Craig R. Roach

https://craigroach.com

Craig R. Roach, Ph.D. is the author of Simply Electrifying: The Technology That Transformed the World, from Benjamin Franklin to Elon Musk. This comprehensive, narrative history of electricity won a Gold Medal in the Axiom Business Book Awards and was chosen as only one of eight “Compelling Reads” by J. P. Morgan for its #Nextlist2018. His work has also received favorable reviews from Harvard Business Review, Financial Times, Booklist, and San Francisco Book Review.

Dr. Roach was the founder and President of Boston Pacific Company, Inc., a consulting and investment services firm in Washington, D.C. He has over 40 years of experience with investments in, policies for, and litigation concerning the energy industries, and he is a nationally recognized expert.

He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin, consistently ranked among the top ten economic research institutions in America. His writing focuses on energy, economics, technology, and history, and he is known for an objective and unbiased eye for evidence.

Books by Craig R. Roach

Image of Simply Electrifying: The Technology that Transformed the World, from Benjamin Franklin to Elon Musk

Book Reviews by Craig R. Roach

Image of On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything
Author(s):
Nate Silver
Genre(s):
Business, Investing & Economics, Management & Leadership, Finance

On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything

September 19, 2024
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“Silver takes on the ambitious goal of reconciling the two groups that he sees driving America’s divisiveness.”

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Image of The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism
Author(s):
Keyu Jin
Genre(s):
Business, Investing & Economics, International, Economics, History, Asia, China

The New China Playbook: Beyond Socialism and Capitalism

October 19, 2023
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“Jin has made a compelling case against the idea that capitalism is the only path to prosperity.”

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Image of The Poverty Paradox: Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity
Author(s):
Mark Robert Rank
Genre(s):
Business, Investing & Economics, Personal Finance & Investing, Current/Public Affairs & Events, Economics, U.S.

The Poverty Paradox: Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity

April 24, 2023
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“a mind is a terrible thing to waste, and innovative education and training must be an essential part of our effort to reduce poverty.”

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Image of The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America
Author(s):
Philip Bump
Genre(s):
Science & Math, Political & Social Science, Economics, Planning & Forecasting, Elections & Political Process

The Aftermath: The Last Days of the Baby Boom and the Future of Power in America

February 24, 2023
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“The changing of the guard from baby boomers to Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z deserves our attention because of the possible scale and nature of its impact.”

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Image of Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail
Author(s):
Ray Dalio
Genre(s):
Economics, Current/Public Affairs & Events

Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail

November 30, 2021
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“Dalio’s philosophical foundation for choosing investments is a sprawling, holistic study of how the world has worked over hundreds of years of history.”

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Image of The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations
Author(s):
Philippe Aghion, Céline Antonin, Simon Bunel
Genre(s):
Economics, Global, Development & Growth

The Power of Creative Destruction: Economic Upheaval and the Wealth of Nations

April 20, 2021
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“To paraphrase a quote referring to Keynes, another famous economist, the book may convince readers that we should all be Schumpeterians now.”

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Image of People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent
Author(s):
Joseph E. Stiglitz
Genre(s):
Economics

People, Power, and Profits: Progressive Capitalism for an Age of Discontent

June 25, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

Joseph E. Stiglitz is one of America’s top economists.

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Image of The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming
Author(s):
David Wallace-Wells
Genre(s):
Environment, Science & Math

The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming

June 2, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“Expect to be exhausted and unsettled after reading the first half of the book because that is the author’s goal.

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Image of The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials' Economic Future
Author(s):
Joseph C. Sternberg
Genre(s):
Economics, Business, Investing & Economics

The Theft of a Decade: How the Baby Boomers Stole the Millennials’ Economic Future

May 13, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“a smart, data-driven proof of the plight of Millennials.”

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Image of The Enlightened Capitalists: Cautionary Tales of Business Pioneers Who Tried to Do Well by Doing Good
Author(s):
James O'Toole
Genre(s):
Business & Management Profiles/Histories, History of Business/Investing

The Enlightened Capitalists: Cautionary Tales of Business Pioneers Who Tried to Do Well by Doing Good

April 25, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“O’Toole says the purpose of his book is to offer information that 'inspires and guides' the forthcoming class of corporate leaders.

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Image of The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties
Author(s):
Paul Collier
Genre(s):
Political Economy, Political & Social Science, Business, Investing & Economics, Economics

The Future of Capitalism: Facing the New Anxieties

January 9, 2019
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“Collier endorses capitalism for the long haul because it ‘has the potential to lift us all to unprecedented prosperity.’ However, he writes that ‘capitalist societies must be ethical as we

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Image of Capitalism in America: A History
Author(s):
Alan Greenspan
Genre(s):
Economics, History, U.S.

Capitalism in America: A History

December 11, 2018
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

“Capitalism in America is an unabashed, detailed defense of capitalism.”

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Image of The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation
Author(s):
Isabel Sawhill
Genre(s):
Politics, Development & Growth

The Forgotten Americans: An Economic Agenda for a Divided Nation

September 30, 2018
Reviewed by: 
Craig R. Roach

Isabel Sawhill says she was “dumbfounded by the 2016 election.” Having already started her book she had to address new, fundamental questions. Who voted for President Trump and why?

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