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Bitcoin is for Everyone: Why our financial system is broken and Bitcoin is the solution
Let’s face it – we all sense something is wrong. People have lost faith in the future; they feel left behind. The cost of homes, college tuition, and even groceries is skyrocketing. While the rich grow exponentially richer, life for the average person has become increasingly unaffordable.
Bitcoin is for Everyone explores what’s wrong with our monetary system and presents a bold vision for how Bitcoin fixes it. Bitcoin is for Everyone is a must read for anyone who is trying to comprehend why the value of the US dollar is diminishing before our very eyes – and nobody brings the subject to life quite like journalist Natalie Brunell. With Natalie’s guidance, exploring Bitcoin is a compelling and inspiring journey of hope and discovery.
The book looks squarely at the causes and consequences of “broken money” and introduces Bitcoin as a game-changing remedy to our most urgent challenges.
Bitcoin is for Everyone explores what’s wrong with our monetary system and presents a bold vision for how Bitcoin fixes it. Bitcoin is for Everyone is a must read for anyone who is trying to comprehend why the value of the US dollar is diminishing before our very eyes – and nobody brings the subject to life quite like journalist Natalie Brunell. With Natalie’s guidance, exploring Bitcoin is a compelling and inspiring journey of hope and discovery.
The book looks squarely at the causes and consequences of “broken money” and introduces Bitcoin as a game-changing remedy to our most urgent challenges.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 25, 2025
17 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 18, 2025
There’s a saying in the literary world that goes - “show, don’t tell”. This means, broadly - give your audience the evidence, let them draw their own conclusions, and don’t force your own beliefs upon them. Brunell’s first failure is her inability to adhere to this principle.
Her next failure is the shameless manner in which she frames the problem around the known characteristics of the proposed solution (being bitcoin). In the first 9 chapters, she tees up her arguments with poorly supported claims and extrapolations, whose factuality is ostensibly considered to be obvious to the reader, only to later “blow their minds” with exactly how well the solution lines up with her description of the problem… What a coincidence!
Building on the above, her descriptions of the “problem”, as it were, include some major logical leaps (at least by implication) - such as that the existence of Bitcoin will solve the issue of wages not keeping up with inflation. The only strong argument made here is that Bitcoin itself cannot be inflated by increased supply - that fact in and of itself does not solve broader economic issues such as the one noted above.
Beyond that, the book makes no effort to dispel any misgivings you may have about the validity of the truth claims it presents. For example, it gives many descriptions about how the digital asset may solve for the economic instability experienced by people living in developing or politically unstable countries. This magical digital asset purports to put the power back in their hands, and protect against the rapidly eroding purchasing power of their paycheques - denominated in a local currency that is continually being debased. But… Will it? How will the same cohort respond to the gut rending swings characteristic of this incredibly volatile asset, when their “store of value” suddenly loses 20-30% of its buying power? Wouldn’t they sleep better at night holding their native currency that is naturally depreciating at a predictable rate of say 10% per year? When their needs are short term, they simply can’t afford that degree of volatility as a trade-off for longer term appreciation they will never hold long enough to see (insofar as that growth can be expected). In the west, we call that gambling.
In addition to that, the arguments made in the book all center around this concept of Bitcoin holding the position of an insurance asset - a digital gold, an inflationary hedge, a store of value, retaining its purchasing power over time.. not just its nominal face-value, like all major fiat currencies. The case is made that bitcoin is a financial instrument through which we can retain our purchasing power, and take back control of our economic destiny. Now, ignoring the technical complications with attempting to earn, transact, and otherwise exclusively deal in bitcoin, this argument has a tremendous and obvious flaw - extreme volatility, by nature, excludes Bitcoin from the “insurance asset” class. Never before has an incredibly volatile asset been classified as a safe haven, or a reliable store of value. Just ask aspiring retirees, who shift their portfolios gradually from higher equity exposure to higher bond / fixed income exposure, lowering their risk profiles and stabilizing their portfolios as they approach retirement.
For Bitcoin to perform the function Brunell adamantly believes it does, it would need to generate returns of ~4-8% annually (expressed in USD), in a stable, gradual manner - reflecting changes in the monetary supply and bona fide inflation (If my number seems high, it’s because I agree with the notion that CPI is being under-reported). Unfortunately, this is not how Bitcoin behaves, and its price action is far more indicative of a market that regularly struggles to find a price consensus, resulting in major swings in either direction, and poor reliability for the token holder.
