My favorite books to understand how fiscal and monetary prolificacy has destroyed America’s foundation of freedom

Why am I passionate about this?

My passion is to prepare clients' investments for the impending debt crisis. That is why I started Pento Portfolio Strategies and created the Inflation/Deflation and Economic Cycle Model. The US faces an entirely new paradigm – due to onerous debt, central banks are forced to either massively monetize the nation's debt or allow a cathartic deflationary depression to reset the economy. Our government is now compelled to seek a condition of perpetual inflation to maintain the illusion of prosperity and solvency. Our central bank is now walking the economy on a tightrope between inflation and deflation. This will require a vastly different and active investment strategy to fit the new dynamic.


I wrote...

The Coming Bond Market Collapse: How to Survive the Demise of the U.S. Debt Market

By Michael G. Pento,

Book cover of The Coming Bond Market Collapse: How to Survive the Demise of the U.S. Debt Market

What is my book about?

The United States is in the process of popping the most significant asset bubble in history. We are in the early innings of a financial crisis that will cause a massive interest rate shock sending the US consumer economy and the US government―pumped up by massive Treasury debt―into bankruptcy. After reading this book, you will understand how policies sponsored by the Federal Reserve and private industry have contributed to the developing interest rate disaster. You will discover well-reasoned solutions that government, industry, and individuals can take to insulate themselves against the emerging crisis. This book helps investors gain insight into sound strategies for protecting themselves and their assets against the developing financial apocalypse. 

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Conscience of a Conservative

Michael G. Pento Why did I love this book?

I read this book in college, and it helped define my political beliefs.

Although Goldwater refers to himself as a Conservative, the ideas expressed in this book would be considered Libertarian by today's standards. This book defines the basic principles of limited government and what a government should and should not provide to its constituents. 

By Barry Goldwater,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Conscience of a Conservative as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

2011 Reprint of 1960 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition Software. "The Conscience of a Conservative" was published by Goldwater when he was an Arizona Senator and a potential 1964 Republican presidential candidate. The book reignited the American conservative movement and made Barry Goldwater a political star. The book has influenced countless conservatives in the United States, helping to lay the foundation for the Reagan Revolution in 1980. The book is considered to be a significant statement of politically and economically American conservative ideas which were to gain influence during the following decades. The…


Book cover of The Empire of Debt: The Rise of an Epic Financial Bubble

Michael G. Pento Why did I love this book?

An apropos warning about the inevitable collapse of all empires that live beyond their means.

Wrought with historical references to past collapsed empires including the Roman and British, understand how the US is going down the same destructive path as the previous empires.

This book also explains how the high standard of living in the US and other Western economies is sponsored by the poorer, harder-working Asian countries that make something of value.

Issuing massive amounts of debt and printing money to pay for it isn’t a sustainable way to run an economy.

By Will Bonner, Addison Wiggin,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Empire of Debt as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An updated look at the United States' precarious position given the recent financial turmoil In The New Empire of Debt , financial writers Bill Bonner and Addison Wiggin return to reveal how the financial crisis that has plagued the United States will soon bring an end to this once great empire. Throughout the book, the authors offer an updated look at the United States' precarious position given the recent financial turmoil, and discuss how government control of the economy and financial system-combined with unfettered deficit spending and gluttonous consumption-has ravaged the business environment, devastated consumer confidence, and pushed the global…


Book cover of The Theory of Money and Credit

Michael G. Pento Why did I love this book?

Written over a century ago, this is a book for the ages.

I read this book early in my career, and it provided a basis for understanding money that helped form my current economic theories. Mises reveals how money originated in the market and how its value is based on its efficacy as a commodity in exchange.

Mises concisely lays out the case for sound money with no inflation and introduces the beginnings of a full-scale business cycle theory. 

