Globalization

Globalization—a growing interdependence of the world's economies and populations—affects every aspect of life as we know it, including what we eat, how we work, and how we identify ourselves. The books in this collection explore globalization through various lenses, investigating the economic, social, and ecological impact of the direction the world is headed.

Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Natural World: Environment, Society: ColonialismTags History: World, Science / Nature, Anthropology

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: GlobalizationTags Science / Nature

21 Lessons for the 21st Century (2018) is historian, philosopher, and acclaimed author Yuval Noah Harari’s in-depth look at the current global affairs and the immediate future of humankind. To Harari, the merging of biotechnology and artificial intelligence potentially represents the end of history with some humans becoming godlike. Despite the ramification of this situation on all of humanity, most people are distracted by irrelevant information and do not realize the debate that is occurring... Read 21 Lessons for the 21st Century Summary


Publication year 2010Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Justice & InjusticeTags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Education, Class, Finance / Money / Wealth, Food, History: World, Immigration / Refugee, Leadership/Organization/Management, Military / War, Poverty, Social Justice, Sociology, Technology

Publication year 2005Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: Class, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: GlobalizationTags Business / Economics, Philosophy, Politics / Government, Anthropology, Social Justice

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: GlobalizationTags History: World

A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage traces the emergence of six different beverages—beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and Coca-Cola—and the roles they played in human history and culture. In doing so, Standage offers a sweeping overview of human history, ranging from the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia to contemporary America that emphasizes the continuities in our approach to drinks and drinking, as well as the changes and discoveries they are associated... Read A History of the World in 6 Glasses Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Natural World: Environment, Identity: Femininity, Identity: Race, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government, Social Justice

A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet (2017) is a nonfiction book written by Raj Patel, a political economist and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and Jason W. Moore, an environmental historian and associate professor at Binghamton University. The authors’ expertise in political economy and environmental history provides a unique perspective on the interconnected nature of capitalism and ecological... Read A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things Summary


Publication year 1971Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Society: War, Society: Colonialism, Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Community, Society: Education, Society: Immigration, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags History: U.S.

Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Science / Nature, Climate Change

An Inconvenient Truth is a 2006 nonfiction book released in conjunction with the documentary film of the same name. This book, by former vice-president Al Gore, presents scientific information about global climate change. He intersperses this information with personal anecdotes that outline the more human and social dimensions of the issue.An Inconvenient Truth begins with an introduction to the basic science of global warming and the greenhouse gases that cause it. The first forty pages... Read An Inconvenient Truth Summary


Publication year 2003Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Politics / Government, Race / Racism, Social Justice, History: U.S., Sociology

Publication year 1956Genre Poem, FictionThemes Society: Nation, Identity: Sexuality, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Literature, Emotions/Behavior: NostalgiaTags Lyric Poem, Love / Sexuality, Arts / Culture, The Beat Generation, LGBTQ

“A Supermarket in California” is a prose poem by the American poet Allen Ginsberg. Written in 1955, it appears alongside Ginsberg’s most well-known work, “Howl,” in his book Howl and Other Poems. Published November 1, 1956 by Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Books as part of their Pocket Poets Series, Howl and Other Poems was subject to an obscenity trial in 1957 due to its use of sexually explicit language. The trial eventually ruled in the... Read A Supermarket in California Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Society: Politics & Government, Society: GlobalizationTags Politics / Government, History: World

A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order is a nonfiction book by Richard Haass, published in 2017, that deals with foreign relations from an American perspective. Haass is a longtime diplomat who served several administrations from the 1980s to the 2000s. He was a special assistant to President George H. W. Bush, and as an official in the State Department, he was a close advisor to Colin Powell... Read A World In Disarray Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Colonialism, Society: Class, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: War, Identity: Race, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: ImmigrationTags History: U.S., Social Justice, Politics / Government

Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Mental Health, Self Discovery, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Publication year 1976Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Future, Society: GlobalizationTags Anthropology, Arts / Culture, Sociology

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Relationships: Teams, Society: Economics, Society: GlobalizationTags Leadership/Organization/Management, Business / Economics

Publication year 2019Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Science / Nature, Health / Medicine, Business / Economics

Publication year 1962Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: GlobalizationTags Business / Economics

First published in 1962, Capitalism and Freedom is a nonfiction book about economics, politics, and government. Author Milton Friedman advocates a classical-liberal approach to economic policy in the United States, one that promotes individual freedom by allowing the free market to function as effectively as possible.Friedman wrote Capitalism and Freedom while he was an economics scholar at the University of Chicago. He opens the book with a quote by President John F. Kennedy: “Ask not... Read Capitalism And Freedom Summary


Publication year 2011Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Immigration, Society: Politics & Government, Society: WarTags History: World, Politics / Government, Sociology, Philosophy

Publication year 2006Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Society: Community, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Philosophy

Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers (2006) is a philosophical text written by Kwame Anthony Appiah. Appiah, a philosopher and ethicist who teaches at New York University, grew up in Kumasi, Ghana, where his father was a Ghanaian political leader and his mother a British expatriate. His family’s multicultural background, as well as the experience of growing up in diverse Kumasi and then attending school in the United Kingdom, informed Appiah’s thinking about communicating... Read Cosmopolitanism Summary


