average "white" person in America. Discrimination did not hold them back.)

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has lots of interesting concepts, conclusions and data, however...

Some of it is a bit outdated. It was written almost 40 years ago, after all.
Some conclusions are not supported by evidence.
A few, maybe just one or two of them are outright retarded.

For example, Sowell argues that our natural resources won't run out, but at the very least not in a foreseeable future, and we shouldn't worry about it.
His reasoning?
Hundreds of years ago we didn't know about many resources we use today. The amount of these resources may be higher than we know.

The good parts far outweigh the questionable / bad ones, so I'll give it 3/5.

[Sylvester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comprehensive guide to how different people of different cultural backgrounds become successful as immigrants and how politics have been an influence in their disastrous attempt to either repel immigrants or affirmative actions. Sowell offered a flawless writing on the various historical facts which contributed the prosperous economies and why certain economies failed. I was actually quite intrigued to learn that segregation sometimes can reduce the effort caused in interactions.

Overall a very good book to combat any leftist talk points.

[Void lon iXaarii · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though i was familiar with a number of the conclusions of the research it was fascinating to get so many historical facts showing the values of different cultures and how they perform quite specifically determined not by location but by ways of thinking. Great data!

[Mr Ogologo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Economics and Politics of Race* examines the complex interplay between race, economics, and cultural factors, exploring how these dynamics influence economic outcomes and societal structure across various ethnic groups. Sowell critiques public policies and societal approaches to racial disparities, offering an economically driven lens to understand race relations.

- Economic Disparities and Their Origins: Sowell explores how cultural factors and historical context shape economic outcomes. He discusses the separation of Singapore from Malaysia in 1965 due to racial demographics (p. 35) and explains how minority groups without significant cultural or economic influence in their societies often face challenges, especially if their numbers do not allow them to form strong economic networks. Additionally, he points out that groups with strong educational and work ethics, like the Chinese, often excel in fields such as science and math when opportunities allow (p. 139).

- Role of Politics in Race Relations: Sowell notes the inherent limitations in politically addressing economic issues, pointing out that political solutions often need to be emotionally palatable to the public and appear solvable within the political sphere (p. 170). This, he argues, can lead to ineffective policies that avoid the actual causes of economic disparities.
- Cultural Factors: Sowell emphasizes the influence of cultural values and social structure, such as the lower rates of alcoholism among Italians and Jews compared to the Irish (p. 192), which he attributes to inherited values rather than present social conditions alone.
- Impact of Migration and Geography: According to Sowell, migration dynamics reveal that rich people rarely migrate due to having much to lose, while the poorest may lack resources to leave (p. 154). However, immigrants who do migrate often surpass native-born populations economically over time, with specific groups like Chinese American males maintaining a comparative advantage (p. 156).

- Sowell’s insights into how culture and history influence economic outcomes offer a unique perspective, backed by compelling examples. For instance, his comparison of Hispanic Americans raised in English-speaking versus Spanish-speaking homes (p. 138) illuminates how language can affect economic performance and social mobility.
- His focus on cultural values, particularly in the context of groups achieving economic success due to work ethic and educational attitudes, provides a refreshing angle on racial economic dynamics.

- Sowell’s views on race and economics are likely to provoke debate, particularly in his criticisms of affirmative action, where he argues that it primarily benefits those already qualified, leaving out those for whom the policy was intended (p. 201). This argument might seem too dismissive to some readers who see affirmative action as a means of leveling the playing field.
- Additionally, Sowell’s approach can appear overly deterministic in attributing success or failure to cultural traits, potentially oversimplifying complex social and economic barriers faced by different groups.
- Sowell’s use of data is robust and well-researched, allowing him to draw comparisons across diverse ethnic groups and geographic regions. His points about economic cooperation and assimilation (p. 155) are well-supported by historical data, though some readers might feel more recent data or alternative studies would enhance his claims.

