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American Made
by Farah Stockman • 2021
Three factory workers lost their jobs to Mexico. What they lost next surprised everyone but them.
4.31
1k+
American Made Summary
American Made 89%
Three factory workers lost their jobs to Mexico. What they lost next surprised everyone but them.
by Farah Stockman 2021
4.31
1k+ ratings
Glass House
by Brian Alexander • 2017
Private equity bought a glass factory. By the time they were done, a town was destroyed.
3.91
2k+
Glass House Summary
Glass House 89%
Private equity bought a glass factory. By the time they were done, a town was destroyed.
by Brian Alexander 2017
3.91
2k+ ratings
English Journey
by J.B. Priestley • 1934
Factories silent, towns hollow, but the people Priestley met in 1933 refused to vanish.
4.09
483
English Journey Summary
English Journey 88%
Factories silent, towns hollow, but the people Priestley met in 1933 refused to vanish.
by J.B. Priestley 1934
4.09
483 ratings
Paper Girl
by Beth Macy • 2025
A Pell Grant was her exit from working-class Ohio. Four decades later, the road is closed.
4.02
11k+
Paper Girl Summary
Paper Girl 88%
A Pell Grant was her exit from working-class Ohio. Four decades later, the road is closed.
by Beth Macy 2025
4.02
11k+ ratings
The Great Reset
by Richard Florida • 2010
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
3.59
656
The Great Reset Summary
The Great Reset 88%
Crashes rebuild how we live. Two gave us factories and suburbs. The third is remaking cities.
by Richard Florida 2010
3.59
656 ratings
The Deindustrialization of America
by Barry Bluestone • 1982
Plant closures were a strategy, not fate. Government made capital mobile and communities expendable.
3.92
25
The Deindustrialization of America Summary
The Deindustrialization of America 88%
Plant closures were a strategy, not fate. Government made capital mobile and communities expendable.
by Barry Bluestone 1982
3.92
25 ratings
Factory Man
by Beth Macy • 2014
John Bassett III bet against offshoring. The survival of his Virginia town hung on it.
3.87
3k+
Factory Man Summary
Factory Man 88%
John Bassett III bet against offshoring. The survival of his Virginia town hung on it.
by Beth Macy 2014
3.87
3k+ ratings
Chavs
by Owen Jones • 2011
The British working class wasn't only abandoned. It was mocked so the abandonment felt deserved.
4.08
11k+
Chavs Summary
Chavs 88%
The British working class wasn't only abandoned. It was mocked so the abandonment felt deserved.
by Owen Jones 2011
4.08
11k+ ratings
The Rise of the Creative Class
by Richard Florida • 2004
Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.
3.68
3k+
The Rise of the Creative Class Summary
The Rise of the Creative Class 88%
Jobs once followed factories. Now a class of creatives clusters in the most tolerant cities.
by Richard Florida 2004
3.68
3k+ ratings
The Left Behind
by Robert Wuthnow • 2018
Rural America's anger is grief: not for lost jobs, but for communities where belonging meant duty.
3.58
650
The Left Behind Summary
The Left Behind 87%
Rural America's anger is grief: not for lost jobs, but for communities where belonging meant duty.
by Robert Wuthnow 2018
3.58
650 ratings
The Full English
by Stuart Maconie • 2023
England, 90 years on: the mills gone, class divides intact, a startling diversity.
4.04
1k+
The Full English Summary
The Full English 87%
England, 90 years on: the mills gone, class divides intact, a startling diversity.
by Stuart Maconie 2023
4.04
1k+ ratings
The Economy of Cities
by Jane Jacobs • 1969
Cities didn't follow farms; farms followed cities. That reversal explains every economic boom.
4.09
1k+
The Economy of Cities Summary
The Economy of Cities 87%
Cities didn't follow farms; farms followed cities. That reversal explains every economic boom.
by Jane Jacobs 1969
4.09
1k+ ratings
Entrepreneurial Nation
by Ro Khanna • 2012
Six times more productive: America's factory floor still beats China's, but policy hasn't caught up.
