Welcome to Liberty In the Books
Liberty In the Books is a monthly reading group founded by Amanda Teresi and co-moderated by Ari Armstrong.
Our hope is that the reading selections and review questions presented here will inspire others around the country to start similar groups. Please see the suggestions for starting a group. All review questions were written by Ari Armstrong and may be reproduced at will so long as a link to this web page is provided. Neither this page nor Ari Armstrong's review questions were prepared, authorized, or endorsed by any other publisher or author mentioned on this web page.
Moral Health Care vs. "Universal Health Care"
by Lin Zinser and Paul Hsieh
This article is published at no charge online by The Objective Standard (Winter 2007-2008, Vol. 2, No. 4).
Zinser and Hsieh explain that modern problems in health care and health insurance are the consequence of decades of political meddling.
This reading is perfect for single meeting. (Sorry; no review questions are available at this time.)
The Forgotten Man
A New History of the Great Depression
by Amity Shlaes
Buy in association with Amazon:
The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression
Hoover was an anti-free-trade interventionist, not an advocate of free markets. Far from "saving capitalism" or bringing the country out of the Great Depression, FDR's hyper-interventionism lengthened the depression.
Read Ari Armstrong's review at The Objective Standard.
This reading works well for four meetings. See the review questions.
The Housing Boom and Bust
by Thomas Sowell
Buy in association with Amazon:
The Housing Boom and Bust: Revised Edition
The modern housing crisis was not caused by free markets, as various politicians and commentators have alleged. Instead, as Thomas Sowell shows, it was the product of wide-ranging political interventions in the economy, including easy-money policies and legal requirements that banks make risky loans.
This reading works well for two meetings. See the review questions.
(Note: These questions were written for original edition, so they may not match up perfectly to the revised edition.)
Economics In One Lesson
The Shortest and Surest Way
to Understand Basic Economics
by Henry Hazlitt
Buy in association with Amazon:
Economics in One Lesson
Originally published in 1946, Henry Hazlitt's classic set the standard for learning basic economics. Its lessons continue to illuminate today's economic crises and concerns. Hazlitt discusses the fallacy of "stimulus" spending, the harm of politicians promoting risky housing loans, and the problems with various political interventions from protective tariffs to minimum wage laws.
This reading works well for three meetings. See the review questions.
(Note: These questions were written for the revised 1979 edition.)
Vindicating Capitalism
The Real History of the Standard Oil Company
by Alex Epstein
This article is published at no charge online by The Objective Stnadard (Summer 2008, Vol. 3, No. 2).
Though portrayed by some biased historians as a plundering "robber barron," John D. Rockefeller succeeded by revolutionizing his industry's production and management and by relentlessly lowering prices, thereby dramatically enriching the lives of his customers.
This reading is perfect for single meeting. See the review questions.
Reversing Course
American Attitudes about Monopolies, 1607-1890
by Eric Daniels
Daniels's essay is contained in the book The Abolition of Antitrust, edited by Gary Hull.
Buy in association with Amazon:
The Abolition of Antitrust
A great second essay to add is Daniels's "Antitrust with a Vengeance: The Obama Administration's Anti-Business Cudgel," published by The Objective Standard (Winter 2009-2010, Vol. 4, No. 4)
Daniels explains how the meaning of the term "monopoly" originally meant the political granting of exclusive privilege but came to be misapplied to free market organizations. In the second essay, Daniels briefly explains how the Obama administration expanded antitrust enforcement.
These two essays are perfect for single meeting. See the review questions.
Antitrust: The Case for Repeal
by Dominick T. Armentano
This book is published as a pdf online at no cost by the Ludwig von Mises Institute.
Buy in association with Amazon:
Antitrust: The Case for Repeal
While antitrust laws often are described as protecting competition, their actual intent and consequence is to destroy free market competition, punish the successful, drive up prices, and protect inefficient businesses.
This reading works well for two meetings. See the review questions.
(Note: These questions were written for the Revised Second Edition.)
Capitalism Unbound
by Andrew Bernstein
Buy in association with Amazon:
Capitalism Unbound: The Incontestable Moral Case for Individual Rights
Bernstein reviews the life-furthering achievements of the Industrial Revolution in England and America, establishes the moral foundations of capitalism, and discusses the problems with socialism and aspects of the mixed economy.
Read Ari Armstrong's review at The Objective Standard.
This reading works well for two meetings. See the review questions.
What Has Government Done to Our Money?
by Murray Rothbard
Available as a pdf from the Ludwig von Mises Institute
Rothbard reviews the historical rise of money, discusses how money would operate on a free market, and reviews the American history of monetary interventions.
This reading works well for two meetings. See the review questions.