BOOKS@WORK
MONEY AND ECONOMICS: A LEARNING FRAMEWORK
Navigating the World of Money and Economics
As our economy has become increasingly more sophisticated,
technological systems enable “cashless” transactions to replace traditional
currency. In a culture that encourages and enables us to possess more
goods so easily, how do we navigate the world of money successfully?
The tension between spending today and saving for tomorrow - both
nationally and personally - challenges us to investigate the role money
plays in society as well as in our own lives.
According to an old proverb, “If you want to feel rich, just count the things
you have that money can’t buy.” We may nod our heads in acceptance
of this idea, yet our society is preoccupied with money as a defining
characteristic of success. Throughout history, writers and philosophers
have explored the impact of wealth and money - or the lack thereof - on
human nature. What is the connection between money and identity?
Money and happiness? What is the difference between “self-worth” and
“net-worth”?
Working with stories and texts from diverse cultures, disciplines and time
periods, readers explore the underpinnings of economics, while examining
individual relationships with money. How do we define our financial
responsibilities beyond ourselves and our families? How far does our
relationship with money extend into the other realms of our lives? How
much do the choices we make as individuals affect the broader world of
economics and, in turn, how much does that world impact the choices we
make? Does gender dictate the way we engage with money and wealth?
An illustrative selection of readings that create diverse opportunities to
explore service and its related issues follows on the next page. The
selected books are intentionally quite broad and diverse; if Books@Work
becomes an avenue for training or moralizing, it loses its ability to inspire and
excite. For example, books that offer stories related to money ignite an open
discussion of issues, conflicts and challenges; books that purport to present
“how to spend or save” become instructive and potentially judgmental.
What is Books@Work?
Books@Work is a highly
interactive program in
which college professors
work with front line
employees to jointly
explore and reflect upon
broad themes in an
enjoyable and engaging
seminar. The sponsor of
Books@Work, That Can Be
Me, Inc., has developed a
series of curricular learning
frameworks focused on
several popular themes,
with the input and
guidance of both
employers and professors.
These include, among
others, Empathy, Justice,
Courage, Service, Conflict
and Money/Economics.
The frameworks are merely
guidelines, designed to
raise a set of essential
questions and suggest
potential readings, both
fiction and non-fiction.
Each program will be
tailored and unique,
reflecting the needs,
perspectives and interests
of participants.
THAT CAN BE ME
BOOKS@WORK: LITERARY SELECTIONS ON MONEY AND
ECONOMICS
The selections listed below illustrate potential reading choices: the list is not exhaustive. To ensure the most engaging
learning experience, final selections will be made by participating faculty with this framework as a guide.
Literature, Poetry and Plays
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (1949)
A man examines his life’s choices when confronted with the
paths and futures of his children.
Anthony Trollope, The Way We Live Now (1875)
A novel that explores and exposes the commercial, financial,
intellectual and moral dishonesty of Victorian England.
John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath (1939)
Forced out of their Oklahoma farm by drought and changes in
agriculture, the Joad family heads West for new opportunities.
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (1925)
A man uses wealth and grandeur to attract the woman of his
dreams, without regard for the impact on others.
Betty Smith, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1943)
An Irish American family makes ends meet in the Williamsburg
section of Brooklyn.
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol (1843)
A ghostly visit enables a miserly old man to transform his
ethics and ideologies.
Emile Zola, Germinal (1885)
Charles Dickens, Little Dorrit (1856)
A satire on the shortcomings of government with a focus on
debtors’ prisons.
Robert Louis Stevenson, The Bottle Imp (1891)
A mysterious bottle bearing promises of riches also causes
despair. The “curse” of wealth comes at a price.
Philosophy, Non-fiction and Essays
Terry Ryan, The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio
(2001)
A woman struggling to make ends meet supports her family
winning television jingle contests.
Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes (1960)
A hard-working Irish-American woman supports her family
with wit and grit.
Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not)
Getting By in America (2002)
An undercover journalist investigates the effects of the 1996
Welfare Reform Act on the working poor.
Robert Heilbroner, The Worldly Philosophers
(1931)
Facing extreme poverty, miners protest worsening working
conditions in a French mine and confront societal norms.
The lives, journeys and ideas of history’s greatest economic
philosophers.
Tom Wolfe, The Bonfire of the Vanities (1987)
Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner, Freakonomics
(2005)
A novel of Wall Street in the 1980s where greed rules and
self-control is elusive.
Guy de Maupassant, The Necklace (1884)
A young woman of modest means desires only finery and
precious jewels.
Edward Arlington Robinson, Richard Cory (1897)
A wealthy, well admired man in a small town creates surprise
when he takes his own life.
O. Henry, The Gift of the Magi (1906)
A tale of sacrifice and irony: a young husband and wife each
put the other first in the face of extreme poverty.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Gambler (1867)
Written to pay gambling debts, a novel about a tutor who
succumbs to roulette to prove his love for a young woman.
The mysteries of everyday life examined and explained
through the lens of traditional economic theory.
Milton Friedman, The Island of Stone Money
(1991)
An essay examining the curious currency of the Yap Islanders
and its eerie similarity to our own monetary policy.
Jack Weatherford, The History of Money (1997)
A cultural anthropologist explores the history of money and its
role in shaping human affairs throughout the ages.
David Wolman, The End of Money (2012)
A journalist explores the inner workings of money and the
impact of a future cashless society.
THAT CAN BE ME