A tale that will change how you look at the world. --Mark Leibovich Part Michael Lewis part
The Way Things Work: From the New York Times's Global Economics Correspondent an extraordinary
journey revealing the worldwide supply chain--exposing both the fascinating pathways of
manufacturing and transportation that bring products to your doorstep and the ruthless
business logic that has left local communities at the mercy of a complex and fragile network
for their basic necessities. ?One of Foreign Policy's Most Anticipated Books of 2024 How does
the wealthiest country on earth run out of protective gear in the middle of a public health
catastrophe? How do its parents find themselves unable to locate crucially needed infant
formula? How do its largest companies spend billions of dollars making cars that no one can
drive for a lack of chips? The last few years have radically highlighted the intricacy and
fragility of the global supply chain. Enormous ships were stuck at sea warehouses overflowed
and delivery trucks stalled. The result was a scarcity of everything from breakfast cereal to
medical devices from frivolous goods to lifesaving necessities. And while the scale of the
pandemic shock was unprecedented it underscored the troubling reality that the system was
fundamentally at risk of descending into chaos all along. And it still is. Sabotaged by
financial interests loss of transparency in markets and worsening working conditions for the
people tasked with keeping the gears turning our global supply chain has become perpetually on
the brink of collapse. In How the World Ran Out of Everything award-winning journalist Peter
S. Goodman reveals the fascinating innerworkings of our supply chain and the factors that have
led to its constant dangerous vulnerability. His reporting takes readers deep into the
elaborate system showcasing the triumphs and struggles of the human players who operate
it--from factories in Asia and an almond grower in Northern California to a group of striking
railroad workers in Texas to a truck driver who Goodman accompanies across hundreds of miles
of the Great Plains. Through their stories Goodman weaves a powerful argument for reforming a
supply chain to become truly reliable and resilient demanding a radical redrawing of the
bargain between labor and shareholders and deeper attention paid to how we get the things we
need. From one of the most respected economic journalists working today How the World Ran Out
of Everything is a fiercely smart deeply informative look at how our supply chain operates
and why its reform is crucial--not only to avoid dysfunction in our day to day lives but to
protect the fate of our global fortunes.
