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A review by bloodravenlib
On the Wealth of Nations by P.J. O'Rourke
2.0
After moving from Houston to Tyler, I finally got a new public library card. While I was browsing around, I came across this book in a small display the library had on books about current affairs. I have read O'Rourke's books in the past; I enjoyed his Parliament of Whores very much, so I figured this might be a good bet. If nothing else, it would be a nice way to get exposure to Adam Smith's big book with some sense of humor thrown in. We'll see how it goes.
* * * *
Well, now that I finished reading it, I was not too impressed. On the one hand, it does give a decent overview of Smith's work. On the other hand, the book is mostly a way for O'Rourke to expose his conservative and capitalist views. Smith was by no means perfect, so to speak, so in a way, O'Rourke is doing a bit of a PR job. There is some humor throughout the book, but if you want to get an example of O'Rourke's humor, this book is really not it. Having said that, if you have not read Smith's work, and you likely won't, this is a pretty easy way to get an idea of the book's content and significance. The last chapter has a nice biographical note of Smith that puts the book in context.
* * * *
Well, now that I finished reading it, I was not too impressed. On the one hand, it does give a decent overview of Smith's work. On the other hand, the book is mostly a way for O'Rourke to expose his conservative and capitalist views. Smith was by no means perfect, so to speak, so in a way, O'Rourke is doing a bit of a PR job. There is some humor throughout the book, but if you want to get an example of O'Rourke's humor, this book is really not it. Having said that, if you have not read Smith's work, and you likely won't, this is a pretty easy way to get an idea of the book's content and significance. The last chapter has a nice biographical note of Smith that puts the book in context.