Sowell’s argument that educational attainment does not always translate to upward mobility, with business acumen potentially being more crucial (p. 198), provides a thought-provoking perspective. It challenges the common assumption that education alone is the primary pathway out of poverty.
Many of Sowell’s observations resonate with contemporary discussions on race, especially his breakdown of racism as a transactional inequality (p. 160) and his exploration of how political narratives can skew solutions to racial and economic issues (p. 170).
One significant takeaway is Sowell’s claim that each generation loses potential "human capital" when lower-income families have more children than wealthier, better-educated families (p. 195). This raises questions about how societies might better address such disparities to break cycles of poverty.

Sowell presents an extensively researched, thought-provoking view of race, economics, and politics, challenging many conventional perspectives. His data-driven approach is compelling, though his arguments on culture and race may seem controversial to some readers.

I would recommend this book to those interested in economics, sociology, and public policy, especially readers open to questioning commonly accepted views on racial and economic issues. Sowell’s work will engage those looking for a critical take on how culture, history, and policy shape economic realities for different racial groups.

[Steven H · Rating 4 out of 5]

SOWELL DEALS WITH MANY ISSUES, INCLUDING THE IQ CONTROVERSY

Thomas Sowell (born 1930) is an economist, columnist, and author who has long been associated with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

He wrote in the Preface to this 1994 book, “This book challenges many dogmas of so-called ‘social science,’ as well as many underlying assumptions about racial issues and cultural differences. This challenge is based on more than a decade of research for this book, which in turn represents the culmination of more than twenty years of research and writing on the issues of race and ethnicity in general. [This book] covers a wider range of subjects and issues than any of my previous writings in this area…

“While we can all agree on the influence of ‘environment’ in some very general sense, there is a vast difference between (1) regarding groups as being shaped by immediate circumstances, including the people and institutions around them, and (2) regarding groups as having their own internal cultural patterns, antedating the environment in which they currently find themselves, and transcending the beliefs, biases, and decisions of others… where the analysis is international in scope, then the group patterns which recur in country after country can more readily be distinguished from historical differences in the group’s experience from one country to another.” (Pg. ix-x)

He adds, “This book deliberately offers little in the way of direct policy prescription, for its underlying premise is that what is most needed is an understanding of existing realities, the history from which the present evolved, and the enduring principles constraining our options for the future. There is seldom a shortage of people willing to draw up blueprints for salvation. What is important is that such people and those who judge their proposals both understand that they are talking about.” (Pg. xii-xiii)

He observes, “Those who focus on the justice or injustice of a given law and order, especially as regards racial and ethnic minorities, sometimes regard the undermining of that law and order as beneficial to oppressed groups. Yet, as law and order become less effective, often the least fortunate suffer more than others form its breakdown. In a city where crime is rampant, the poor suffer not only the full brunt of its physical dangers, but also the indirect costs of higher prices in neighborhoods plagued by theft and vandalism. More fortunate groups can live in buildings with security systems and security personnel, and in neighborhoods located strategically away from the worst areas.” (Pg. 123-124)

He notes, “Like discrimination and segregation, unfounded perceptions and stereotypes are an important reality in the history and current experience of some racial and ethnic groups. But again, such a condition cannot be assumed a priori, merely because of an unfavorable end result. Groups said to be dirty, loud, violent, etc., cannot be arbitrarily assumed to be different, so that all adverse characterizations can be condemned. If the facts are not available, then such characterizations remain unfounded charges, which prove nothing about either the group of their accusers.” (Pg. 153)

He states, “even sweeping denunciations of whites, ‘Anglos,’ or perhaps Jews, may be exempted from the charge of racism. More generally, those particular groups whose historic treatment is part of a general ideological indictment of Western civilization cannot be criticized in any way without risking the charge of ‘racism.’ Conversely, verbal 9or even physical) assaults originating within such groups are often exempted from condemnation as racism—sometimes by an explicit redefinition which requires POWER as an essential ingredient in racism, so that blacks for example cannot be called racist in American society.” (Pg. 154)

He asserts, “there is reason to doubt whether various groups apply themselves equally to abstract thought. If there is a significant difference in interest and application, the differences in results do not carry the same weight as evidence of underlying potential. Moreover, even if it were possible to galvanize everyone to the same pitch of effort on a given occasion for testing, this would still not eliminate the differences in interest in the development of their abilities in that direction.” (Pg. 164)

