The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance [Hardcover]

Russell Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2001

A love story that embraces the business and economic issues of the day?

The Invisible Heart takes a provocative look at business, economics, and regulation through the eyes of Sam Gordon and Laura Silver, teachers at the exclusive Edwards School in Washington, D.C. Sam lives and breathes capitalism. He thinks that most government regulation is unnecessary or even harmful. He believes that success in business is a virtue. He believes that our humanity flourishes under economic freedom. Laura prefers Wordsworth to the Wall Street Journal. Where Sam sees victors, she sees victims. She wants the government to protect consumers and workers from the excesses of Sam's beloved marketplace.

While Sam and Laura argue about how to make the world a better place, a parallel story unfolds across town. Erica Baldwin, the crusading head of a government watchdog agency, tries to bring Charles Krauss, a ruthless CEO, to justice.

How are these two dramas connected? Why is Sam under threat of dismissal? Will Erica Baldwin find the evidence she needs? Can Laura love a man with an Adam Smith poster on his wall? The answers in The Invisible Heart give the reader a richer appreciation for how business and the marketplace transform our lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hailed as an "economic romance" by the publisher, yet reading more like a dissertation on big business versus the consumer, this snappy, well-written novel casts economic polemic in fictional form. Laura Silver is a newly hired English teacher at the prestigious Edwards High School in Washington, D.C. On the street one day, she strikes up a conversation with Sam Gordon, fellow instructor of economics at Edwards. Despite Sam's fanatical devotion to free-market capitalism, bleeding-heart liberal Laura finds she enjoys their verbal sparring. Over the course of the school year, Laura and Sam run into one another on campus and around town, each time learning more about the other and delving further into political and economic topics. Meanwhile, an out-of-the-ordinary subplot pits ruthless Charles Krauss, CEO of mega-corporation HeathNet, against smart and savvy Erica Baldwin, director of the consumer watchdog agency, the Office of Corporate Responsibility, with their vicious sparring illustrating Sam and Laura's abstract arguments. It's an understatement to say that this is a novel with an agenda the agenda is the story here. Readers with a basic sympathy for deregulation and capitalist hegemony will enjoy Sam and Laura's intellectual adventures best, but students of economics across the board may find this fictionalized debate engaging and informative. (Mar.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A page-turning, well-written love story that also teaches an impressive amount of good economics."--Milton Friedman, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Nobel Laureate in Economics

"The Invisible Heart should be required reading for every politician and bureaucrat who has lost touch with the romance of what happens outside of Washington, DC. Sam Gordon is a modern-day hero--impassioned by logic, inspired by free markets, and impelled by love. Russell Roberts has crafted a charming and clever tale sure to captivate readers with an endearing combination of economics and emotion."--Declan McCullagh, Washington Bureau Chief, Wired.com

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1st MIT Press paperback ed edition (February 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262182106
• ISBN-13: 978-0262182102
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #528,735 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This might convert Marx, January 13, 2003

By 

Michael K. McKeon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance (Hardcover)

This is a very creative, and downright brilliant book. It very palatably presents free market economic theory in a sweet, engaging, and endearing tale.

Were I a high school teacher or a college instructor teaching an entry level economics course this would be a book that I would definitely require -- it outlines fundamental economic concepts in a practically fashion easily understood by the "lay" person. Additionally, it presents a perspective that those left of center (such as myself) are compelled to respect, even if they are philosophically not in agreement.

Besides its educational merits, this is simply a touching novel that keeps you committed, and makes you feel warm and satisfied finishing it. A reader completed devoid of any interest in economics whatsoever would find this an interesting and worthwhile read (and end up better educated despite himself).

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can economics really be breezy and fun?, May 14, 2001

By 

Scott A. Kjar (Duluth MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance (Hardcover)

Wow, what a fun book, but eerily reminiscent of my own life.

My first thought was that the author modeled the main character on me -- but then I realized that my experiences are pretty much identical to those of all other economists. For example, the main character has discussions on economics at a dinner party and at a TV viewing party -- discussions which I have had almost down to the exact same words. I've met all those people, had all those conversations, and experienced all those frustrations.

From the very first chapter, I saw things that I intend to incorporate into my own classroom starting immediately. I anticipate walking into the first day of class, pulling out a dollar bill, and .... well, you can read it for yourself. Or perhaps talking about the room filled with nuts, and asking my students how long it will take to eat them all. Roberts gave a lot of great little techniques to liven up an economics classroom.

Also, with this book, Russell Roberts has practically cornered an entire literary genre: economic fiction. Unlike the Marshall Jevons books of economic fiction (which are horribly written), Roberts has written a book which is both compelling as an economic work and delightful as a romance.

Roberts shows that he is both an interesting economics teacher and a skillful fiction writer. I hope that he writes more books like this ... and that perhaps he inspires other economists to follow this path. Economics has never been more accessible to the average person than in this breezy romance.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Russell Roberts' heart made visible, June 4, 2001

By 

R. WHITTEN "rick_whitten" (Fresno, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance (Hardcover)

This is not a book which will change the mind of a dedicated collectivist. Nor is it likely to fully satisfy the Club for Growth crowd. It is a simple love story which will appeal immensely to the non-idealogue while explaining in plain language the undeniable economic realities which guide human behavior. Were I to follow my dream and teach a high school civics class, this would certainly be on my required reading list.