What are some good books would you recommend to help Americans get up to speed on economics?

I am continually amazed by how little my fellow Americans know about economics. Most of what passes for economic knowledge is actually a kind indoctrination into “free market” ideology. I call it indoctrination because it tends to get people to embrace policies that are actually adverse to their interests.

For example, criticizing the government for “adding to the deficit” at a time when the country is in deep recession and in desperate need of stimulus spending shows a level of ignorance about economic principles that could be catastrophic if it were enacted into policy. Cutting back on government spending in order to “save money” during a recession can only deepen it. Yet many people have no idea why, and so they get suckered into voting for candidates and policies can only make things worse.

Many people seem to think that to understand economics you have to confront a lot of scary math, or that it is somehow irrelevant or unimportant to their lives. This is emphatically not the case. Economics and economic policy is right up there with religion and politics in the effect it has on people’s lives—and, if anything, even more so. Yet, most of what people know, or think they know, about economics is hardly worth mentioning.

Can anyone recommend any really good popular books on economics, or some aspect of economics (preferably not text books), that are well-written, engaging, and likely to help their fellow Americans to better understand economics, their economic institutions, and/or fiscal, monetary, trade, or industrial policy? If so, please tell us what the book is about and why you think it is important (and a link, if you can).