"In this book, Stanford breaks with convention to present a populist, worker centered perspective on economics that challenges the prevailing apolitical models of capitalist economic orthodoxy. Stanford accomplishes this task by structuring the book into short, readable chapters, free from excessive economic jargon or mathematics. The use of cartoons and easy-to-read flow charts throughout helps the reader connect their actual lived economic circumstances in the workplace, at home, and in their communities to the bigger economic picture and the capitalist system as a whole. [...] Although Stanford does a good job explaining the relationship between capitalism and the class power structure throughout the book, a sustained discussion or even a stand-alone chapter on the relationship between capitalism and the racial power structure would have helped to make the book even more relevant to a wider audience. Finally, while Stanford does hold out hope for an alternative to capitalism, he provides no real road map for activists interested in building a transformative political project. For segments of the activist Left who are forever asking, 'What is to be done?' Stanford’s discussion of alternatives to capitalism will likely disappoint. That said, understanding the system one seeks to replace is a good starting point for any activist with aspirations of changing the world. To that end, Stanford’s Economics for Everyone is an exceptionally valuable contribution to the field of union education and could easily be adopted as a course text in introductory labor studies courses at the postsecondary level."

"As Stanford explains in the acknowledgments, the book’s origins lie in an online course for union members developed by the Canadian Autoworkers and McMaster University. The result is a very approachable critique of capitalism from the perspective of the working class. The book has a contemporary feel to it and is written specially for those with little or no background in economics. The language is straightforward and key concepts such as class, capital, labor, surplus, and competition are explained in a manner that most people would find easy to relate to. [...] Stanford’s guiding principles are that '[t]he economy is too important to be left to the economists' and that '[o]rdinary people have valuable economic knowledge – knowledge that’s usually ignored by the experts.' [...] A problem that crops up several places is that brief mentions of a large topic or debate carry the risk of confusing rather than enlightening the reader. This is partly the result of trying to cover too much. Since overall book size is always a strong constraint, a possible solution might be to use the book’s website to develop some key controversies, such as the labor theory of value or Venezuela under Chavez, in more detail. However all said, Jim Stanford has produced an excellent book that fills a very important void in the popular economics literature. I am sure the book will only improve with subsequent editions. I recommend that everyone use the book in their teaching and contribute to its development as a tool for teaching introductory political economy."