Talking to My Daughter About the Economy
by Yanis Varoufakis
Business & Economics
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection In Talking to My Daughter About the Economy, activist Yanis Varoufakis, Greece’s former finance minister and the author of the international bestseller Adults in the Room, pens a series of letters to his young daughter, educating her about the business, politics, and corruption of world economics. Yanis Varoufakis has appeared before heads of nations, assemblies of experts, and countless students around the world. Now, he faces his most important—and difficult—audience yet. Using clear language and vivid examples, Varoufakis offers a series of letters to his young daughter about the economy: how it operates, where it came from, how it benefits some while impoverishing others. Taking bankers and politicians to task, he explains the historical origins of inequality among and within nations, questions the pervasive notion that everything has its price, and shows why economic instability is a chronic risk. Finally, he discusses the inability of market-driven policies to address the rapidly declining health of the planet his daughter’s generation stands to inherit. Throughout, Varoufakis wears his expertise lightly. He writes as a parent whose aim is to instruct his daughter on the fundamental questions of our age—and through that knowledge, to equip her against the failures and obfuscations of our current system and point the way toward a more democratic alternative.
Bridges
Books that connect different domains
Bridges summary
This cluster of connected books, including Yanis Varoufakis's insightful *Talking to My Daughter About the Economy*, illuminates a compelling intellectual journey for readers interested in the intricate workings of power, wealth, and societal structures across diverse contexts. *Talking to My Daughter About the Economy* acts as a central pivot, offering a contemporary and accessible exploration of economic principles, inequality, and systemic corruption, framed through the personal and relatable lens of a father conversing with his child. Varoufakis’s work, described as a vital introduction to capitalism and Marxist theory, intentionally demystifies complex global economics, making it understandable for a younger audience while simultaneously challenging established orthodoxies. This is particularly evident in its connection to J.R.R. Tolkien's *The Hobbit*. While seemingly worlds apart, the shared thread lies in the exploration of fundamental dynamics of power and resource distribution. Readers who engage with Varoufakis’s dissection of capitalism’s systemic issues will find echoes in *The Hobbit*'s narrative of the struggle between the Free Peoples and Sauron's forces, a potent metaphor for the inherent inequalities and exploitation that Varoufakis critiques. Both works, in their own unique ways, grapple with the consequences of concentrated power and the impact on those with less.
Why Hikara?
Discover hidden gems with our 'Gap Finder' and explore your reading tastes with the 'Mood Galaxy'. Go beyond simple lists.