Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist (2017) is a work of nonfiction by British economist Kate Raworth that critiques mainstream economic theory and proposes a new framework for sustainable development. Raworth argues that 20th-century economics, with its focus on endless growth, is unfit for addressing modern crises like climate change and extreme inequality. She introduces a visual model called the “Doughnut” to redefine the goal of economics: to create a “safe... Read Doughnut Economics Summary

Drive is a 2009 non-fiction book by Daniel Pink, an American economist with experience working under Vice President Al Gore and Secretary of Labor Robert Reich. In Drive, Pink looks at research by psychologists, management theorists, and other professionals to examine the question of what really motivates people. While the common consensus in the business world is that people are largely driven by a desire for extrinsic rewards (e.g., money) and a fear of extrinsic... Read Drive Summary

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

The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844, also known as the 1844 Manuscripts or the Paris Manuscripts (the term used henceforth), is a collection of essays by the German philosopher Karl Marx, which were later compiled and published by Soviet researchers in 1932. The text represents the earliest formulation of the distinctive features of Marxist theory, which are elaborated most succinctly in his 1848 pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and most thoroughly in his 1867 book... Read Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 Summary

Ego Is the Enemy is a 2016 self-help book by best-selling American author Ryan Holiday. Holiday uses real-life anecdotes to illustrate how egotistical impulses are detrimental to people’s relationships, self-awareness, critical thinking, decision-making, and, ultimately, their life’s work. Holiday also draws on diverse examples of successful people, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Bill Belichick, to show how overcoming the ego can help people foster genuine confidence and achieve their goals while living out their values. Holiday’s... Read Ego Is the Enemy Summary

The biography Elon Musk by Walter Isaacson, published in 2023, explores the life and achievements of one of the most enigmatic figures in the tech and business worlds. Isaacson, a biographer with a track record of profiles on iconic individuals such as Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, and Leonardo da Vinci, brings his expertise to unravel the complex layers of Elon Musk’s persona. Isaacson’s deep dive into Musk’s life aims to give readers a deeper understanding... Read Elon Musk Summary

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance is a comprehensive biography that explores the life and career of one of the most influential figures in contemporary technology and entrepreneurship. Published in 2015, the book details Musk’s life from his time in South Africa to his pioneering work in Silicon Valley. Vance, a seasoned technology journalist with extensive experience covering Silicon Valley and the tech industry, provides an in-depth... Read Elon Musk Summary

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 Summary

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

Empire of Pain is a 2021 work of narrative nonfiction about the origins of the social crisis around opioid use disorder by investigative journalist and writer Patrick Radden Keefe. A staff writer for The New Yorker, Radden Keefe is also the author of Say Nothing, an account of murder and sectarian violence in Northern Ireland, and The Snakehead, a 2009 narrative nonfiction work about Chinatown, immigration, and organized crime.To explain how opioids became widely prescribed... Read Empire of Pain Summary

Enlightenment Now is a 2018 nonfiction book by Canadian anthropologist and linguist Steven Pinker. Pinker holds that Enlightenment-era values—namely reason, humanism, and science—are underappreciated and that those who believe in a free, liberal society should defend them. He argues persuasively that the pessimism prevalent in modern society and political discourse is largely unfounded—and that this cynicism results from ignorance of the impressive progress in human rights, safety, health, governance, and technology of the last several... Read Enlightenment Now Summary

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (2014) is a self-help book by American leadership expert Greg McKeown. A New York Times bestseller, the book focuses on the principles of essentialism and the value of prioritizing what truly matters. McKeown draws from his experience in leadership and productivity research to explore the modern challenges of overwhelming choices and distractions that prevent individuals from focusing on the essentials. Using personal anecdotes, historical examples, and practical advice, McKeown... Read Essentialism Summary

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

Everything Is Figureoutable (2019) by Marie Forleo is a bestselling self-help book that promotes a mindset of resilience, problem-solving, and personal accountability. Forleo, a renowned entrepreneur, life coach, and founder of the online business training program B-School, draws on her extensive experience in personal development to present a philosophy designed to help individuals overcome obstacles and achieve their goals. Blending motivational insights with practical strategies, the book encourages readers to embrace challenges as growth opportunities and... Read Everything is Figureoutable Summary

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

Exodus: How Migration is Changing Our World (2013) is a nonfiction study of migration by Paul Collier, a prominent economist and professor of public policy at the University of Oxford. As an expert in development economics, Collier draws on his extensive research on global inequality, migration, and economic development to analyze the effects of migration on individuals, host countries, and countries of origin.This study guide uses the 2013 Oxford University Press print edition.SummaryThe Prologue focuses... Read Exodus Summary

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

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

The essay “Famine, Affluence, and Morality” was first published by Peter Singer in 1972 in the journal Philosophy and Public Affairs. Singer had just completed his graduate studies at Oxford University, and was responding to weather- and war-related crises in Bangladesh that resulted in a large number of refugees lacking adequate food, housing, and medical attention. The essay is a critical examination of the obligations that both individuals and governments in wealthy nations have to... Read Famine, Affluence, and Morality Summary

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