Economics + romance novel?

On Tuesday I rode my bike to the Orem Public Library. I checked out a book and sat down on the lawn to read before heading home. I was so engrossed in it that I had read several chapters before I realized that the grounds worker was waiting to mow the patch of lawn that I was sitting on. I put the book away, rode home, and read until it was finished. What kind of a book held my attention so tightly? The Invisible Heart: An Economic Romance. I can imagine most of you laughing really hard right now. If the book weren't so good, I would be embarrassed to admit that I had even read it.

The author of the book is Russ Roberts, host of my favorite podcast EconTalk. He writes novels in which he expounds economic principles. I heard him interviewed about another one of his books, The Price of Everything: A Parable of Possibility and Prosperity. I have always enjoyed listening to his explanations on the podcast, so I was interested to see how his economic fiction would be.

The actual story and writing is pretty good (not bad for an economics professor, really), but the economic content is fabulous. It is a great book for anyone who wants to understand economics and some of the issues of the day, not just nerds like me. My friend was over the evening that I finished it. At first she laughed a little bit, but then picked up the book, and now she is hooked. She didn't even really like economics before.

So if you're in the market for a good read, don't be too embarrassed to pick it up. It's better than you think. Just warning you though, you might become a libertarian after reading it.