Globalization

Globalization—a growing interdependence of the world's economies and populations—affects every aspect of life as we know it, including what we eat, how we work, and how we identify ourselves. The books in this collection explore globalization through various lenses, investigating the economic, social, and ecological impact of the direction the world is headed.

Publication year 2004

Genre Essay Collection, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Nation, Society: Colonialism, Society: War, Natural World: Environment

Tags Social Justice, Politics / Government, Gender / Feminism, History: World, Philosophy, Philosophy


Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Nation, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Society: Education

Tags History: European, Irish Literature, Religion / Spirituality, Medieval Literature / Middle Ages, History: World

How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland’s Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe is a popular history by Irish American author Thomas Cahill, published in 1995. The book argues that Ireland’s conversion to Christianity was instrumental in preserving the remnants of classical culture that survived in Western Europe after the Roman Empire’s demise. The book was on The New York Times Best Seller list for... Read How the Irish Saved Civilization Summary


Publication year 2022

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Hope, Identity: Sexuality, Relationships: Teams, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Education, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Politics / Government, History: Asian, Journalism, Social Justice, History: World, Biography


Publication year 1992

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Race, Life/Time: The Past, Self Discovery, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Society: Immigration, Society: Nation

Tags Anthropology, Indian Literature, Travel Literature, History: Middle Eastern, Colonialism / Postcolonialism

In an Antique Land (1992) is a book written by Amitav Ghosh which interweaves descriptions of his experiences in rural Egypt in the 1980s with an attempt to reconstruct the life of a 12th-century Jewish merchant and Bomma, an Indian man he enslaved. Ghosh is a renowned Indian author, known for his ability to combine genres and employ complex narrative strategies to examine national and personal identity. He employs these strategies in In an Antique... Read In an Antique Land Summary


Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Literature, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Natural World: Environment, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Arts / Culture, Science / Nature, History: European, Renaissance, Italian Literature, Historical Fiction, Action / Adventure

Inferno by Dan Brown is the fourth installment in Brown’s Robert Langdon series of mystery/thriller novels, following (in order) Angels & Demons, The Da Vinci Code, and The Lost Symbol, and preceding Origin. Each edition covers a self-contained story, so readers need not follow the series in order, and often includes themes centered on European and Christian history and cultural traditions. The title character, Robert Langdon, is the only recurring character. Inferno won the Goodreads... Read Inferno Summary


Publication year 1933

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Beauty, Society: Globalization, Life/Time: The Future, Values/Ideas: Art

Tags Philosophy, Arts / Culture, Japanese Literature, Asian Literature, Philosophy, Classic Fiction

The essay “In Praise of Shadows” was originally published in 1933 in Japan and was written by the Japanese author Jun’ichirō Tanizaki (1886-1965). His work spanned a wide array of subjects, including the cultural impact of World War II, sexuality, and family relationships. He was especially interested in exploring the cultural differences between Japan and the West. Tanizaki was awarded Japan’s Imperial Prize in Literature in 1949 and wrote novels, short stories, essays, plays, and... Read In Praise of Shadows Summary


Publication year 1961

Genre Essay / Speech, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology

Tags History: U.S., Politics / Government, History: The Americas, Business / Economics, History: World


Publication year 2024

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Emotions/Behavior: Determination / Perseverance, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Self Discovery, Society: Community, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Art, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Trauma / Abuse / Violence, Indian Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Psychology, Psychology, Biography


Publication year 1988

Genre Reference/Text Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: New Age, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Identity: Language

Tags Education, Education, Leadership/Organization/Management, Business / Economics, Self Help


Publication year 2005

Genre Autobiography / Memoir, Nonfiction

Themes Natural World: Environment, Society: Globalization, Society: Economics, Natural World: Climate

Tags Business / Economics, Biography


Publication year 2008

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Society: Globalization

Tags Historical Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction

Little Bee, a 2010 novel by Chris Cleave, follows a teenage Nigerian refugee as her life intertwines with Sarah Summers, Andrew O’Rourke, and Charlie O’Rourke. Cleave imagines a singular scene on a beach in Nigeria that unites Little Bee to the O’Rourke-Summers family. As both Little Bee and Sarah slowly tell and retell their stories of that event and those before and after it, their voices slowly unite. Bridging across countries and blending into a... Read Little Bee Summary


