How the World Ran Out of Everything by Goodman

Do you remember the hunt for baby formula in 2022? I know that our family, spread over several states, were actively searching every time any of us went to a pharmacy, grocery store or even online outlet so as to provide our newest family member with sustenance. HOW THE WORLD RAN OUT OF EVERYTHING by Peter S. Goodman reflects on the pandemic’s impact by burrowing deep “Inside the Global Supply Chain.” Goodman, the Global Economics Correspondent for The New York Times, uses a case study involving a container filled with children’s toys to trace the breakdown in a system and “consequences of relying on faraway factories and container ships to keep humanity supplied with goods.” The text has three main sections: a review of China-centric globalization; price manipulation and engineered scarcities; and opportunities to reinvent the supply chain. Throughout, Goodman comments repeatedly on labor exploitation and deregulation; he stresses that, “ordinary people were paying the mounting costs” with weak unions, indifferent politicians, and over reliance on “Just in Time,” or lean, manufacturing. Extensive notes and an index comprise at least twenty percent of the book. HOW THE WORLD RAN OUT OF EVERYTHING received a starred review from Kirkus (“This book should be in the hands of policymakers and economists before the next crisis emerges.”) I would encourage readers looking for related perspective to also check out Arriving Today by Wall Street Journal columnist Christopher Mims. And, Goodman’s work even made me think of The Travels Of A T-Shirt In The Global Economy by Rivoli, published almost twenty years ago in a far more optimistic time.

Beijing Rules by Bethany Allen

BEIJING RULES by Bethany Allen, an award-winning China reporter at Axios, deals with China’s role as a world power, arguing that China has “weaponized its economy.” Allen begins with the coronavirus pandemic and notes that “China was the only major economy in the world to expand in 2020;” she further says “with the West flailing, he [Xi] saw a window of opportunity to go on the offensive.” Allen outlines a concept she calls “authoritarian economic statecraft” and argues that Beijing uses gatekeeping, legal and economic leverage (e.g., tariffs), and channels of influence to shape behavior beyond its borders. One of Allen’s key points is that Western attitudes towards China will need to change and are changing. The content is fairly academic and generally sophisticated, making for a rather dry read. However, the work is well-documented - at least a third of the book is devoted to Notes and an Index. BEIJING RULES received a starred review from Kirkus (“A disturbing, insightful book about China’s hidden, multitiered war—and how the West can fight back.”).

Worn Out by Alyssa Hardy

WORN OUT by Alyssa Hardy is a new non-fiction work about fast fashion, a high interest topic for our students. Hardy is a former senior news editor at InStyle and fashion news editor at Teen Vogue; she clearly has a message to convey: “loving fashion is not the problem, it’s the ways in which we consume it that can be.” Writing for New Press, a nonprofit, public interest publisher, Hardy concentrates on discussing the fashion industry’s relationship with climate change and poor labor conditions. In her Introduction, Hardy refers to changing fashion tastes during the pandemic and eloquently points out, “When we praised essential workers, no one talked about people behind the sewing machines.” She relates numerous examples of worker mistreatment, including by brands like Guess, Forever 21, and American Apparel. Her passion is evident, but she often writes in first person and frames the stories with her personal experience, including limited notes or references. Our student researchers are likely to find more background, statistics, and suggested action steps in slightly older works like Fashionopolis, and Unraveled. WORN OUT, described by Publishers Weekly as a “scorching exposé,” could serve as a supplementary text with profiles of poor business practices and recent activists. 

Unraveled by Maxine Bedat

UNRAVELED by Maxine Bedat is subtitled “The Life and Death of a Garment” and Bedat uses nine chapters and a pair of jeans to discuss the various aspects of the clothing marketplace from growing cotton in Texas, through manufacturing (of both a textile and clothing), marketing, and distribution. She also includes chapters which cover purchasing decisions, disposal of used and donated clothing (Americans “throw out more than eighty pounds of textiles per person per year”) as well as offering suggestions for future action. I was originally curious about UNRAVELED because there has been a great deal of student interest in this topic recently, with several students completing Junior Themes related to fast fashion and sustainability in the last few years. I have since learned that Bedat is Director of the New Standard Institute, a research and action think tank. Her work has been covered in numerous publications including The New Yorker, Vogue, Fast Company, The Nation and so on. I plan to definitely purchase and recommend UNRAVELED as it covers a 2.5 trillion-dollar industry which impacts all of us; consider the many people Bedat consults: “agronomists, climate scientists, historians, fashion executives, factory executives, and material scientists; labor experts, organizers and laborers; political scientists, toxicologists, psychologists, marketers and economists.” UNRAVELED contains extensive notes and a helpful index; related texts include: Fashionopolis by Dana Thomas and The Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline.

Trade is Not a Four-Letter Word by Fred P. Hochberg

TRADE IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORD is written by Fred P. Hochberg who has been involved with business and education his entire life: first, leading Lillian Vernon and more recently as President of the Export-Import Bank (2009-2017). In this new text, Hochberg entertainingly explores “How Six Everyday Products Make the Case for Trade.” Noting that “even your copy of this book was very likely assembled using products and processes procured from as many as a half dozen countries,” Hochberg first summarizes 300 years of American trade, provides an analysis of the objectives and politics related to NAFTA, and outlines eight myths (e.g., tariffs are paid by foreigners) associated with trade.

After that background, he offers a chapter on each of those six products: the taco salad, the Honda Odyssey, the banana, the iPhone, a college degree, and The Game of Thrones. These are filled with fascinating facts such as “the State Department estimates that almost 300 current or former world leaders have studied at American institutions,” taking advantage of what he says is arguably the most important export produced by the United States. Hochberg is clearly a proponent of trade and globalization, noting “were it not for a free flow of trade between countries, life in America would be substantially less interesting. Just as our palates have been broadened by imported cuisines from all over the world … our leisure time has been broadened by imported culture as well.” He provides numerous and varied examples to support his position, plus includes source notes and a helpful index. TRADE IS NOT A FOUR-LETTER WORD received a starred review from Library Journal and was described by Kirkus as a “rousing, well-argued defense of global trade in a time of isolationist entrenchment.” Look for it on our shelves.