He comments on controversies about IQ tests (e.g., Herrnstein/Murray: ‘The Bell Curve’), “The common practice in the United States of comparing blacks in isolation with ‘the national average,’ or with whites lumped together, creates an illusion of group uniqueness that will not stand up under closer scrutiny, since the average IQ of American Negroes has been the same as that of a number of other groups, with differing ancestries, in countries around the world… The test scores of black students on the Scholastic Aptitude Test have… begun to rise and… an inference might be made about a corresponding rise in black IQs. But the ban on IQ testing… or discussion of interracial differences, make it unlikely that this inference can be tested in the near future… No belief can be refuted if it cannot be tested.” (Pg. 167-168)

He suggests, “The general relationship between IQ and achievement… has been well-established… However, this GENERAL relationship does not apply to all groups… Clearly, there are large environmental factors at work, perhaps better described as cultural factors… Although these cultural advantages do not apply today to low-income minorities, the large impact of cultural factors argues against any claim that low-income groups are doomed to remain where they are. Moreover, the importance of cultural factors, expressed in such mundane things as longer hours devoted to homework, points in the direction from which improvement can come.” (Pg. 182-183)

He acknowledges, “The economic fate of a particular immigrant group in a particular country is not always easy to determine… In the United States, for example, Mexican Americans are either (1) rising economically… or (2) are stagnating or retrogressing---depending on whether all Mexican Americans are all lumped together statistically, or whether those who were born in the United States are distinguished from those who are still arriving… The same is true of black West Indians in the United States who, in the 1970 Census data, could be separated into those bornin the U.S. and those who were not---while in the 1980 Census all were lumped together. The fact that the 1980 data present a more grim picture of West Indians has been seized upon by some to deny conclusions based on the 1970 data, where the offspring of West Indian black immigrants surpassed white Americans in income.” (Pg. 256)

He concludes, “History cannot solve today’s problems, but it can expose fallacies which make matters worse, or which make resolutions harder to see or to achieve. Above all, history offers understanding---not in the psychological sense of maudlin patronage, but in the sense of a clear-sighted view of reality, its limitations and its possibilities. Nowhere is such understanding more important than among peoples from different racial, ethnic, or cultural backgrounds.

This book will be of great interest to conservatives interested in racial/ethnic issues.

[Tom Stamper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains the key studies that later appears in so many other Sowell books about race and discrimination. He looks at the Chinese in South Asia and the Jews in Europe to see why they were able to thrive in hostile environments. For instance, ethnically Chinese would dominate entire industries in countries that were legally discriminating against them. What made Singapore stand out from Malaysia? Singapore is mostly inhabited by ethnically Chinese rather than Malaysians.

And like the Chinese, the Jewish settlers in Europe began by taking on the jobs that no one wanted and in a few generations were at the center of banking or later in the United States they created the garment industry. The lesson of the book is that these groups were culturally cohesive and their desire to survive and thrive and help one another was the basis of their success.

There is also much here on the differences between the Germans and the Irish that immigrated to America. Sowell tells us the Irish arrived first and occupied great farmland, but they weren't good farmers and their restlessness led them further west. When the German's arrived in America decades later they took the same land and made a fortune from it.

A key takeaway from the book is that successful groups were not intellectually superior they were strategically superior. Natural ability is not enough to overcome the travails of the world. Success is about having a good plan and having the dedication to implement it no matter how many obstacles.

If your goal was to raise disadvantaged groups of people out of poverty, the answer is strategy and the research done here will show you the way.

[Asa Bondeson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably more like a 3.5 honestly. a really interesting book, but if you have read a lot of Thomas Sowell's work, there are naturally a lot of repetitive points that he makes. Like all his other books, the title is misleading in the sense that he covers FAR more than the title could ever hope to suggest. However, the main point of his book is analyzing the political and economic outcomes of different immigrant communities in different countries throughout the world. For example, is the relative success of Chinese immigrants in America a phenomenon distinct to America or do Chinese immigrants tend to follow this pattern of success in other countries across continents? He examines this for the Chinese as well as the Irish, the Scotts, the Malays, Africans, Jews...etc. The first part of his book is basically going through how each racially distinct immigrant group has done economically and politically in a myriad of different countries containing vastly different cultures and ideas of immigrants and race. The last half of his book is then attempting to draw conclusions from this analysis about the cultural/social impact of each of these different groups.

