THE GREAT SLUMP OF 1930 by John Maynard Keynes, 1931 provides the basics framework of macro economics, debt-deflation and the roles of consumer and capital investment and spending explained almost totally non mathematically in three pages! It is the clearest simple explanation I have found and any reasonably bright person who is interested should be able to grasp the essence with a bit of effort. Once one has that 5 Km high overview or gestalt click into focus, so much of what they already know falls into place. At least that is what I found for myself.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."