“If you would like to know more about economics, and what economists do, but the last thing you want to read is a dry economics text, then Angus Deaton’s often controversial but never dull Economics in America is the book you should read.”—Peter Singer, author of Ethics in the Real World“How delightful to find a witty, thoughtful, and informative work that answers a question I once asked Angus Deaton and gives answers to so many more that I wish I had asked.”—Kwame Anthony Appiah, author of The Ethics of Identity and the weekly “Ethicist” column for the New York Times“Angus Deaton’s beautiful mind and generous spirit are on full display in this insightful and charming book on the strengths and sins of economics. Covering topics ranging from poverty and health care to monetary policy and climate change, with characteristic brilliance and warmth, the great economist builds a powerful case for his discipline to return to its original calling: to promote human flourishing and justice.”—Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City“Deaton presents a number of entertainingly written and sometimes ironic vignettes of life in America, telling stories ranging from the financial crisis to the cutthroat competition for the Nobel Prize. We get to know three Deatons in these pages: the top economist, the longtime resident and student of the United States, and the immigrant with the background and sensibility of Scotland, the country of his birth.”—Branko Milanovic, author of Worlds Apart: Measuring International and Global Inequality“Economics in America is a masterful tour of key topics in economics by a wise, witty, and experienced guide. Human welfare, Deaton reminds us, is about more than money—it is about living a dignified life in a democratic society. Vivid in style and rich in examples, Deaton’s far-reaching humanistic take on economics—and economists—deserves a wide audience.”—Debra Satz, author of Why Some Things Should Not Be for Sale: The Moral Limits of Markets