When I opened YouTube a few weeks ago, the first video in the recommendation list was a TED talk from Scott Galloway. Given that my normal list is mostly random engineering videos, I was surprised to see the recommendation system show me a talk from one of my favorite authors. Now this may not bear too much weight given that he has only written 5 or so books, but Scott Galloway is the only author whose entire body of work I have read. It had been a while since his name popped into memory, so I decided to look him up after watching the Ted Talk, and sure enough, he had recently published a new book: The Algebra of Wealth.
Even though the title made the nature of the book apparent, I didn’t even bother reading the back until I was on my way home from the bookstore. Within a few days of purchase, I had finished reading the book and was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
All of Galloway’s books have discussed the common topics of modern economics, American culture, personal finance, and well-being. Even though many of his books are similar in nature, I love his general writing style and find many of his arguments to be either agreeable or atleast well-justified. Despite the overlapping talking points, I have always learned more than one new statistic, fact, or other general talking point from each of his books. The Algebra of Wealth was no exception but it felt repetitive in the context of Galloway’s other literature.
If I had not read any of Galloway’s other books, I’m fairly confident in claiming that my rating would’ve been far higher. With that previous context, however, it felt as if this book was far less cohesive in comparison to some of his more popular works. Certain topics got more coverage than others and occasional digressions polluted certain sections of the book. When I got to the last page of the The Algebra of Wealth, I didn’t have any insightful remarks or realizations that usually come with finishing such educational books. I’m also aware of Galloway’s tendency to interject remarks about his current wealth and status in his books; usually, they don’t affect my reading experience, but in a book seemingly intended for young and financially naïve readers, hearing a millionaire justify the purchase of his private jet felt overbearing.
That being said, I finished this book incredibly quickly and found myself looking forward to the evenings when I’d have the time to pick it back up. The book is perfectly concise and gets straight to the point. Despite covering such a wide range of financial topics, Galloway authored The Algebra of Wealth in a manner where nothing felt neither overwhelmingly complicated nor oversimplified. Galloway’s efficient yet engaging writing style carried through with this book and I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed his other work.
I’m looking forward to Galloway’s next book but hoping he pivots into content that was less explicitly covered (or not at all) in his other works.
Rating: 3/5