3.73
30
Entrepreneurial Nation Summary
Entrepreneurial Nation 87%
Six times more productive: America's factory floor still beats China's, but policy hasn't caught up.
by Ro Khanna 2012
3.73
30 ratings
Paint Your Town Red
by Matthew Brown • 2021
38 million to 111 million: the spending shift that rebuilt a town.
3.71
173
Paint Your Town Red Summary
Paint Your Town Red 87%
38 million to 111 million: the spending shift that rebuilt a town.
by Matthew Brown 2021
3.71
173 ratings
Municipal Dreams
by John Boughton • 2018
Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.
3.92
769
Municipal Dreams Summary
Municipal Dreams 87%
Britain built some of the world's best public housing, then spent 40 years dismantling it.
by John Boughton 2018
3.92
769 ratings
Shattered Nation
by Danny Dorling • 2023
Beneath every British crisis lies a map of inequality decades in the making.
3.97
119
Shattered Nation Summary
Shattered Nation 87%
Beneath every British crisis lies a map of inequality decades in the making.
by Danny Dorling 2023
3.97
119 ratings
The Lies of the Land
by Steven Conn • 2023
Farmers and crisis don't define rural America. Military bases, chains, and suburbia do.
3.98
148
The Lies of the Land Summary
The Lies of the Land 87%
Farmers and crisis don't define rural America. Military bases, chains, and suburbia do.
by Steven Conn 2023
3.98
148 ratings
The Origins of the Urban Crisis
by Thomas J. Sugrue • 1996
Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.
4.24
2k+
The Origins of the Urban Crisis Summary
The Origins of the Urban Crisis 87%
Detroit collapsed from job loss and housing segregation decades before the 1967 riot finished it.
by Thomas J. Sugrue 1996
4.24
2k+ ratings
America
by Chris Hedges • 2018
Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.
4.23
3k+
America Summary
America 87%
Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.
by Chris Hedges 2018
4.23
3k+ ratings
The Post-Corporate World
by David C. Korten • 1999
Capitalism isn't the market; it's a disease. The cure is taking root in local communities.
3.77
132
The Post-Corporate World Summary
The Post-Corporate World 87%
Capitalism isn't the market; it's a disease. The cure is taking root in local communities.
by David C. Korten 1999
3.77
132 ratings
Jump-Starting America
by Jonathan Gruber • 2019
Public science built the middle class. We cut R&D by two-thirds. China noticed.
4.07
334
Jump-Starting America Summary
Jump-Starting America 87%
Public science built the middle class. We cut R&D by two-thirds. China noticed.
by Jonathan Gruber 2019
4.07
334 ratings
The Other Side of Prospect
by Nicholas Dawidoff • 2022
A murder in New Haven, a false confession, and the forces that made both inevitable.
4.43
462
The Other Side of Prospect Summary
The Other Side of Prospect 87%
A murder in New Haven, a false confession, and the forces that made both inevitable.
by Nicholas Dawidoff 2022
4.43
462 ratings
How to Kill a City
by Peter Moskowitz • 2017
Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.
4.07
4k+
How to Kill a City Summary
How to Kill a City 87%
Four cities, one playbook: policy and profit, not hipsters, push out the poor and replace them.
by Peter Moskowitz 2017
4.07
4k+ ratings
Uses of Disorder
by Richard Sennett • 1970
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
3.88
258
Uses of Disorder Summary
Uses of Disorder 87%
The young craving for purity is architecting our cities into sterile, segregated cages.
by Richard Sennett 1970
3.88
258 ratings
Road to Nowhere
by Paris Marx • 2022
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
4.16
643
Road to Nowhere Summary
Road to Nowhere 87%
The tech-driven transportation future is a dead end. The real fix: fewer cars, better transit.
by Paris Marx 2022
4.16
643 ratings
The New Urban Crisis
by Richard Florida • 2017
Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.