Publication year 1980Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Space & The Universe, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: WarTags Science / Nature, History: World, Philosophy

Publication year 2006Genre Novel, FictionThemes Relationships: Family, Society: GlobalizationTags Realistic Fiction

Crossing the Wire tells the story of Victor Flores, a Mexican teenager who leaves his village of Los Árboles to illegally cross the border into the United States. Victor’s father died while working in the U.S. four years earlier, leaving Victor “the man of the family” (14). His family has been living off of the money Victor makes farming corn, but free trade agreements with the U.S. have made Mexican corn worthless. The only option... Read Crossing the Wire Summary


Publication year 2009Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags History: World, Religion / Spirituality, Politics / Government, Philosophy

Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes 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 & LiesTags Philosophy, Science / Nature, Psychology, Sociology, Politics / Government, Health / Medicine, Agriculture, Business / Economics, Class, Climate Change, Social Justice

Publication year 2017Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: Globalization

Exit West is a work of political fiction by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid, who also wrote The Reluctant Fundamentalist and How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia. It was published in 2017 and was shortlisted for the 2017 Man Booker Prize.Exit West begins in an unnamed Middle Eastern city that is on the verge of war. It is already “swollen with refugees” (1). This is where Nadia and Saeed, the two main characters in... Read Exit West Summary


Publication year 2018Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Sociology, Science / Nature

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 1972Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Society: GlobalizationTags Philosophy, Politics / Government, Social Justice, Finance / Money / Wealth

Publication year 2023Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Climate, Natural World: Flora/plants, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Science / Nature, Climate Change, Natural Disaster, Politics / Government

Publication year 2012Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Grief, Life/Time: Birth, Relationships: Marriage, Relationships: Mothers, Society: Globalization

Barbara Kingsolver’s 2012 novel Flight Behavior presents a compelling symbolic connection between Dellarobia Turnbow, an unhappy farm wife who secretly dreams of running away from it all, and a surprising migration of monarch butterflies that alight upon her in-law’s property in Feathertown, Tennessee. As the butterflies struggle to survive and reproduce to continue their species, Dellarobia struggles in her efforts to deal with the consequences of her past decisions and the possibility of her new... Read Flight Behavior Summary


Publication year 2013Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Immigration, Natural World: Food, Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Emotions/Behavior: Conflict, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Anthropology, Social Justice, Sociology, Health / Medicine

Publication year 2015Genre Novel, FictionThemes Natural World: Environment, Relationships: Friendship, Society: Community, Emotions/Behavior: Fear, Natural World: Food, Natural World: Animals, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Emotions/Behavior: Loneliness, Self Discovery, Life/Time: The Future, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags Science-Fiction / Dystopian Fiction, Action / Adventure, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Survival Fiction, Natural Disaster, Science / Nature

In Newbery medalist Louis Sachar’s sci-fi thriller Fuzzy Mud (2015), Tamaya and Marshall cut through the restricted woods behind their school to avoid a bully—but encounter a strange mud that has the potential to destroy nearly all life on Earth. While Marshall struggles with the emotional effects of being bullied, Tamaya develops an unusually aggressive rash from the mud and worries that in protecting Marshall she has gravely injured Chad. Each character faces difficult ethical... Read Fuzzy Mud Summary


Publication year 2002Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Business / Economics, Politics / Government, History: World, Poverty

Globalization and Its Discontents (2002) is American economist John E. Stiglitz’s second major work, published shortly after he became a Nobel laureate. It explores and critiques the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) policies between the 1970s and the early 2000s. Since Stiglitz was a senior vice president of the World Bank between 1993 and 1997, he uses insider knowledge to explain certain structural and functional aspects of the IMF that remain opaque to the public. His... Read Globalization and Its Discontents Summary


Publication year 1959Genre Novel, FictionThemes Identity: Indigenous, Society: Colonialism, Society: GlobalizationTags Historical Fiction, History: U.S.

Hawaii (1959) is one of the earlier books by well-known and prolific author James A. Michener. The novel is typical of Michener’s historical epics, which focus on transgenerational family sagas played out against the backdrop of world events. Prior to writing Hawaii, Michener had already gained fame with Tales of the South Pacific, which won a Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1948, and was later adapted into the Broadway musical South Pacific. The author gained... Read Hawaii Summary


Publication year 2004Genre Essay Collection, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Society: WarTags Social Justice, Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism

Publication year 1995Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Nation, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: EducationTags History: European, Irish Literature, Religion / Spirituality

How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe is a popular history by Irish American author Thomas Cahill, published in 1995. The book argues that Ireland’s conversion to Christianity was instrumental in preserving the remnants of classical culture that survived in Western Europe after the Roman Empire’s demise. The book was on The New York Times Best Seller list for... Read How the Irish Saved Civilization Summary


Publication year 2022Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Politics / Government, History: Asian, Journalism, Social Justice

