Economix: How Our Economy Works (and Doesn't Work) in Words and Pictures (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Prior to releasing his book Economix in 2012, writer Michael Goodwin took a bunch of volumes on the economy, moved to India, settled in and did extensive research on the economy. For over 2 years, Goodwin combs over theories by noted economists such as Adam Smith, Keynes, Friedman, Ricardo. Even less conventional 'experts' like Marx and Engels are explored in this graphic novel exploration of how money makes the world go round. 

Along with the theories, Michael Goodwin examined how those theories impacted the markets and society as a whole in practice in business; both public and private. To do this, the author has a global look at economics. But being an American, Goodwin's focus in this book is the American economy. And boy did the United States make a ton of blunders when it comes to money. 

Goodwin does a fairly decent job just recording the facts. But it's hard for anyone to give a balanced, straight line approach without putting too much of yourself in a book such as this. I could only read this book in small chunks, considering how infuriating a lot those blunders made me. I would say that the author presents 'just the facts' about 70% of the time with about 30% emotions and opinions running the narrative. 

As for the visuals, it's a mix of line graphs, cartoon and caricature. Tasked with all of this is artist Dan E. Burr (Presidential Misadventures). The line graphs went over my head. I'm strictly a bar graph and pie chart man myself. I thought the cartoons had that unifying feel as noted years ago by Scott McCloud. The caricatures, while definitely something you might see on the Jersey Boardwalk, captured the images of 300 years of politicians, dignitaries and economic experts pretty well. 

As I mentioned earlier, this book was not something I could consume in just a couple of days. It took me almost the entire month of July, 2022 to complete it. There was a lot of theory, a ton of history and a gigantic amount of injustice. Economix made me think a lot about the spending of cash; how I spend it; and how changes in the regime shifts our cash flow. Being a school teacher in a specialized subject, I'm scared to death about losing my funding and my job in the wake of the mid-term election and 2024. 

My eyes are also opened quite a bit to the amount of excess being put upon our world. It moved me so much that I'm ready to cut my spending, live more sustainably and stop buying things I don't need. And then I saw the new line of comic book tees available for sale on Facebook...

Guess I've got a long way to go before I change the world. 

Worth Consuming! - But it surely will infuriate you from time to time!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #11 (About Business) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Poorcraft: The Funnybook Fundamentals of Living Well on Less (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Today more than ever, people need help making ends meet. Inflation, rising gas prices and the war in Ukraine are taking a toll on all our wallets. C. Spike Trotman takes it upon herself to help those with financial constraints with this graphic novel full of money saving tips. Along with whimsically cartoony artist Diana Nock (The Intrepid Girlbot), Trotman presents a method called Poorcraft. But it's really an amalgamation of a bunch of economical philosophies and techniques.

My wife and I partook in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University seminar a few years back. Trotman's advice on how to pay for a car and to reduce debt using the 'snowball' effect of paying off the smaller dues first and then applying that money to the next larger bill, is something I learned from Ramsey.

In this book, Trotman uses the character of Penny and her faithful dog, Nickel to help their pal Mil out of a sticky financial situation. From finding affordable housing to the use of transportation, cutting corners on grocery, clothes and entertainment and how to navigate the tricky paradox that is called higher education, just about any lifetime situation is covered in this book.

Not everything in this book is practical for everyone. Penny's use of a bicycle along with a bus to get around everywhere isn't really feasible for somebody who lives in a rural area. But a bunch of the tips in this book are universally helpful.

Ryan Estrada, one of the reviewers on the back cover suggests that Poorcraft replace Seuss' Oh, The Places You'll Go! as the essential work to give high school graduates. I'd almost agree with this assessment. Only, I think rising Juniors should get this book in order to avoid the traps of for-profit universities, un-repayable student loans and how to utilize affordable community colleges in order to meet the core class standards. Some of my pupils seek me out with help looking at culinary schools and I think the resources listed in this book will assist with that.

I'm thinking of hanging on to this book as a resource for the high school culinary classes I teach. There's a lot of great tips for cooking on a budget without resorting to just ramen noodles! That's a major concern in my students- being able to cook for themselves after high school. Our unit on the cooking of authentic ramen was a big hit with my upperclassmen. My level 1 students can't wait to do it this coming school year!

C. Spike Trotman has two other books in the Poorcraft series. One is about travelling on a budget. But it's her budget cookbook that I'm looking to add to my collection of texts useful for teaching culinary. I learned a lot from this book and I think my student will too!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #29 (With Chapter Titles) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.