"Robert Tignor's book tells the story of a fascinating man in fascinating times. It is a story that gets the reader into one of the most important dramas of the past half century: the attempt to build free and prosperous nations out of impoverished colonies."—Fred Cooper, New York University
"This is a splendid book about a great man. It is full of lessons for all of us as we continue to struggle worldwide with issues of race and of the role of intellectuals as policy advisors. Few human beings have ever had the intelligence, the courage, and the grace of Arthur Lewis; for that reason, Arthur's disappointments in trying to improve life in Ghana and the West Indies are sobering indeed."—William G. Bowen, President Emeritus, Princeton University, and President, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
"Tignor provides an exciting epic of economist-as-engaged-public-figure. His many gifts as a historian are especially evident in the multi-faceted and definitive accounts of Lewis's role as principled United Nations advisor and as a fighter for supranational Caribbean institutions."—Mark Gersovitz, The Johns Hopkins University
"More than a mere biography of this remarkable man, this book is an eminently readable study of several important matters. It lays out the origins of development theory as a significant branch of economic analysis. It helps us to understand why so many developing countries have failed to make economic progress. It offers insights into the structure of racial discrimination. And it tells the fascinating story of a very wise man and his role inside and outside the academy."—William Baumol, New York University
"Tignor's book is one for enthusiasts of development, of social science research and of African history. It is long, closely written, tightly researched and scrupulously comprehensive."---Lawrence Haddad, Times Higher Education Supplement
"Bob Tignor's fine intellectual biography of his friend Sir Arthur Lewis, traces the development of one of the most important and enigmatic economists of the twentieth century. Tignor's book has much to tell us about the brutal conflict between development economics and politics in post-colonial Africa, a conflict that still casts its shadow over the least-developed continent of the world."—Angus Deaton, Princeton University
"In this splendid intellectual biography, Robert L. Tignor examines Lewis's career and thought, giving particular emphasis to his experiences in Africa. . . . This is an important biography, and one that will benefit scholars seeking to understand the enormous gap between economic aspirations and achievements in much of the developing world, as well as the struggle for racial justice. For students of post-independence Africa the book has special relevance."---Alfred E. Eckes, International History Review
"This book can be read on two levels. On the human level, it is the story of triumph against adversity. . . . [A]t the level of the contribution made by a professional economist to economic development, this book reads as a story of intellectual failure in the face of political reality. . . . Each of these chapters is thoroughly researched, judiciously blending discussions of Lewis's personal life and of the changes taking place in the world."---Ranald Michie, Business History Review
"Robert Tignor has produced an impressive intellectual biography of the remarkable economist, policy advisor, and educator, Sir W. Arthur Lewis."---James B. Stewart, Journal of African American History