By Ludwig von Mises,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Theory of Money and Credit as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"It is impossible to grasp the meaning of the idea of sound money if one does not realize that it was devised as an instrument for the protection of civil liberties against despotic inroads on the part of governments." - from The Theory of Money and Credit

Originally published in 1912, Ludwig von Mises's The Theory of Money and Credit remains today one of economic theory's most influential and controversial treatises. Von Mises's examination into monetary theory changed forever the world of economic thought when he successfully integrated "macroeconomics" into "microeconomics" -previously deemed an impossible task -as well as offering…


Book cover of The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy--If We Let It Happen

Michael G. Pento Why did I love this book?

Laffer, Moore, and Tanous cut through the noise of party politics and examine the economic policies of past administrations.

They argue that Nixon (R) was the worst president by promulgating a weak dollar and instituting price controls. Kennedy (D) was one of the best presidents highlighting his optimism and achieving economic growth by cutting taxes.

And, of course, Ronald Reagen, whose low tax, low regulation, and pro-growth policies lifted this country from its deep morass, saved it from stagflation, and led to the eventual downfall of the USSR.

They also suggest where we go from here, arguing that low taxes and a stable dollar lead to economic prosperity.

By Peter Tanous, Arthur B. Laffer, Stephen Moore

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The End of Prosperity as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?


Now available in paperback with a new updated chapter, this timely book by three distinguished economists delivers an urgent message: Americans risk losing their high standard of living if the pro-growth policies of the last twenty-five years are reversed by a new president.

Since the early 1980s, the United States has experienced a wave of prosperity almost unprecedented in history in terms of wealth creation, new jobs, and improved living standards for all. Under the leadership of Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, Americans changed the incentive structure on taxes, inflation, and regulation, and as a result the economy roared…


Book cover of End the Fed

Michael G. Pento Why did I love this book?

This book explains the unchecked power of the Federal Reserve.

Perfect for those who don't have the time to read the 608-page The Creature From Jekyll Island. In this book, Paul explains in very simple terms that the Federal Reserve has been given absolute power over the most essential element of our economy – the price and supply of money.

Formed by a small group of powerful bankers who argued a central bank would stabilize the currency, over the past century since its creation, the Fed has not only destabilized the currency but also created a series of wealth-destroying asset bubbles.

It has also led to a trenchant and destructive wealth gap between the rich and the poor. 

By Ron Paul,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked End the Fed as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

During the 2008 presidential campaign over 4,000 students gathered at the University of Michigan to hear Republican candidate Ron Paul speak. As he began to address the topics of monetary policy and the coming depression, a chant came from the crowd, 'End the Fed! End the Fed!' As dollar bills were set on fire, it became clearer than ever that the real problem, one that nobody in the media was talking about, was the central bank - an unconstitutional entity and a political, economic and moral disaster. Most people think of the Federal Reserve as an institution that has always…


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Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

By Gabrielle Robinson,

Book cover of Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

Gabrielle Robinson Author Of Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Retired english professor

Gabrielle's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Gabrielle found her grandfather’s diaries after her mother’s death, only to discover that he had been a Nazi. Born in Berlin in 1942, she and her mother fled the city in 1945, but Api, the one surviving male member of her family, stayed behind to work as a doctor in a city 90% destroyed.

Gabrielle retraces Api’s steps in the Berlin of the 21st century, torn between her love for the man who gave her the happiest years of her childhood and trying to come to terms with his Nazi membership, German guilt, and political responsibility.

Api's Berlin Diaries: My Quest to Understand My Grandfather's Nazi Past

By Gabrielle Robinson,

What is this book about?

"This is not a book I will forget any time soon."
Story Circle Book Reviews

Moving and provocative, Api's Berlin Diaries offers a personal perspective on the fall of Berlin 1945 and the far-reaching aftershocks of the Third Reich.

After her mother's death, Robinson was thrilled to find her beloved grandfather's war diaries-only to discover that he had been a Nazi.

The award-winning memoir shows Api, a doctor in Berlin, desperately trying to help the wounded in cellars without water or light. He himself was reduced to anxiety and despair, the daily diary his main refuge. As Robinson retraces Api's…


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