I think a whole bunch of people bought it because it was "groundbreaking" and then lied to their friends that they read it. I did read it, and it is groundbreaking, but as an audiobook it's kind of like a 42-hour PowerPoint on interest rates. I can honestly say that I don't know anyone who would make any attempt to get through it.
But why this book? Plenty of "groundbreaking" books come out all the time. This one happens to actually be groundbreaking, but that's more coincidence than anything else. Very few of the journalists who said it was groundbreaking read the damn thing, so what do they know.I think a whole bunch of people bought it because it was "groundbreaking" and then lied to their friends that they read it.
Because it's a statistical and analytical Matterhorn of data and conclusion that attacks the status quo through sheer unflinching correlation. And it's really easy to follow. He's very careful to use no math beyond algebra, and he apologizes for that algebra. Meanwhile, I can't even follow the criticism. It's a book everyone should read, but very, VERY few people have the fortitude.