Any book that intends to provide a complete account of a chapter covering almost 70 years in the history of ideas is an ambitious achievement by itself, especially when it is centered around a fuzzy concept like neoliberalism. If such a book also attempts to cover decades of economic history, discussing the evolution of policymaking and the intellectual and political debates that shaped it, one would probably worry that the author is trying to accomplish too much. Now, add that the author will try to do so while navigating murky waters, surrounded by the history of a violent dictatorship and the overall context of Latin American politics of the Cold War era. It seems like a recipe for failure.

Yet, to the great benefit of his readers, Sebástian Edwards accomplishes all this brilliantly. The Chile Project: The Story of the Chicago Boys and the Downfall of Neoliberalism1 is nothing short of a monumental achievement.

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