3.49
1k+
The New Urban Crisis Summary
The New Urban Crisis 87%
Why urban revival is driving inequality and pushing out the middle class.
by Richard Florida 2017
3.49
1k+ ratings
The Just City
by Susan S. Fainstein • 2010
Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.
3.75
174
The Just City Summary
The Just City 87%
Stop asking if a city is growing. Start asking who it's growing for.
by Susan S. Fainstein 2010
3.75
174 ratings
The Great U-turn
by Barry Bluestone • 1988
After 1973, the American Dream reversed. The cause: deliberate choices by firms and the state.
3.40
15
The Great U-turn Summary
The Great U-turn 87%
After 1973, the American Dream reversed. The cause: deliberate choices by firms and the state.
by Barry Bluestone 1988
3.40
15 ratings
Curbing Traffic
by Melissa Bruntlett • 2021
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
4.38
633
Curbing Traffic Summary
Curbing Traffic 87%
Dutch cities prove removing cars heals loneliness, restores childhood, and makes everyone richer.
by Melissa Bruntlett 2021
4.38
633 ratings
Against the smart city
by Adam Greenfield • 2013
Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.
3.96
132
Against the smart city Summary
Against the smart city 87%
Smart cities sell efficiency but deliver surveillance. The real operating system is people.
by Adam Greenfield 2013
3.96
132 ratings
Capital City
by Samuel Stein • 2019
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
3.92
2k+
Capital City Summary
Capital City 87%
Gentrification is not a market outcome. It is policy, written by the real estate industry.
by Samuel Stein 2019
3.92
2k+ ratings
Palaces for the People
by Eric Klinenberg • 2018
Stronger than seawalls: the shared spaces that hold communities together when everything breaks.
3.97
5k+
Palaces for the People Summary
Palaces for the People 87%
Stronger than seawalls: the shared spaces that hold communities together when everything breaks.
by Eric Klinenberg 2018
3.97
5k+ ratings
The Technology Trap
by Carl Benedikt Frey • 2019
The telescope helps you see. The power loom takes your job. Which one is AI?
4.10
657
The Technology Trap Summary
The Technology Trap 86%
The telescope helps you see. The power loom takes your job. Which one is AI?
by Carl Benedikt Frey 2019
4.10
657 ratings
Poverty Safari
by Darren McGarvey • 2017
Poverty isn't just broke. It's trauma, addiction, and a mind that fights its own rescue.
4.01
7k+
Poverty Safari Summary
Poverty Safari 86%
Poverty isn't just broke. It's trauma, addiction, and a mind that fights its own rescue.
by Darren McGarvey 2017
4.01
7k+ ratings
Storia economica dell'Europa pre-industriale
by Carlo M. Cipolla • 1974
How plague, timber famine, and silver hunger forced medieval Europe to invent the modern economy.
4.29
277
Storia economica dell'Europa pre-industriale Summary
Storia economica dell'Europa pre-industriale 86%
How plague, timber famine, and silver hunger forced medieval Europe to invent the modern economy.
by Carlo M. Cipolla 1974
4.29
277 ratings
Urban Acupuncture
by Jaime Lerner • 2003
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
3.66
490
Urban Acupuncture Summary
Urban Acupuncture 86%
Fast, precise interventions where a city hurts trigger chain reactions no master plan ever could.
by Jaime Lerner 2003
3.66
490 ratings
The Promised Land
by Nicholas Lemann • 1991
The mechanical cotton picker displaced millions, and the cities they fled to were never the same.
4.24
798
The Promised Land Summary
The Promised Land 86%
The mechanical cotton picker displaced millions, and the cities they fled to were never the same.
by Nicholas Lemann 1991
4.24
798 ratings
Hell to Pay
by Michael Lind • 2023
Stagnant wages aren't fate. They were engineered by a decades-long campaign to crush worker power.
