Walter Williams would probably surprise a lot of people. He is an African-American who was raised by a single mother in the Great Depression and went on to become the John M. Olin Distinguished Professor of Economics at George Mason University in Virginia. He is also a free-market conservative who has written this book to debunk most government anti-poverty programs that he believes hinders rather than helps the poor. He cuts through the "do-good" rhetorical facade on such programs as affirmative action, the minimum wage, and farm price supports, and asserts that economic freedom will always create wealth and distribute it more efficiently than Washington's dealmakers ever will. It is must reading for anyone who wants to gain a different perspective on poverty from someone who has actually lived it.

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