Thomas Sowell, a fine economist and sharp writer, is someone I make every effort to read. His BASIC ECONOMICS is a great volume I wish every student in the country would read! Sowell has now put out a slim but incisive book on the recent housing bust in America, THE HOUSING BOOM AND BUST (Basic Books, 2009), which was recently reviewed by Tim Challies). Although I’ve not yet read it, it looks well worth pursuing. Challies writes…

In just 148 pages, Sowell explains where this crisis came from and the events that caused it all to come to a head. Along the way he powerfully exposes the cause of rising housing costs and the folly of affordable housing. As he has done repeatedly elsewhere, he exposes the fallacy of racism in lending institutions, showing that much of the blame must be laid at the feet of politicians. “Politicians in Washington set out to solve a national problem that did not exist—a nationwide shortage of ‘affordable housing’—and have now left us with a problem whose existence is as undeniable as it is painful.” Of course Sowell also proposes a way out of the mess and those who know him will not be surprised to learn that he lobbies for laissez-faire, allowing the economy to sort itself out without massive government intervention.

You can read the whole book review at The Discerning Reader site.

pdb