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.

Publication year 2009

Genre Book, Fiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Community, Society: Education, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Psychology, Self Help, Business / Economics


Publication year 1999

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment

Tags Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Southern Literature, History: World, Biography

In the memoir, Ecology of a Cracker Childhood, Janisse Ray describes growing up amidst her family’s junkyard in rural south Georgia. She structures the book in a series of short chapters, each of which focuses on a different aspect of her family life. Between these chapters, Ray also writes descriptions of the longleaf pine forests–an ecosystem that once covered the south Georgia landscape and has been largely destroyed by logging.  Ray is born in Baxley... Read Ecology of a Cracker Childhood Summary


Publication year 1843

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Politics / Government, History: World, Education, Education, Sociology, Philosophy, Classic Fiction


Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Fame, Values/Ideas: Win & Lose, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance

Tags Self Help, Philosophy, Business / Economics, Leadership/Organization/Management


Publication year 2023

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Relationships: Fathers, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Business / Economics, Science / Nature, Leadership/Organization/Management, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2015

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Biography


Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Society: Education

Tags Self Help, Psychology, Leadership/Organization/Management, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, Relationships, Psychology

In Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel Goleman discusses how The Components of Emotional Intelligence, like self-awareness, empathy, and social skills, shape an individual’s life. He explores key themes, such as The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Personal and Professional Success, The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Traditional IQ, and Emotional Intelligence Affecting Mental Health and Interpersonal Relationships. This guide refers to the 1995 Bantam Books hardcover edition. Content Warning: The... Read Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags History: U.S., Race / Racism, American Literature, Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government

Empire of Cotton is a nonfiction book published in 2014 by the German American author and historian Sven Beckert. By chronicling the history of the global cotton trade and its vast network of growers, merchants, and manufacturers, the book explores the origins and evolution of modern capitalism. In a narrative spanning over two centuries, Beckett takes readers through the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, the American Civil War, and the collapse of colonialism following World... Read Empire of Cotton Summary


Publication year 2021

Genre Biography, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Loyalty & Betrayal, Society: Class, Relationships: Siblings, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Health / Medicine, Politics / Government, History: U.S., Addiction / Substance Abuse, Business / Economics, Crime / Legal, Finance / Money / Wealth, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Science / Nature, History: World, Biography


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Community

Tags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics / Government, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Class, Climate Change, Social Justice, History: World, Psychology, Philosophy


Publication year 2011

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Self Discovery

Tags Business / Economics, Self Help, Psychology, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Identity: Race, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Tags Immigration / Refugee, African Literature, Black Lives Matter, Business / Economics, African American Literature, Modern Classic Fiction, History: World, Travel Literature

Nigerian author Teju Cole’s Every Day Is for the Thief is a work of autofiction originally published in Nigeria in 2007 and published in the US in 2014. The novel unfolds in picaresque style from the first-person perspective, as a narrator who closely resembles the author returns to Nigeria after 15 years in the US to reckon with Nigerian national identity and his own legacy. Surprised to find that he feels less comfortable in his... Read Every Day Is for the Thief Summary


Publication year 2019

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Emotions/Behavior: Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Self Help, Business / Economics, Psychology, Inspirational, Relationships


Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Family, Society: Community

Tags Sociology, Social Justice, Poverty, Race / Racism, Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, written by Matthew Desmond, a tenured sociology professor at Princeton University, was published in 2016 and won the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 2017. In this influential work, Desmond highlights the interconnected issues of extreme poverty and affordable housing in the United States, themes he continues to explore in his more recent book, Poverty, by America. Through an ethnographic study, he follows the experiences of eight... Read Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Class, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government

Tags Immigration / Refugee, Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Sociology


Publication year 2015

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Relationships: Teams, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict

Tags Military / War, Business / Economics, Self Help, War On Terrorism / Iraq War, Leadership/Organization/Management, Psychology, Psychology

In the 2015 military and business book Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win, two of the most highly decorated US Navy SEALs of the Iraq War describe the lessons of leadership learned during combat and how those lessons apply to companies and organizations. Authors Jocko Willink and Leif Babin explain that the single most important element of a team is its leader and that the team succeeds in its mission only if... Read Extreme Ownership Summary


Publication year 2018

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Sociology, Science / Nature, Business / Economics, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Philosophy, Self Help, Politics / Government

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World—And Why Things Are Better Than You Think, written by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund, was published by Flatiron Books in 2018. This book examines how people across cultures view the world through a negative lens, which leads them to believe conditions everywhere are declining. Doctor and global health expert Hans Rosling offers research and anecdotes from his medical experience and his lectures to unpack... Read Factfulness Summary


Publication year 1972

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: Globalization, Society: Community

Tags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Finance / Money / Wealth, Business / Economics, History: World, Psychology, Psychology, Philosophy, Religion / Spirituality


Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Food, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags Food, Sociology, Education, Education, Science / Nature, Arts / Culture, History: World, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Journalism, Politics / Government, Social Justice

IntroductionFast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal is a 2001 nonfiction book by Eric Schlosser that investigates the business practices of the American fast food industry and the associated agricultural industries that supply it. Following the precedent of Upton Sinclair’s famous 1906 work The Jungle, Schlosser provides readers with a glimpse into the questionable ethics of these large food corporations. Schlosser likewise provides brief historical accounts of fast food’s origins and traces... Read Fast Food Nation Summary


Publication year 2014

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Tags Business / Economics, Finance / Money / Wealth, Technology, Science / Nature, History: World, Politics / Government, Biography

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt is a 2014 economic nonfiction book by financial journalist Michael Lewis. Flash Boys investigates Wall Street’s desire to maximize profits and the ramifications of this profit-seeking behavior on the broader economy. Flash Boys follows investor Brad Katsuyama’s quest to establish the Investor’s Exchange (IEX) to mitigate the effects of High-Frequency Trading (HFT), a Wall Street profit-maximizing trading practice at the heart of Lewis’s investigation. Through Katsuyama’s story, Lewis explores... Read Flash Boys Summary