The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World By Alan Greenspan. The Penguin Press (2007). ISBN 978-1-59420-131-8.

• Author: Cristina María Ana Richards
• Pages: 14

Page 54

In his two-part memoir, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World,¹ Alan Greenspan examines "the ramifications of the collision between a rapidly changing globalized economy and unwavering human nature,"² through economic analysis and personal anecdotes gained from a lifetime of experience. The first section of his book chronologically explores his experiences; the second addresses the current state of the economy's and the factors Greenspan believes will come into play in the future. Greenspan's memoir is an interesting and enjoyable read. He offers insight into his character as well as his theories on current and future economic issues. However, The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World could easily be divided into two separate books-an autobiography written for readers of all ages, and an essay about the economy, targeted to intellectual and academics.

Greenspan is effective in telling the story of his childhood and upbringing by sharing personal anecdotes about his family, mentors, and passions. By doing so, he describes the world of an extraordinarily bright individual and makes it accessible and interesting to the average person. Using that writing style, Greenspan fashions his memoir in a manner that directly appeals to a larger audience. Readers feel as though they are experiencing Greenspan's life firsthand and, therefore, are better able to digest his commentary. Greenspan's discussion of Ayn Rand, author of The Fountainhead, is illuminating because Greenspan gives the reader insight on how Rand broadened his outlook by teaching him to look beyond models and numbers to see "human beings, their values, how they work, what they do and why they do it, and how they think and why they think."³ The passage is particularly effective; Rand's lesson permeates throughout the book. Greenspan is deeply inspired by her theories of human nature and the individuals driving political and economic decisions.

Greenspan continues to appeal to many readers with his thoughtful anecdotes. He recounts his time in Washington and describes the leaders for whom he worked for with careful commentary that is comprehensible to readers not versed on the interrelatedness of politics and the economy.⁴ He also makes stiff and stale political figures come alive. Although he covers the policies and practices of six presidents, he devotes more time to, in effect, profile those leaders rather than to bore readers with the technicalities of...