What is Bryan Caplan reading?

The current featured contributor at Writers Read: Bryan Caplan, author of Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think.

His entry begins:

Tim Harford’s Adapt: Why Success Always Starts from Failure. Another great popular social science book from the Undercover Economist.

Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future by Ian Goldin, Geoffrey Cameron, and Meera Balarajan. The book’s full of fun facts about migration and covers the academic literature well. I share its pro-immigration conclusion, but I wish the authors...[read on]

Among the early praise for Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids:

“Original, lively, well-researched, and wise, this book could change your life."
—Steven Pinker, Harvard College Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, and author of How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate

“Imagine this: Parenting doesn’t HAVE to be a chore. Your kids are safer than you think, smarter than you think and besides—you have less influence than you think! So sit back, relax, and read this book with your new found free time. The sanity you save maybe your own.”
—Lenore Skenazy, author of the book and blog, Free-Range Kids

“This is one of the best books on parenting, ever. It will bring life into the world, knowledge to your mind, and joy into your heart.”
—Tyler Cowen, Holbert C. Harris Professor of Economics, George Mason University

“Modern parents are far from miserable. But the parenting experience can and should be improved. Instead of fruitlessly playing Pygmalion, focus on enjoying your journey together. Raise your kids with kindness and respect. Find common interests. Use discipline not to teach lifelong lessons, but to persuade your kids to treat you and others decently here and now. If you use these strategies, parenting and bigger families really are a lot of fun.”
—MercatorNet, Family Edge

Learn more about Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids at the official website.

Bryan Caplan is a Professor of Economics at George Mason University and blogger at EconLog, one of the Wall Street Journal's Top 25 Economics Blogs.

Writers Read: Bryan Caplan (July 2007).

The Page 99 Test: Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids.

Writers Read: Bryan Caplan.

--Marshal Zeringue