Publication year 1934

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Revenge, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Safety & Danger, Values/Ideas: Trust & Doubt

Tags Mystery / Crime Fiction, Horror / Thriller / Suspense Fiction, Classic Fiction

Murder on the Orient Express, first published in 1934, is a mystery by Agatha Christie featuring one of her most famous characters, the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. A locked-room mystery, the novel unfolds in a train, the Orient Express, which has become stranded in a snowstorm. Poirot happens to be on the train when a man named Mr. Ratchett is murdered. Poirot is called upon to solve the case, and the book follows his investigation... Read Murder on the Orient Express Summary


Publication year 1998

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Values/Ideas: Art, Emotions/Behavior: Guilt, Emotions/Behavior: Love, Emotions/Behavior: Shame & Pride, Identity: Gender, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Relationships: Teams, Society: Globalization, Values/Ideas: Beauty, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality

Tags Historical Fiction, Middle Eastern Literature, Mystery / Crime Fiction, Asian Literature, History: World, Arts / Culture

My Name is Red (originally titled Benim Adim Kirmizi) is a 1998 historical novel by the Nobel Prize winning Turkish author Orhan Pamuk. Set in late-16th century Istanbul, the novel explores cultural tensions stemming from contemporary philosophical understandings of visual art. Told from the viewpoints of many different animate and inanimate characters—including Muslim and Jewish individuals, a corpse, the color red, and paintings of a horse, a devil, and a dog—the novel integrates elements of... Read My Name is Red Summary


Publication year 2016

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Indigenous, Identity: Race, Life/Time: Mortality & Death, Natural World: Appearance & Reality, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Society: Class, Society: Colonialism, Society: Community, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Society: War, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Good & Evil, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Order & Chaos, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed, Values/Ideas: Religion & Spirituality, Values/Ideas: Science & Technology, Values/Ideas: Truth & Lies

Tags Philosophy, Social Science, Politics / Government, Sociology


Publication year 1965

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Identity: Race, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Society: Politics & Government, Values/Ideas: Equality, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Politics / Government, History: African , Philosophy, African Literature


Publication year 1997

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Identity: Indigenous, Society: Colonialism, Society: Globalization

Tags History: U.S., Anthropology, Politics / Government, History: World, Colonial America, Education, Education


Publication year 2001

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Politics & Government, Society: Community

Tags Sociology, Poverty, Social Justice, Politics / Government, Education, Education, Business / Economics

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is a 2001 nonfiction book written by Barbara Ehrenreich. This book is considered a classic of investigative journalism and was ranked #13 in The Guardian’s list of the 100 best books of the 21st century. Ehrenreich takes a series of low-paying, entry-level jobs in three cities (Key West, Florida; Portland, Maine; Minneapolis, Minnesota) to answer the question of whether one can survive on these wages and... Read Nickel and Dimed Summary


Publication year 2017

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Class, Society: Community, Society: Globalization

Tags Travel Literature, Sociology, Poverty, Class, American Literature, Business / Economics, History: World, Politics / Government


Publication year 1995

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Nostalgia, Life/Time: Aging, Life/Time: Midlife, Life/Time: The Future, Life/Time: The Past, Natural World: Environment, Natural World: Place, Self Discovery, Society: Economics, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation

Tags British Literature, History: World, Travel Literature, Humor, Biography


Publication year 2005

Genre Book, Nonfiction

Themes Society: Politics & Government, Society: Economics, Society: Colonialism, Society: Class, Society: Globalization, Society: Nation, Values/Ideas: Justice & Injustice, Values/Ideas: Power & Greed

Tags Politics / Government, Business / Economics, Urban Development, Poverty, Finance / Money / Wealth, History: Asian, History: African , History: European, History: U.S., Social Justice, Class, Science / Nature, Sociology, History: World

Planet of Slums is a non-fiction book published in 2006 by American author and urban theorist Mike Davis. It chronicles the spread of poverty in cities around the world at a time when more than a billion people live in what the United Nations (UN) classifies as "slums."SummaryIn 1950, only 86 cities around the world had populations of one million people or more. When Davis wrote this book in 2005, he predicted that by 2015... Read Planet of Slums Summary