Books

The Curse of Bigness, by Columbia University Law Professor Tim Wu, examines the monopolization movement through the lens of antitrust law, primarily the Sherman Antitrust Act from its inception in 1890 to today. This slim book tackles an enormous and complex problem in succinct narrative that is fluid and technically precise. Short on jargon and big on describing constitutional history in simple terms, you don’t have to be an antitrust lawyer to understand how corporate monopolies are dictating the course of economic policy in America.

Vol. 1: Break the Bank, first in the series Even a Pandemic Can’t Stop Love & Murder, is streamlined, exciting, and has super-smooth transitions, even when the story’s protagonist, Alby O’Brien, has a flash from the past. Funny and irreverent, with an I-don’t-give-a-shit-attitude, Alby O’Brien is a working-class guy who has had a lot of bad breaks in life. He might be an unlikely character to root for, but you can feel his failures and disappointments beneath his tough exterior, and you want him to win.