Book cover of Free to Choose: A Personal Statement

Book description

Argues that free-market forces work better than government controls for achieving real equality and security, protecting consumers and workers, providing education, and avoiding inflation and unemployment.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Free to Choose as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

America is a fantastic country that has offered more opportunities to change one’s economic status than any other country. That being said, few understand why this has even been made possible by the Free Enterprise System and how it is at risk by careless policies, flippant politicians, and complacent citizens within their communities.

I no longer wanted to be a part of that group of people and figured who better to learn about economics than Milton Freidman. While this book is dense with information, the economic principles are articulated in such a straightforward fashion that even a college dropout like…

To build wealth, we need an environment that allows for unequal outcomes. The Friedmans argue that using societal or governmental force in the name of equality will destroy the environment where we are free to choose how wealth is grown. In their words: Freedom “preserves the opportunity for today's disadvantaged to become tomorrow's privileged and, in the process, enables almost everyone, from top to bottom, to enjoy a fuller and richer life.” Let the market determine the outcome. Bad ideas will wither away, and good ideas will thrive.

From William's list on building wealth.

If you love Free to Choose...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Free to Choose?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Free to Choose.

Browse books like Free to Choose

Book cover of The Richest Man In Babylon
Book cover of Think and Grow Rich
Book cover of A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,366

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Free to Choose, you might also like...

Book cover of The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea

The Go-Giver by John David Mann,

The Go-Giver tells the story of an ambitious young man named Joe who yearns for success. Joe is a true go-getter, though sometimes he feels as if the harder and faster he works, the further away his goals seem to be.

Desperate to land a key sale at the end…

Book cover of The Last Whaler

The Last Whaler by Cynthia Reeves,

This book is an elegiac meditation on the will to survive. Tor, a beluga whaler, and his wife, Astrid, a botanist specializing in Arctic flora, are stranded during the dark season of 1937-38 at his remote whaling station in the Svalbard archipelago when they misjudge ice conditions and fail to…

5 book lists we think you will like!