Publication year 2013Genre Novel, FictionThemes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Natural World: Environment, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Arts / Culture, Science / Nature, History: European, Renaissance, Italian Literature

Inferno by Dan Brown is the fourth installment in Brown’s Robert Langdon series of mystery/thriller novels, following (in order) Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and The Lost Symbol, and preceding Origin. Each edition covers a self-contained story, so readers need not follow the series in order, and often includes themes centered on European and Christian history and cultural traditions. The title character, Robert Langdon, is the only recurring character. Inferno won the Goodreads... Read Inferno Summary


Publication year 1933Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Globalization, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: ArtTags Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Japanese Literature

The essay “In Praise of Shadows” was originally published in 1933 in Japan and was written by the Japanese author Jun’ichirō Tanizaki (1886-1965). His work spanned a wide array of subjects, including the cultural impact of World War II, sexuality, and family relationships. He was especially interested in exploring the cultural differences between Japan and the West. Tanizaki was awarded Japan’s Imperial Prize in Literature in 1949 and wrote novels, short stories, essays, plays, and... Read In Praise of Shadows Summary


Publication year 1961Genre Essay / Speech, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & TechnologyTags History: U.S., Politics / Government, History: The Americas

Publication year 2024Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & LiesTags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Indian Literature

Publication year 1988Genre Reference/Text Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: New Age, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos

Publication year 2005Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Natural World: Environment, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Natural World: ClimateTags Business / Economics

Publication year 2008Genre Novel, FictionThemes Society: GlobalizationTags Historical Fiction

Little Bee, a 2010 novel by Chris Cleave, follows a teenage Nigerian refugee as her life intertwines with Sarah Summers, Andrew O’Rourke, and Charlie O’Rourke. Cleave imagines a singular scene on a beach in Nigeria that unites Little Bee to the O’Rourke-Summers family. As both Little Bee and Sarah slowly tell and retell their stories of that event and those before and after it, their voices slowly unite. Bridging across countries and blending into a... Read Little Bee Summary


Publication year 1934Genre Novel, FictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & DoubtTags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Classic Fiction

Murder on the Orient Express, first published in 1934, is a mystery by Agatha Christie featuring one of her most famous characters, the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. A locked-room mystery, the entire plot unfolds in a train, the Orient Express, which has become stranded in a snowstorm. Poirot happens to be on the train when a man named Mr. Ratchett is murdered. Poirot is called upon to solve the case, and the book follows his... Read Murder on the Orient Express Summary


Publication year 1998Genre Novel, FictionThemes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Teams, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Religion & SpiritualityTags Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction

My Name is Red (originally titled Benim Adim Kirmizi) is a 1998 historical novel by the Nobel Prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. Set in late-16th century Istanbul, the novel explores cultural tensions stemming from contemporary philosophical understandings of visual art. Told from the viewpoints of many different animate and inanimate characters—including Muslim and Jewish individuals, a corpse, the color red, and paintings of a horse, a devil, and a dog—the novel integrates elements of... Read My Name is Red Summary


Publication year 1997Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Identity: Indigenous, Society: Colonialism, Society: GlobalizationTags History: U.S., Anthropology, Politics / Government, History: World, Colonial America

Publication year 2001Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & GovernmentTags Sociology, Poverty, Social Justice, Politics / Government

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a 2001 nonfiction book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. This book is considered a classic of investigative journalism and was ranked #13 in The Guardian’s list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. Ehrenreich takes a series of low-paying, entry-level jobs in three cities (Key West, Florida; Portland, Maine; Minneapolis, Minnesota) to answer the question of whether one can survive on these wages and... Read Nickel and Dimed Summary


Publication year 2017Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: GlobalizationTags Travel Literature, Sociology, Poverty, Class, American Literature

Publication year 2005Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Society: Class, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & GreedTags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Urban Development, Poverty, Finance / Money / Wealth, History: Asian, History: African , History: European, History: U.S., Social Justice, Class

Planet of Slums is a non-fiction book published in 2006 by American author and urban theorist Mike Davis. It chronicles the spread of poverty in cities around the world at a time when more than a billion people live in what the United Nations (UN) classifies as "slums."SummaryIn 1950, only 86 cities around the world had populations of one million people or more. When Davis wrote this book in 2005, he predicted that by 2015... Read Planet of Slums Summary


Publication year 2007Genre Autobiography / Memoir, NonfictionThemes Emotions/Behavior: courage, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Safety & DangerTags History: Middle Eastern, Incarceration, Trauma / Abuse / Violence

Prisoner of Tehran is a memoir by Marina Nemat that recounts her harrowing experiences in an Iranian prison post-1979 revolution, highlighting The Impact of Political and Ideological Repression. Through her narrative, Nemat explores The Challenges Faced by Women Under Authoritarian Regimes, illustrating the severe constraints and injustices they endured. Despite these adversities, her story is a testament to The Resilience of the Human Spirit, which showcases her journey of survival and defiance against oppressive forces.This... Read Prisoner of Tehran Summary


Publication year 2008Genre Book, NonfictionThemes Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: ClassTags Addiction / Substance Abuse, Journalism, Sociology, History: U.S., Information Age