Two Lucky People: Memoirs (Paperback)

by Milton Friedman (Author), Rose D. Friedman (Author) "Monday, October 3, 1932, Professor Jacob Viner was presiding over the first session of his famous economic theory course, Economics 301, in room 107 of..." (more)
Key Phrases: versus fixed exchange rates, free private markets, income conference, New York, Hong Kong, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Perhaps they really are just a pair of lucky people, but Milton and Rose Friedman are so perfectly matched that destiny must have played some part in their coming together. Milton is a Nobel Prize-winning economist, Rose, an influential theorist who advised American presidents and world leaders on the formation of their economic policies. Together the two wrote books (one flopped, the other is 1982's Free to Choose, a runaway bestseller) and were instrumental in influencing systems and ideas like negative income tax, the balanced budget amendment, tax-withholding, and even drug legalization. At times their ideas seemed outrageous but their strong belief that personal freedom is essential to a sound economy has helped shape many of the West's socioeconomic policies in the latter half of the 20th century.

And it is together, too, that the Friedmans penned their memoirs. The tone of Two Lucky People is quite humble despite their considerable achievements. They remember the lingering, technical conversations--which would put most people to sleep--that they shared in front of their fireplace; the personal and professional relationships they had with Ronald Reagan, Richard Nixon, and Margaret Thatcher; Milton's winning of the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize for Economic Science; and countless other triumphs in their field. The book lacks the personal information--tastes in literature, art, music--and the quotidian details that help form a solid sense of personality. But their passion for their vocation seems all-consuming and maybe, in the end, that's what defines them best. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review
...[an] engaging book ... written in a kind of snappy dialogue... -- National Review, Stephen Moore

...a rich autobiographical and historical panorama ... What makes these memoirs so enjoyable is their candor. -- The Wall Street Journal, William P. Kucewicz

On the evidence of this joint autobiography, it is little wonder that Milton and Rose Friedman are advocates of a free society. Their own lives are a testimonial to what freedom is about and what it offers.

Two Lucky People moves with vitality across many of the major issues of our century. But in the end, it remains a tantalizingly elusive book. Indeed, the Friedmans go to some lengths to present themselves as in almost every respect far less interesting than they really are: just two disinterested scientists, doting parents, and grandparents.

One would not learn from this book that they rank among the most radical critics of the American status quo, favoring the decriminalization of drugs, privatization of Social Security, and a wholesale recasting of the public-school system. But then, the outward-directed temperament that enabled the Friedmans to live such full and rich lives may be fundamentally at odds with the kind of introspection we expect in autobiographies. -- Commentary, David Frum --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 667 pages
• Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0226264157
• ISBN-13: 978-0226264158
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #827,805 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story; actually a "two-fer" - 2 biographies, September 3, 1998

By	[e-mail] "[e-mail]" (Palo Alto, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Two Lucky People: Memoirs (Hardcover)

I'm indebted to the review by Thomas Sowell in the July 6 issue of Forbes Magazine (Forbes.com) This book has history, sociology, romance, economics, faith, good stories and more.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating account of two remarkable lives, March 30, 2000

By	Excerpt from "The Independent Review" (Oakland, CA) - See all my reviews

The memoirs extend from the Friedmans' early years to 1997. The earliest times are recounted in separate voices by Rose and Milton, each telling her or his own story seriatim. For the later years, their narrative voices are presented sometimes jointly and sometimes in tandem. This method adds a great deal to the readability and interest of their story. It allows the reader to get different impressions of the same people and places and brings out the (rare) disagreements between the two authors. It provides more information and presents a more vivid picture than is typically the case in memoirs by a single author....

To read "Two Lucky People" is to get on intimate terms with a wholly delightful and wholly admirable couple. Here is a book to savor. Instructive and endlessly entertaining, it brings to life a whole era from the Great Depression to the present day.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the Best Autobiography I Have Ever Read!, November 17, 2005

By	Charthead (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This is a great book for anyone who is interested in Milton Friedman, economics, The University of Chicago, twentieth-century intellectual history, university politics, or rags-to-riches stories. Both authors have led very interesting lives and the tone throughout the book is upbeat and positive. This is one of the best and most-influential books I have ever read. Milton Friedman is one of the most clear-thinking, intelligent people of the twentieth-century and our country would be better off if more of his ideas on economics, education, and freedom were put into practice.