A Student's Guide to Economics by Paul Heyne

If you are anything like me, you received very little economics education in school. Economics has always seemed like medieval alchemy to me, full of esoteric knowledge and arcana, obviously important for someone to understand –but not required by the average American. Time has taught me that I was wrong. I still have no great desire to be conversant with the jargon of economics. But I now believe that a basic understanding of economic theories should be mandatory for all citizens. Otherwise it is impossible to evaluate the policies of our politicians. To tax-cut or not to tax-cut–-can I evaluate tax policy and determine potential impacts,
or do I rely on the sound bites of politicians who want me to accept what they say at face value?
A Student’s Guide to Economics is a good starting place to delve into economics. This guide, as with others in the series, was written for those who want to pursue economics study on the college level. As such, it contains practical information for pursuing that goal. My favorite part of this little guide is Heyne’s presentation of the history of economic theory interspersed with brief biographies of major economists. It really helped me get an understanding of who the major players have been, the ideas they have promoted, and where I, as a conservative, fit into the economic spectrum.
I would recommend having a high school age student read this guide prior to pursuing further study in economics. It provides a framework which they can use for hanging in place the different elements of economics they will encounter in a traditional economics text.