The book is a collection of columns, which barely qualifies as a book of "essays", which I normally consider lengthier and more complex. I have read many of Sowell's books and was quite familiar with his ideas, but had never seen most of these columns. Thus, I wanted to see his thoughts on various topics of recent years. No real surprises there, and he demonstrates the ability to pack a punch in a column.

The columns are organized into six parts: Economic, Racial, Political, Educational, Legal, and Social. My favorites tend to be on his core subjects of economics and race, especially those positions with libertarian orientation instead of straight conservatism. Familiar topics, such as affirmative action, slavery, and heavy-handed government, are all here. The author is also ready to take on hypocrites with little prompting.

I recommend the columns as an introduction to and summary of the ideas and breadth of Mr. Sowell. Personally, I actually prefer his books, where the scholarship has more opportunity to shine.

This is the first collection of Sowell's newspaper columns, with selected pieces spanning from 1977 to 1981. Sowell covers the gamut of subjects from race, politics, law, foreign policy and the social scene. As Sowell says in the introduction, the goal of these short essays was to "hit the nail on the head, not overwhelm scholarly critics with tables, graphs, and equations." And hit the "nail on the head" is exactly what he does, in column after column, bringing his insight as an economist to a whole range of topics.

The book is a fascinating read, much like opening a time capsule, as Sowell comments on then-current events like the resignation of UN Ambassador Andrew Young, the Bakke decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, the signing of the Panama Canal Treaty, the gasoline shortage, and the near-ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. On the other hand, it's frustrating to read an old essay on rent control, knowing that over twenty years later, almost no political progress has been made on an issue that has been settled for decades before the first time Sowell writes about it.

It's hard to pick out a favorite among all the gems in this collection. The best ones are incisive and educational. For example, the title essay, "Pink and Brown People", refers to the lack of accuracy in discussions about race and goes on to make excellent, fact-rich comparisons between present day ghettos and those of the nineteenth century. One can also clearly see the beginnings of Sowell's "Visions" concept, which was later fully developed in "A Conflict of Visions" as well as two later books.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print as I write this. If you are a fan of Sowell's, keep an eye out for a used copy. It's worthy addition to one's libraray.

Conservative author Thomas Sowell writes in this small volume a little about what it's like to be a writer. He talks about his many battles with editors and his long struggle before he made it in the writing field. However, he barely mentions the art of writing. Really, his only advice is to use simple language, and to keep to a minimum number of words. Those are just basics to writing.

His philosophy towards writing is you need to be a bad writer for a while before you become a decent one, which is true, but there are ways to make one's writing better.

However, Mr. Sowell's personal history, his humor, and his criteria for citing sources makes this worth the price of admission. But keep other expectations low, and remember that this book is only about 20 pages.

I would recommend other parents of young children with speech problems at least look into this book by Thomas Sowell. The book is not a substitute for accurate medical and speech/hearing diagnosis, in fact Sowell himself has pointed this out in the book and subsequent syndicated columns. The author seeks to assist families of a subset of children with speech and language delays to have hope and realize they are not alone. Our family found "Late-Talking Children" to be very enlightening and ultimately assisted us in seeking the consultation of Stephen Camarata PhD at Vanderbilt University in Nashville TN. The result was that our son progressed more rapidly and with more specific-to-his-needs speech therapy. We are very pleased with the the results! Now, this book may or may not be the answer concerned parents are seeking. But keep an open mind and an open heart when you read this book. In case this book should in fact be helpful to your child and your family's situation, I am pleased to offer this positive review of Thomas Sowell's "Late-Talking Children" for your consideration.

This book is a must read for parents of late-talkers. It encourages parents to seek out professional advice. I suggest bringing this book up even if you KNOW your child has a learning disability. It is a litmus test to see if your therapist is receptive to questions and concerns you may have about their techniques and diagnosis, factors that can greatly effect your child's success. Sowell's positive experience with a speech therapist came only AFTER he found one who was willing to consider a father's observations. This book doesn't give false hope, it empowers a parent to find someone focused on working with them as well as their child. "Normal" late-talkers exist. Even if they are an extreme minority, they deserve the same attention as children with long term disabilities, wich can benefit ALL late-talking children.

The book Late Talking Children is an invaluable resource for many parents. The author's extensive research, and experience with his own child, are just a couple of reasons readers of this book can see his caring and dedication to the subject of late talkers. I'd never seen a book dedicated solely to this mystery of the late talking population. Many parents I have spoken with since I'd read this book felt as if they were "all alone" before they found this book, and now can see there are many others that are going through the same things that they are. Dr. Sowell also makes it very clear that although not all late talkers are autistic, that some definately are and encourages every parent to seek many REPUTABLE professionals to get an accurate diagnosis. There are many different approaches a parent can take to help their child, and it is so important not to take the inappropriate path...and I believe this level-headed no nonsense book could help any parent of a late talker find their correct path.

If you like phrases like "one-way causation" and "political super-structure," if you want to be impressed with Dr. Sowell's knowledge of Marxism -- and Philosophy and Economics in general -- then by all means buy this book. If you actually want to understand Marxism, then keep looking.

To prove that it is possible to write clearly about a complex subject, read Complexity by M. Mitchell Waldrop.

Dr. Sowell needs to drop his next six courses in Philosophy and take Basic Writing for Freshman.

Overall, I was pleased with the book. But when it came to the philosophical commentary, I felt Sowell to be lacking in understanding of mode of thought prevalent in Marx' Germany. So while the book is well worth reading for the other commentaries on Marx and Marxism, its examinations of Marx' philosophy qua philosophy just didn't hit the target.

How ironic that Sowell, a famed conservative economist, would have written such a brilliant explanation of Marxism. Sowell clearly and intelligently lays out Marx's ideas while avoiding the 'disciples' or Marx who have misinterpreted him. While Sowell has a scathing critique of Marx's ideas at the end of the book, the bulk of it is written to help make sense of Marx. He is very fair to Marx, in fact I have never been so sympathetic to Marxism as I was after reading this work. Sowell is truly a great scholar.

I have heard a lot of good things about Thomas Sowell. I have no doubt that he is a brilliant man. And I admire his conservative/libertarian principles. But this book was so difficult to understand, I wondered what use is an abundance of knowledge if one is unable to dispense it to others? Since I have read other Sowell books, I have concluded that it is the subject matter and not the author, which contributes to its lack of readability. If you're an experienced economist, you'll probably enjoy this book. If you're a novice in economics, don't bother. Instead, I would recommend Henry Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson" to get an understanding and appreciation for classical economics.