This is an autobiographical account of the lives and influence of economist Milton Friedman and his wife Rose, who sought to change intellectual opinion in the USA by their belief in personal freedom. It covers their involvement with world leaders and important public policy issues. Through their books and television programmes, and Milton's columns in "Newsweek", the Friedmans' views have been influential, widely debated and gradually accepted. When "Capitalism and Freedom" was published in 1962, it was ignored by the national media. By contrast, "Free to Choose", published the year Ronald Reagan was elected, became a bestseller. Together the Friedmans experienced many of the major events that have shaped the history of the modern world - from the Great Depression to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Milton Friedman served as unofficial adviser to Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and Presidents Nixon and Reagan. Apart from providing an account of two productive careers, the book is laced with entertaining details of life on the academic and ideological high wire.

米尔顿·弗里德曼,20世纪最具影响力的经济学家。由于创立了货币主义理论,提出了永久性收入假说,他于1976年获得诺贝尔经济学奖。1988年获得美国国家科学奖章与美国总统自由勋章。

他曾先后在美国芝加哥大学等多所院校任教,是美国芝加哥学派的领袖,一直遵循芝加哥学派的传统,主张经济自由主义,被称为反凯恩斯主义的先锋。

在公共政策领域中,他曾经担任过美国总统候选人巴里·戈德华特及尼克松总统与里根总统的非正式顾问。

重要著作：《实证经济学论文集》；《消费函数理论》；《资本主义与自由》；《价格理论：初稿》；与施瓦茨合著《美国货币史· 1867∽1960年》。他的大多学术著作对凯恩斯经济理论提出了相反观点,反对政府干预经济,是弗里德曼经济学理论的核心所在。

弗里德曼现年91岁,依然健在,已从美国芝加哥大学退休,但仍被经济学界尊为泰斗。

罗斯·弗里德曼,经济学家,佩珀代因大学名誉博士,与丈夫米尔顿·弗里德曼合著了《自由选择》和《现状的专制》等。