People's History is an excellent, if not really depressing, book
My favorite Econ teacher reminded us every class that current mainstream economic theory doesn't really apply to a lot of things that it is supposed to. i.e. most free markets are actuall competitive oligopolies, etc.
"Let the market handle it" is an economists way of saying "screw the poor"
I suggest you look into a newer theory called post-autistic economics. I could try to explain it, but the site,
www.paecon.net, would do it more justice.