The high level descriptive style of the book also leaves much to be desired, considering how complex and technical of a topic it truly is. It reads like a grade-school teacher’s lessons - presented as though every concept is brand new to the reader, expecting that any technical depth will simply result in a loss of attention or understanding.
I was gifted this book, so I didn’t go in expecting to enjoy it. But I gave it a fair chance. In the end, I felt as though I had attended a fruitless lecture from a presenter who had everything to gain from shielding her eyes from the truth, and conveniently avoiding the obvious challenges in her proposal.
Her next failure is the shameless manner in which she frames the problem around the known characteristics of the proposed solution (being bitcoin). In the first 9 chapters, she tees up her arguments with poorly supported claims and extrapolations, whose factuality is ostensibly considered to be obvious to the reader, only to later “blow their minds” with exactly how well the solution lines up with her description of the problem… What a coincidence!
Building on the above, her descriptions of the “problem”, as it were, include some major logical leaps (at least by implication) - such as that the existence of Bitcoin will solve the issue of wages not keeping up with inflation. The only strong argument made here is that Bitcoin itself cannot be inflated by increased supply - that fact in and of itself does not solve broader economic issues such as the one noted above.
Beyond that, the book makes no effort to dispel any misgivings you may have about the validity of the truth claims it presents. For example, it gives many descriptions about how the digital asset may solve for the economic instability experienced by people living in developing or politically unstable countries. This magical digital asset purports to put the power back in their hands, and protect against the rapidly eroding purchasing power of their paycheques - denominated in a local currency that is continually being debased. But… Will it? How will the same cohort respond to the gut rending swings characteristic of this incredibly volatile asset, when their “store of value” suddenly loses 20-30% of its buying power? Wouldn’t they sleep better at night holding their native currency that is naturally depreciating at a predictable rate of say 10% per year? When their needs are short term, they simply can’t afford that degree of volatility as a trade-off for longer term appreciation they will never hold long enough to see (insofar as that growth can be expected). In the west, we call that gambling.
In addition to that, the arguments made in the book all center around this concept of Bitcoin holding the position of an insurance asset - a digital gold, an inflationary hedge, a store of value, retaining its purchasing power over time.. not just its nominal face-value, like all major fiat currencies. The case is made that bitcoin is a financial instrument through which we can retain our purchasing power, and take back control of our economic destiny. Now, ignoring the technical complications with attempting to earn, transact, and otherwise exclusively deal in bitcoin, this argument has a tremendous and obvious flaw - extreme volatility, by nature, excludes Bitcoin from the “insurance asset” class. Never before has an incredibly volatile asset been classified as a safe haven, or a reliable store of value. Just ask aspiring retirees, who shift their portfolios gradually from higher equity exposure to higher bond / fixed income exposure, lowering their risk profiles and stabilizing their portfolios as they approach retirement.
For Bitcoin to perform the function Brunell adamantly believes it does, it would need to generate returns of ~4-8% annually (expressed in USD), in a stable, gradual manner - reflecting changes in the monetary supply and bona fide inflation (If my number seems high, it’s because I agree with the notion that CPI is being under-reported). Unfortunately, this is not how Bitcoin behaves, and its price action is far more indicative of a market that regularly struggles to find a price consensus, resulting in major swings in either direction, and poor reliability for the token holder.
The high level descriptive style of the book also leaves much to be desired, considering how complex and technical of a topic it truly is. It reads like a grade-school teacher’s lessons - presented as though every concept is brand new to the reader, expecting that any technical depth will simply result in a loss of attention or understanding.
I was gifted this book, so I didn’t go in expecting to enjoy it. But I gave it a fair chance. In the end, I felt as though I had attended a fruitless lecture from a presenter who had everything to gain from shielding her eyes from the truth, and conveniently avoiding the obvious challenges in her proposal.
January 28, 2026
This book is worthy: 3 bill-stars.
I'm a Natalie Brunell fan. I follow her on X. She does a mean interview. She is a Bitcoin expert and enthusiast. I own a little Bitcoin myself, via the Fidelity ETF, FBTC.
Overall, I'm a little disappointed that this book is only half Bitcoin. The first half of the book details the history of finance and the monetary system in the United States. I would have liked more on Bitcoin.