Overall, very interesting. Naturally when you are discussing something as complicated as racially distinct immigrant groups over centuries, it is hard to point to specific things and say "This right here is exactly why this outcome is achieved" given the fact that there is an incalculable number of variables that could once be considered for so complex a topic. However, the points Sowell makes seem to follow rationally and for sure make sense, and either way, is a very eye-opening perspective.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Economics and Politics of Race is another excellent book by author Thomas Sowell. As is his usual practice he has done extensive research and performed in depth studies on this topic. He looks at issues like why certain ethnic groups seem to dominate in some areas of businesses wherever they are in the world. He explores the idea that race may contribute to the appearance of being locked out of some fields. He looks at various racial and ethnic groups with respect to typical profession or line of work is most common within a particular group and discusses why that might be the case. He points out similarities for that group in various locations around the world and discusses why some seem to excel even more than the native people of that country. After having read several of his books I do notice some material is reused if appropriate from one book to another. But I find his presentation of the material and writing style such that I don't mind and it's like a refresher of sorts. Now to find the next one...

[Dennis Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An impressive attempt at explaining racial disparities in the United States and around the world, and does a great deal to demystify and secularize those differences. He challenges simple notions, and takes great care to show winners and losers among the different racial groupings and then works to explain the differences culturally. That said, this book is old and I have considerable questions regarding its continued accuracy, especially as the situation appears to be getting worse since this publication.

B (85)

[Michael Delaware · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible in its thoroughness, and timeless truths about how race is used in politics, and economics. The author goes back through the centuries exposing the facts about international racial interaction that is still true today.
When I read some of the last chapters, I thought he was talking about the events of today. Only when I neared the end of the book did I realize this was written and released in 1985. Thomas Sowell is a sage imparting wisdom. This book should be required reading with all college courses on international political relations.

[Sean Solberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sowell reviews a selected history of historic racial groups, considering how they fared in different regions of the globe economically and politically. Sowell highlights how groups appear to have cultural/human capital differences that lead to differing outcomes in their homelands as well as when they are in non-native regions of the globe. These differences can lead groups to prosper even when social/cultural forces are arrayed against them.

I found this to be an easy read and the author's point to be well illustrated. Recommended.

[Clayton Kardas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m amazed how much information is packed in this book with a decent deconstruction of ideas he supports and opposes for what seem to be rational reasons. Basically, we should be focusing on “human capital” meaning skills, attitudes, habits, etc. History shows that throwing government and laws to alleviate any kind of “immigrant problems” does nothing but inflames and deepens segregation.

Also, love the idea of the “investment fetish”. Too much of that going around these days.

[Bill V · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another very solid offering by Mr. Sowell. I can't give this 5 stars as there are points where the material is dry and a bit difficult to get through. It is a testimony to Mr. Sowell's ability that he takes data, facts and anecdotes and weave them into a readable and engaging format. The book stresses what individuals, and more specifically cultures, can do in an environment. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in knowing more about how greater societies form.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Sowell lays out a case that the culture people are descended from, and human capital determine a group's economic success. Written in the early 80s it prefigures his culture trilogy. An interesting premise but the presentation is a little dry

[Matthew Mechtly · Rating 5 out of 5]

a fascinating, uncommonly heard empirical analysis of the historical impacts of race on the economic outcomes of groups (as evaluated through Jews, Italians, Blacks, Germans, Portuguese, Chinese, and several other races / ethnicities)

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomass Sowell wrote this book about the time that my father moved to California to study under him. Thomas Sowell immediately left to go to the Hoover Institute. Read while listening to the audiobook at 2x speed except for the last two chapter which were done at 3x speed at 5 AM.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating discussion of demographics as it applies to immigration to the U.S. It talks a lot about what different immigrant groups generally valued, sought for, stayed or didn't stay in the U.S.

[Donald Lanham · Rating 3 out of 5]

An examination of the effects of various races and ethnic groups on the politics and economies of various countries by looking at the changes created by immigration. Pretty interesting.

[Hom Sack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes sense.

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and useful for modern times. More people rioting need to reed this book!