Megan McArdle has always impressed me with her writing. She has a talent for looking critically at social issues and dispelling the dogma or knee-jerk thinking too often associated with public policy. So it did not surprise me that I found The Upside of Down so engaging and enlightening. Megan's insights are applicable to so many facets of our lives - parenting, education, careers, public policy (in many areas), financial management, self-analysis - I am hard pressed to think of an audience that would not benefit from reading this book.Ultimately, Megan makes a compelling case for our society to gain a better awareness of the value of encouraging constructive failure. She does a laudable job of contrasting societal differences between the US and Europe, even providing anthropological context (that in and of itself prompts the ideologue to question basic notions of fairness and justice!). She then shows why the US experience and tradition is better suited to the encouragement of a dynamic and optimistic society.As I finished The Upside of Down I had a long mental list of friends and family to whom I will recommend it. Well done, Megan! You must have worked very hard and diligently to produce this fine book (notice I compliment your effort, not your natural talent!).