Resources By Department: New Books: Business

Bad Company by Megan Greenwell
Private equity runs our country, and its executives have grown to become wealthy, modern-day barons with outsized influence on our politics and legislation. Bad Company exposes the pervasive influence of private equity in American life, from healthcare and housing to media and infrastructure. Through the personal stories of four workers devastated by private equity takeovers, the book reveals how these firms enrich a powerful elite while destabilizing communities and deepening inequality. Combining journalism with human-centered storytelling, it offers a powerful critique of one of the most consequential yet opaque forces in the U.S. economy.
The Alternative by Nick Romeo
Confronted by the terrifying trends of the early twenty-first century, many economists and business leaders still preach dogmas that lack evidence and create political catastrophe. But a growing number of people are rejecting these myths and reshaping economies around the world to reflect ethical and social values. Though they differ in approach, all share a vision of the economy as a place of moral action and accountability. Journalist Nick Romeo takes us on an extraordinary journey through the unforgettable stories and successes of people working to build economies that are more equal, just, and livable.
Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Sarah Wynn-Williams tells the wrenching but fun story of Facebook, mapping its rise from stumbling encounters with juntas to Mark Zuckerberg's reaction when he learned of Facebook's role in Trump's election. She experiences the challenges and humiliations of working motherhood within a pressure cooker of a workplace. A deep, unflinching look at the role that social media has assumed in our lives, Careless People reveals the truth about the leaders of Facebook: how the more power they grasp, the less responsible they become and the consequences this has for all of us.
Beyond Shareholder Primacy by Stuart Hart
Beyond Shareholder Primacy argues that capitalism has reformed itself twice before and is poised for a third major reformation. Retelling the origin story of capitalism from the fifteenth century to the present, Hart argues that a radically sustainable, just capitalism is possible, and even likely, in our lifetime. Hart goes on to describe what it will take to move beyond capitalism's present worship of "shareholder primacy," including corporate transformations to re-embed purpose and reforms to major economic institutions. A key requirement is eliminating the "externalities" (or collateral damage) of our current shareholder capitalism.
We Need to Talk about Inflation by Stephen D. King
From investors and monetary authorities to governments and policy makers, almost everyone had assumed inflation was dead and buried. But now people the world over are confronting a poisonous new economic reality and, with it, the prospect of vast and increasing wealth inequality. How have we arrived in this situation? And what, if anything, can we do about it? Stephen D. King identifies key lessons from the history of inflation that policy makers chose not to heed. From ancient Rome through the American Civil War and up to the asset bubbles of today, inflation stems from policy error, sovereign greed, and a loss of faith in currencies.

Fusion Strategy by Vijay Govindarajan; Venkat Venkatraman
Tech giants like Facebook, Amazon, and Google can collect real-time data from billions of users. For companies that design and manufacture physical products, that type of fluid, data-rich information used to be a pipe dream. Now, with the rise of technological advances, things are changing--fast. Fusion Strategy offers a first-of-its-kind playbook that will help companies combine what they do best--create physical products--with what digitals do best--use algorithms and AI to parse ginormous, interconnected datasets--to make strategic connections that would otherwise be impossible.
More Than Pretty Boxes by Carrie M. Lane
Carrie M. Lane introduces us to the world of professional organizers and offers new insight into the domains of work and home, forever entangled--especially for women. Organizers choose their profession out of a need for creativity, flexibility, and opportunities for growth that are increasingly difficult to find in the modern workplace, and the stories they tell about work with clients are fascinating. In that sense, organizing is a good job in an era of bad jobs, one that can help us see more clearly the limitations and disadvantages of many of the other forms of work available to Americans today.
Easy Money by Ben McKenzie; Jacob Silverman
Armed with only the vague notion that people were making heaps of money on something he didn't entirely understand, McKenzie dove deep into blockchain, Bitcoin, and the various other coins and exchanges on which they are traded. But after scratching the surface, he had to ask, 'Am I crazy, or is this all a total scam?' Easy Money is an investigative adventure into crypto and its remarkable crash. Weaving together stories of average traders and victims, colorful crypto 'visionaries,' Hollywood's biggest true believers, anti-crypto whistleblowers, and government operatives, Easy Money tells of a perfect storm of irresponsibility and criminal fraud.
Goodbye Globalization by Elisabeth Braw
After the Cold War, globalization accelerated at breakneck speed. Manufacturing, transport, and consumption defied national borders, companies made more money, and consumers had access to an ever-increasing range of goods. But in recent years, a profound shift has begun to take place. Business executives and politicians alike are realising that globalization is no longer working. Supply chains are imperilled, Russia has been expelled from the global economy after its invasion of Ukraine, and China is using these fissures to leverage a strategic advantage. Given these pressures, what will the future of our world economy look like?
Fabric by Victoria Finlay
From our earliest ancestors to babies born today, fabric is a necessary part of our everyday lives, but it's also an opportunity for creativity, symbolism, culture and connection. A century ago in Wales, women would sew their own funeral clothes over tea with friends. In Papua New Guinea, bark is stripped from trees and beaten into cloth. Harris Tweed has a particular smell, while Guatemalan weavers use dazzling colors. Uncovering the stories of the fabrics people wear and use from sacking to silk, Fabric combines science, history, tradition and art in a captivating exploration of how we live, work, craft and care.

New Books: Business

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