There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen

There Were Giants in the Land: Episodes in the Life of W. Cleon Skousen by W. Cleon Skousen, Jo Ann Skousen and Mark Skousen

W. Clean Skousen's family members assembled an autobiography from his journals. Skousen was born in Canada, then served a church mission in Europe and then came to live in the USA. He spent time working for J Edgar Hoover in the FBI. He was later a university professor and a police chief before focussing on his National Center for Constitutional Studies. The organization advocated a conservative focus on the study of the constitution and it's religious basis. In addition to the political writings, he also wrote parenting works and a "thousand years" series of books on the Old Testament. He was very devoted to his organization and his brand of conservative principles. However, he had trouble with others that differed in the way to run things. His anti-communist beliefs were perfect for the cold war mentality and seemed to reach the mainstream peak during the Reagan era. After the end of the cold war, his relevance appeared to wane.

The Making of Modern Economics: The Lives and Ideas of the Great Thinkers

The Making of Modern Economics: The Lives and Ideas of the Great Thinkers by Mark Skousen

This is a journey through the history of modern economics. It traces the prevailing thoughts and how economists came out to defend or challenge them. I liked how the book kept the context. Economics was gradually evolving and the economists were contributing to this. They were also people. Some would feel disregarded at times, only to feel vindicated at later days. They also had various personal foibles that could distract from their economic thoughts. Some economists were also great teachers or textbook writers. Others were known primarily for their thoughts. Economic thought is still evolving, with neoclassical and Keynesian each having their own issues.