Indeed, while the modern Bartlett has seemingly moved to the dark side, his 1981 book, Reaganomics, written before Ronald Reagan reached office, remains essential reading for anyone who wants to understand economic policy.

FORBES: A Decline In U.S. Startups Through the Eyes of Bruce Bartlett

It is also a clear and well written book that is required reading for anyone who wants to understand what went on with Fannie, Freddie, IndyMac, AIG, Lehman Brothers and all the rest only a few short years ago and who wants to understand absurd regulatory environment still faced by CitiGroup, Goldman Sachs, Bank of American, and JPMorgan Chase.

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Read part 3 of this article: A core reading list for economists who want to understand the future.

FORBES: Connect

"The most crucial thing for dads to understand is that if kids see their dads reading they're more likely to enjoy it themselves, " said Viv Bird, chief executive of Booktrust.

BBC: James Patterson urges more dads to read to children