3.93
80
Hell to Pay Summary
Hell to Pay 86%
Stagnant wages aren't fate. They were engineered by a decades-long campaign to crush worker power.
by Michael Lind 2023
3.93
80 ratings
Making It in America
by Rachel Slade • 2024
Sixty thousand American factories shuttered since NAFTA. One couple bet everything to open just one.
3.63
323
Making It in America Summary
Making It in America 86%
Sixty thousand American factories shuttered since NAFTA. One couple bet everything to open just one.
by Rachel Slade 2024
3.63
323 ratings
Tactical Urbanism
by Mike Lydon • 2014
How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.
3.99
315
Tactical Urbanism Summary
Tactical Urbanism 86%
How to hack your city with paint, planters, and pop-up parks, and prove change is possible now.
by Mike Lydon 2014
3.99
315 ratings
Building and Dwelling
by Richard Sennett • 2018
A city is two things: physical form and lived experience. Ethical design puts the second first.
4.02
983
Building and Dwelling Summary
Building and Dwelling 86%
A city is two things: physical form and lived experience. Ethical design puts the second first.
by Richard Sennett 2018
4.02
983 ratings
Smart Cities
by Anthony M. Townsend • 2013
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
3.61
817
Smart Cities Summary
Smart Cities 86%
Corporations are selling smart cities. A movement of civic hackers has a better blueprint.
by Anthony M. Townsend 2013
3.61
817 ratings
The Zero Marginal Cost Society
by Jeremy Rifkin • 2014
When everything costs nearly nothing to produce, what happens to an economy built on scarcity?
3.92
2k+
The Zero Marginal Cost Society Summary
The Zero Marginal Cost Society 86%
When everything costs nearly nothing to produce, what happens to an economy built on scarcity?
by Jeremy Rifkin 2014
3.92
2k+ ratings
The Death and Life of Great American Cities
by Jane Jacobs • 1961
Slums with low crime and safe sidewalks: the invisible logic cities follow when planners look away.
4.29
20k+
The Death and Life of Great American Cities Summary
The Death and Life of Great American Cities 86%
Slums with low crime and safe sidewalks: the invisible logic cities follow when planners look away.
by Jane Jacobs 1961
4.29
20k+ ratings
The Smart Enough City
by Ben Green • 2019
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
4.12
208
The Smart Enough City Summary
The Smart Enough City 86%
Smart cities dress up political problems as engineering ones. The fix is governance, not gadgets.
by Ben Green 2019
4.12
208 ratings
Industry and Empire
by Eric J. Hobsbawm • 1968
Britain's industrial head start created an empire-dependent economy destined to fall behind.
3.92
574
Industry and Empire Summary
Industry and Empire 86%
Britain's industrial head start created an empire-dependent economy destined to fall behind.
by Eric J. Hobsbawm 1968
3.92
574 ratings
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City
by Alan Ehrenhalt • 2012
American metros are inverting: affluence returns downtown, immigrants settle the suburbs.
3.77
678
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City Summary
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American City 86%
American metros are inverting: affluence returns downtown, immigrants settle the suburbs.
by Alan Ehrenhalt 2012
3.77
678 ratings
Made in the USA
by Vaclav Smil • 2013
How the country that made a third of the planet's goods stopped making almost everything.
3.76
510
Made in the USA Summary
Made in the USA 86%
How the country that made a third of the planet's goods stopped making almost everything.
by Vaclav Smil 2013
3.76
510 ratings
Justice at Work
by Marc Doussard • 2022
How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.
5.00
3
Justice at Work Summary
Justice at Work 86%
How coalitions fuse racial and economic justice to win policy in cities.
by Marc Doussard 2022
5.00
3 ratings
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism
by Anne Case • 2020
Less-educated white Americans are dying younger. The cause is not drugs or suicide; it's capitalism.
3.81
2k+
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism Summary
Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism 86%
Less-educated white Americans are dying younger. The cause is not drugs or suicide; it's capitalism.
by Anne Case 2020
3.81
2k+ ratings
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