In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park

From Amazon.com: “This book is the story of Park’s struggle to survive in the darkest, most repressive country on earth; her harrowing escape through China’s underworld of smugglers and human traffickers; and then her escape from China across the Gobi desert to Mongolia, with only the stars to guide her way, and from there to South Korea and at last to freedom; and finally her emergence as a leading human rights activist – all before her 21st birthday.”

My reflection: I realized that I have taken for granted the many freedoms I experience as an American, such as the freedom of speech, the freedom to trade goods and ideas, and the freedom to create a better life for myself. Defending these rights and fighting for freedom have become more important to me.

The Price of Tomorrow by Jeff Booth

From Forbes: “Jeff Booth is a successful Canadian entrepreneur. His book “The Price of Tomorrow” is a warning about two dangerous trends which he thinks are not receiving enough attention. The first is that technology and price deflation will cause lasting widespread unemployment. The second is that the global economy is underpinned by an unstable mountain of debt.”

My reflection: The book is an introduction to technological deflation, how it originates, and how it affects our economy. While I can see the merits of deflation (i.e. my dollar today being worth more tomorrow), I still struggle to see how lending and credit would work and am unsure why people would decide to spend and consume today if their money will be worth more tomorrow. I am interested in the idea and look forward to reading about it in the future.