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Talking to My Daughter About the Economy

A Brief History of Capitalism

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Talking to My Daughter About the Economy

By: Yanis Varoufakis
Narrated by: Leighton Pugh
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About this listen

Random House presents the audiobook edition of Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism by Yanis Varoufakis.

Why is there so much inequality?

In this short book, world famous economist Yanis Varoufakis sets out to answer his 11-year-old daughter Xenia's deceptively simple question. Using personal stories and famous myths - from Oedipus and Faust to Frankenstein and The Matrix - he explains what the economy is and why it has the power to shape our lives.

Intimate yet universally accessible, Talking to My Daughter About the Economy introduces listeners to the most important drama of our times, helping to make sense of a troubling world while inspiring us to make it a better one.

©2017 Yanis Varoufakis (P)2017 Random House Audiobooks Economic Conditions Economic History Economics Theory Capitalism Socialism Taxation

Critic Reviews

"A provocative, challenging, yet non-patronising analysis of the global economy: what it is, how it came to be and why it can never be apolitical. By using ancient myths, contemporary culture and family stories, Varoufakis makes the text intimate and accessible." ( Observer)
"Utterly accessible, deeply humane and startlingly original – a potent democratic tool at the perfect time." (Naomi Klein, author of No is Not Enough)
All stars
Most relevant  
Economics made understandable by torpedoing the myths, stripping away the mumbo jumbo, and using plain language and stories. This should be the economics text for everyone including those who profess to be economists.

Outstanding

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Yanis Varoufakis, in this book, has been able to teach ideas that for so long have been masked in an artificial veil of complexity. The incorporation of beautiful stories and classic literature makes it a joy to listen to and I found it activated all parts of my brain both acquiring new knowledge and understanding of the world and how it works and presenting a feeling of wonder, appreciation and curiosity.

Above all though, this book gave me hope. Real hope through understanding of the real challenges we all face but enlightening us of the possibilities.

The brilliance of this book is that it doesn’t feel like you’re learning about the economy as you listen but you come out the other side with far more insight than you ever thought possible.

Brilliant and poetic

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The story came alive it was like witnessing your experiences thank you so much Toitu te Tiriti

Experiential dialogue

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loved the simplicity and clarity of the language. looking forward to introducing it to my kids.

great overview of the economy

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I’ll certainly share this with my daughter! What a timely reading for both of us!

A must read for daughters, sons, children and parents

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Really good introduction to economics, I felt like I was finally learning a bunch of concepts I had heard about before. But never learnt the meaning, also I loved the history stuff, great addition.

Great little book

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This audio book is required listening to anyone and everyone, economists included. As a photographer, I always thought I was far removed from the economy (in profession at least) but from the very start the author lays out premises that align with my own philosophical attitude towards making pictures, just with the economy. To listen to Yanis' words though the voice of a delightful reader is all the more thought provoking and instilled in me that there is indeed hope to stop (or slow) the commodification of our society and balance that with a higher regard on the emphasis on goods as things , the inherent value (like happiness) they can give us, and as well the good that is capable by us, the people. Thank you Yanis! I hope your daughter enjoyed it too.

Required listening for all

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I've read a few books on economics and this one is the best I've ever read (I'm not an expert).
The author sets up core fundamental ideas which are easy to understand and then keep on building new ones on top of them which create a friendly learning progression. The one concept that helped me a lot was the difference between experiential value and exchange value.
Perfect level of narration for beginners.
No jargon, mainly analogies anchored in real life examples
First 3 quarters of the book is neutral and the last quarter is political pushing the author's agenda. If you're a centrist or lefty, you'll be fine but if you're leaning toward the right you'll probably be offended.

Best book for non economic-freak

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Excellent. Concise and understandable. Excellent narration. Don't be fooled by the title, this book is for adults as much as young adults.

Economics simplified but not dumbed down.

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I found this a frustrating audiobook because, on the one hand, the author has a great grasp on economic matters and the few chapters (4 & 8I think) are great but unfortunately the author uses this audiobook to champion his own socialist agenda (he was a member of a left wing Greek party).
There are a lot of references, some surprising such as Frankenstein or Mad Max but he uses some of these as a far fetched example yo support his personal views. For example he refers to the story of Oedipus who killed his father and married his mother as was predicted by a fortune teller and the author uses thus story to justify his view that lowering interest rates does NOT help businesses!!! He is a very good narrator and I'm concerned some less critical listeners may accept his narrative as is

Not what the title suggest

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.