The book also doesn't address future potential threats to Bitcoin's existence. I sidled over to my computer this morning, and there's a story where Michael Saylor warns, "The greatest risk to Bitcoin is ambitious opportunists advocating protocol changes." In another story, Ray Dalio says, "the US stands on the brink of systemic collapse as Bitcoin trades defensively at $88,000." What will Bitcoin do if it's software is commandeered by bad actors? Or if hyper inflation or default hits the US? And what about quantum computers breaking cryptography in the future. I wish "Bitcoin is for Everyone" talked about these existential issues surrounding Bitcoin.
My favorite part of the book is the author's discussion of shifting away from a fiat currency and inflation-oriented economy. She argues that a deflationary mechanism like Bitcoin, and hi-tech in general, will lead to price stability and greater prosperity and stability. Perhaps. This is such an extreme change from how things are run today, that it's hard to fathom.
QOTD
Bitcoin doesn't simply fix money; it fixes our relationship with time. In this way, Bitcoin isn't just money at all. It's a reframing of the way money shapes our lives.
- Natalie Brunell, Bitcoin is for Everyone
Currently, the market cap, or value, of all Bitcoin is around $2T. The value of all known gold is about 15-20 times that, around $35T. For this Bitcoin neophyte, this is the question: Will Bitcoin challenge gold as a store of value in the future? If yes, the value of Bitcoin heads to the moon. If not, then Bitcoin will decline into obscurity. That seems to be the issue with Bitcoin right now; it feels binary, boom or bust.
A good read. thanks...yow, bill
December 2, 2025
I’ve read many Bitcoin and Bitcoin-adjacent books this year.
This one stands out as the most accessible Bitcoin book I’ve read so far, and it might be the most accessible one, period.
What do I mean by that?
Most Bitcoin books assume a certain level of technical or economic literacy. They throw around terms like blockchain, UTXO, hashrate, and private keys, often expecting readers to already understand them. Others dive deep into economic history or Austrian Economics.
Those topics are valuable, but they’re not what most people need when they’re first trying to understand Bitcoin.
What people really need is:
• the basics of how Bitcoin works,
• the why behind it, and
• most importantly, why it matters to their lives.
This book delivers exactly that, and it does so better than anything I’ve read so far.
Natalie Brunell clearly explains how Bitcoin addresses genuine human rights issues, not only in the developing world, but right here at home. She highlights how deeply our money is skimmed and intermediated at every step, often in ways most people never even notice. Beyond the constant fees, banks can freeze or block your ability to transact on a whim, with little oversight or accountability.
Peer-to-peer exchange is a human right. Money is speech.
Both should be protected.
Brunell lays out this case with clarity, empathy, and precision.
Ultimately:
This book is a perfect starting point. If you, or someone you know, is even slightly curious about Bitcoin or could benefit from understanding it, this is the book I’d recommend as the very first step on that journey.
This one stands out as the most accessible Bitcoin book I’ve read so far, and it might be the most accessible one, period.
What do I mean by that?
Most Bitcoin books assume a certain level of technical or economic literacy. They throw around terms like blockchain, UTXO, hashrate, and private keys, often expecting readers to already understand them. Others dive deep into economic history or Austrian Economics.
Those topics are valuable, but they’re not what most people need when they’re first trying to understand Bitcoin.
What people really need is:
• the basics of how Bitcoin works,
• the why behind it, and
• most importantly, why it matters to their lives.
This book delivers exactly that, and it does so better than anything I’ve read so far.
Natalie Brunell clearly explains how Bitcoin addresses genuine human rights issues, not only in the developing world, but right here at home. She highlights how deeply our money is skimmed and intermediated at every step, often in ways most people never even notice. Beyond the constant fees, banks can freeze or block your ability to transact on a whim, with little oversight or accountability.
Peer-to-peer exchange is a human right. Money is speech.
Both should be protected.
Brunell lays out this case with clarity, empathy, and precision.
Ultimately:
This book is a perfect starting point. If you, or someone you know, is even slightly curious about Bitcoin or could benefit from understanding it, this is the book I’d recommend as the very first step on that journey.
January 4, 2026
This book explains the history of money and the financial system. It’s well-written and should be read by everyone, everywhere. Contains great insights and verified facts to support historical patterns and claims. I highly recommend this as a must read book!
December 28, 2025
The first half of this book is really a macro-economics discussion. That was worthwhile. The second third of the book tries to explain what Bitcoin is, but I do not think very well. The last part is really a sociology discussion. I now know a little bit more about Bitcoin, but not how to buy a cup of coffee or a house with it. I think this was a big opportunity lost.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews