Welcome to Econ Talk, Conversations for the Curious, part of the Library of Economics and Liberty.

I'm your host Russ Roberts of Shalem College in Jerusalem and Stanford University's Hoover Institution. Go to Econ Talk. in to today's conversation. You'll also find our archives with every episode we've done

going back to 2006. Our email address is mail at econ talk.org we'd love to hear from you. Today is April 30th, 2024, and my guest is economist and author, Glenn Lowry.

His sub-stack is simply Glenn Lowry.

This is Glenn's second appearance on Econ Talk.

He was here in July of 2020 talking about race and inequality.

Our topic for today is his memoir, Late Admissions, Confessions of a Black Conservative.

Glenn, welcome back to Econ Talk.

Thanks Russ, it's very good to be with you.

I want to let parents listening with children know that today's conversation may include a number of topics

inappropriate for children. You may wish to

listen before sharing. This is an incredible book. As listeners know, I'm very

busy. I'm not sure listeners know that I try to read every page of every book

I discuss here on Econ Talk.

So when I'm asked to consider a book of 448 pages pages which is the length of late admissions. I usually just say

now right away there's no way I can read a 448 page autobiography but out of respect for Glenn I picked up the book and I looked at the opening pages and I couldn't put it down.

I read every page, I think every word, it is an extraordinarily interesting book about what it means to be a human

being, a man, a black man, a husband, a father, as well as an economist and social critic at the

highest levels, along with Glenn's very eventful career

as an economic theorist, we get a great deal of information about his infidelities,

his drug use, his drug use his arrests his journey as an observer of race issues in America I've never had anything quite like it

Glenn why did you write this book with the degree of revelation you chose to share about your personal

...