Magazine / 5 Books About the Secret Power Players Who Control Everything

5 Books About the Secret Power Players Who Control Everything

Money Politics & Economics Technology

In our age of misinformation, there is no shortage of conspiracy theories about who “really” rules the world. While beliefs about the Deep State, the New World Order, and the Illuminati inevitably make one logical leap too many, they do contain a kernel of truth: there really are people controlling our world from the shadows—just not in the way you might think. To find out more, check out the five eye-opening new books below.

Download the Next Big Idea App for “Book Bite” summaries of hundreds of new nonfiction books like these—all prepared and read by the authors themselves.

Price Wars: How the Commodities Markets Made Our Chaotic World

By Rupert Russell

A fascinating, groundbreaking exposé of how commodity traders in New York and London have destabilized societies all over the world, leaving the most vulnerable at the mercy of hunger, chaos, and war. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Rupert Russell, in the Next Big Idea App

The Revolution That Wasn’t: GameStop, Reddit, and the Fleecing of Small Investors

By Spencer Jakab

In January 2021, a motley crew of retail traders on Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets forum had seemingly brought some of the biggest, richest players on Wall Street to their knees. The Revolution That Wasn’t is the riveting story of how the meme stock squeeze unfolded, and of the real architects (and winners) of the GameStop rally. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Spencer Jakab, in the Next Big Idea App

Sickening: How Big Pharma Broke American Health Care and How We Can Repair It

By John Abramson

The inside story of how Big Pharma’s relentless pursuit of ever-higher profits corrupts medical knowledge—misleading doctors, misdirecting American health care, and harming our health. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author John Abramson, in the Next Big Idea App

The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back

By Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian

The Privatization of Everything connects the dots across a broad spectrum of issues and raises larger questions about who controls the public things we all rely on, exposing the hidden crisis of privatization that has been slowly unfolding over the last fifty years and giving us a road map for taking our country back. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by co-authors Donald Cohen and Allen Mikaelian, in the Next Big Idea App

The Wires of War: Technology and the Global Struggle for Power

By Jacob Helberg

From the former news policy lead at Google, an urgent and groundbreaking account of the high-stakes global cyberwar brewing between Western democracies and the autocracies of China and Russia that could potentially crush democracy. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Jacob Helberg, in the Next Big Idea App

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