Steven Levitt shows how to write a summary

Now this is a summary:

[The Race Between Education and Technology] tells the story of how the United States got a head start on education relative to other countries, how that head start helped us to achieve economic dominance, and how we’ve now lost that educational advantage.

Goldin and Katz on Education, Technology, and Growth
by Steven D. Leavitt
June 30, 2008

That's it. That's the book. In one sentence.

Here's the whole thing:

It tells the story of how the United States got a head start on education relative to other countries, how that head start helped us to achieve economic dominance, and how we’ve now lost that educational advantage. It also details the fascinating interplay between technology and education — how the forces of supply and demand have swung back and forth on those dimensions, and how much of the major changes we have seen in the economy can be explained by just a few key factors.

Of course, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that a famous economist can pull off a two-sentence summary of an entire book, not to mention a groundbreaking book. After all, this is a skill that develops naturally by age 10.


Steve Levitt summarizes The Race in 2 sentences
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