A review by ehaefele
Capital and Ideology by Thomas Piketty

challenging informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

I'm not an expert in economics/history, but it wasn't my first exploration in the genre. Despite that this was a challenge to read and definitely not for casual nonfiction readers (although I assume you know what you're getting into with a 1000+ page book). Because of that, I know I may not be appreciating it at the level others who study this subject regularly may. With that perspective in mind, I actually liked the book. I genuinely am walking away with a better understanding of the goals and rationale behind a democratic socialist approach than I did before. This book helped expand my US-centric view of political issues and see that there are many similarities and differences between the countries economic progression throughout history. With that said, the book is really dense and is overencumbered with so many details it becomes almost impossible to retain significant portions of it. To understand this book in its entirety, you would have to carefully study each chapter. That's just not something I want to work so hard for when trying to learn something new. The ability to simplify and be concise with one's arguments can be a lot more effective. If you are someone who is passionate about this topic and willing to put in a lot of time to read and comprehend it, then you'll love this book.