End This Depression Now!

Krugman—winner of the 2008 Nobel Prize in Economics—builds a strong case for federal stimulus spending as the only path to ending our current economic woes, and claims that austerity policies lead to economic contraction and worsening unemployment. Rob Shapiro skillfully narrates this audio edition—not an easy task given the somewhat dry nature of the prose—in a richly textured voice that brings just the right amount of gravitas and accessibility to this wonky manifesto. Shapiro’s tone is conversational; he modifies his pitch for emphasis and adopts a carefully measured pace—a blessing when numbers, percentages, and statistics come fast and furious. Unfortunately, economics books (including this one) often make use of charts and graphs, and while PDFs of the book’s 12 charts are included, this isn’t likely to help those listening in the car or on the treadmill. Still, Shapiro provides an engaging performance of this timely and important book from Krugman, who narrates the introduction. A Norton hardcover. (May)