Capitalism Put on Trial, Buffett Eats: New Nonfiction

“Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future” by Bill McKibben (Times, $25). In a vein similar to Barber’s, McKibben offers a clear-eyed reassessment of the meaning of growth, arguing that it’s no longer making the world wealthier but instead is “generating inequality and insecurity” and “bumping against physical limits, like climate change and peak oil, so profound that continuing to expand may be impossible or even dangerous.”

“The Grid: A Journey Through the Heart of Our Electrified World” by Phillip F. Schewe (J. Henry Press, $27.95). The electrical grid is one of the world’s great engineering and industrial feats, but one short circuit could leave cities dark for days. Schewe offers an informative look at the grid’s history and its increasing vulnerability.

Bloomberg