Business & Economics

Explore the ways that money makes the world go 'round in these Business and Economics selections. Ranging from wealth-building self-help advice to philosophical critiques of capitalism, the titles in this Collection explore the role of money and wealth in society and the systems that drive global economies.

Think and Grow Rich

by Napoleon Hill

Publication year 1937

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Perseverance, Teamwork, Economics, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Self-Improvement, Finance, Business & Economics, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Originally published in 1937, Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich is widely acknowledged as a foundational text in the field of self-help literature. The book mainly revolves around the themes of The Mystical Power of Positive Thinking, Setting Goals and Persistence, and Desire and Motivation in Personal and Financial Growth. Through anecdotes and practical strategies that Hill claims came from his intimate knowledge of business luminaries such as Andrew Carnegie, Hill promises to catalyze personal... Read Think and Grow Rich Summary

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Politics & Government

Tags Psychology, Science & Nature, Self-Improvement, Leadership, Business & Economics, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011), written by Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman, examines how people exercise judgment and make decisions. It draws from Kahneman’s long career—particularly his collaboration with fellow psychologist Amos Tversky beginning in 1969—identifying the mechanisms, biases, and perspectives that constitute human decision-making. Its 38 chapters provide detailed information affecting disciplines ranging from mathematics to law. The book was named one of the best books of 2011 by The New York Times and The... Read Thinking, Fast and Slow Summary

Think Like a Freak

by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics, Community, Truth & Lies

Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Science & Nature, Sociology, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy

Think Like a Freak is a nonfiction book published in 2014 by Steven D. Levitt, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, and Stephen J. Dubner, a journalist based in New York City. It is a follow-up to the authors’ successful books Freakonomics (2005) and SuperFreakonomics (2009), and ties in with their blog and podcast, which can be found at freakonomics.com. A fourth book in the series, When to Rob a Bank, was... Read Think Like a Freak Summary

This Changes Everything

by Naomi Klein

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Globalization, Environment

Tags Science & Nature, Climate Change, Business & Economics, Politics & Government

This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate is Naomi Klein's fourth book. Published in 2014, it explores the issue of climate change from an anticapitalistic political perspective and considers whether contemporary market-driven policies are adequate for responding to the global crisis. The book won the 2014 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction and was adapted into a documentary by Avi Lewis.Klein is a Canadian author, filmmaker, and activist whose work centers on anticapitalist critique... Read This Changes Everything Summary

This Is Your Mind on Plants

by Michael Pollan

Publication year 2021

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Environment, Indigenous Identity, Colonialism, Politics & Government

Tags Science & Nature, Psychology, Health, Addiction & Substance Abuse, Agriculture, Anthropology, Business & Economics, European History, US History, Politics & Government, World History, Journalism, Religion & Spirituality, Psychology, Food

... Read This Is Your Mind on Plants Summary

Thrive

by Arianna Huffington

Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Self Discovery, Death, Science & Technology

Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Psychology, Health, Psychology, Biography

... Read Thrive Summary

Tightrope

by Sheryl WuDunn, Nicholas D. Kristof

Publication year 2020

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Justice, Politics & Government, Education, Community

Tags Sociology, Politics & Government, Poverty, Business & Economics, World History, Social Justice

Tightrope: Americans Reaching For Hope (Alfred A. Knopf, 2020) is a nonfiction book written by the journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, who are also married. The book chronicles the individual impact of the American approach to poverty and offers prescriptions for how the United States can adopt a more human approach to those who are struggling with deprivation, addiction, and despair. Upon its release, the book was a New York Times best seller.Plot SummaryThe... Read Tightrope Summary

Titan

by Ron Chernow

Publication year 1998

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Fame, Family, Fathers, Power & Greed, Religion & Spirituality, Economics

Tags US History, Business & Economics, Finance, Leadership, World History, Biography

... Read Titan Summary

Too Big To Fail

by Andrew Ross Sorkin

Publication year 2009

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics

Tags Business & Economics, Journalism, World History, Finance, Politics & Government

Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves, written by American journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin, is a nonfiction work published in 2009. The subtitle accurately describes what the work accomplishes, and the book is the product of “more than five hundred hours of interviews with more than two hundred individuals who participated directly in the events surrounding the financial crisis” (vii). Sorkin, a... Read Too Big To Fail Summary

Tribes

by Seth Godin

Publication year 2008

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Teamwork, Science & Technology, Perseverance, Fear

Tags Self-Improvement, Business & Economics, Psychology, Leadership, Psychology

... Read Tribes Summary

Triumph of the City

by Edward L. Glaeser

Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Economics

Tags Business & Economics, Urban Development, Sociology, World History, Arts & Culture

Harvard economics professor Edward Glaeser brings new life and controversy to the study of urban areas with his book Triumph of The City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier (2011). The 2011 Penguin Books edition is the subject of this guide. Glaeser amasses evidence from his own research and elsewhere to prove the critical importance of cities to the progress of humanity. His thesis is that the many personal interconnections... Read Triumph of the City Summary

Uncanny Valley

by Anna Wiener

Publication year 2020

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Science & Technology

Tags Science & Nature, Gender & Feminism, Business & Economics, Biography

The book’s first part, “Incentives,” introduces the key conflict: Wiener, a 25-year-old Brooklyn native, desires “momentum” and fulfilment in her professional life but has tired of her job as an underpaid assistant at a Manhattan literary agency. After a brief stint at a New York e-book startup, she secures a customer support position at a mobile analytics company in San Francisco. She optimistically immerses herself in the workplace culture, shrugging off incidents of sexism, the... Read Uncanny Valley Summary

Upheaval

by Jared Diamond

Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Conflict, Mental Health, Economics, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War

Tags Political Science, Social Science, World History, Politics & Government, Business & Economics, Sociology, Anthropology

... Read Upheaval Summary