Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It was very difficult to read this book. Not because of the language (Sowell uses sophisticated yet plain language and provides clear examples). Not because of his message (That there are certain people - the anointed - with "self-evident" visions for how the world should be; however, not only are these visions divorced from reality, but these anointed cannot or will not adjust their visions to any proof reality provides them). It was hard to read because after every example I had to put the book down, take a few breaths, and wonder who in the world could cause such a thing to happen, before reading again. Sowell covers the "legacy of slavery" (higher poverty and single family household rates for blacks were not caused by such a thing), the need for sex education in schools (which actually encouraged more teens to "experiment"), and how certain people are used as mascots by the anointed (such as violent criminals and the homeless, who need to be coddled by society because "we" somehow "failed them"), among many, many other examples ranging from economic to medical to the social. Unfortunately there are no action items provided by Sowell, though I hope the book causes you to think differently about how we go about "solving" our "problems". I know that was the case for me. And as for the numerous quotation marks, let's just say even our use of vocabulary is just another tool in the hands of the anointed.