Unlock the secrets of unparalleled success with Rich Mindset: Experiences From Successful Entrepreneurs. This insightful guidebook uncovers the unique thought processes, strategies, and experiences of the world's most successful entrepreneurs. It's more than a compilation of success stories; it's a blueprint for reprogramming your mind for abundance and achievement. Delve into the minds of these business titans, understand their perspectives on risk, failure, innovation, and leadership. Whether you're just starting out or an experienced entrepreneur, Rich Mindset provides the tools to transform your dreams into reality. Embark on a journey of self-discovery and unleash your potential with this transformative guidebook. Read more

The classic book on systems thinking―with more than half a million copies sold worldwide!"This is a fabulous book… This book opened my mind and reshaped the way I think about investing."―Forbes "Thinking in Systems is required reading for anyone hoping to run a successful company, community, or country. Learning how to think in systems is now part of change-agent literacy. And this is the best book of its kind."―Hunter Lovins In the years following her role as the lead author of the international bestseller, Limits to Growth―the first book to show the consequences of unchecked growth on a finite planet―Donella Meadows remained a pioneer of environmental and social analysis until her untimely death in 2001.Thinking in Systems is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute’s Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life.Some of the biggest problems facing the world―war, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation―are essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have enormous power to undermine the best efforts of too-narrow thinking.While readers will learn the conceptual tools and methods of systems thinking, the heart of the book is grander than methodology. Donella Meadows was known as much for nurturing positive outcomes as she was for delving into the science behind global dilemmas. She reminds readers to pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable, to stay humble, and to stay a learner.In a world growing ever more complicated, crowded, and interdependent, Thinking in Systems helps readers avoid confusion and helplessness, the first step toward finding proactive and effective solutions. Read more

"Wonderful . . . a moving autobiography, the story of a unique business, and a detailed blueprint for hope." —Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and SteelIn this 10th anniversary edition, Yvon Chouinard—legendary climber, businessman, environmentalist, and founder of Patagonia, Inc.—shares the persistence and courage that have gone into being head of one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies on earth. From his youth as the son of a French Canadian handyman to the thrilling, ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for the sport's equipment, Let My People Go Surfing is the story of a man who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life-a book that will deeply affect entrepreneurs and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Read more

Tracing five centuries of exploitation in Latin America, a classic in the field, now in its twenty fifth yearSince its U.S. debut a quarter-century ago, this brilliant text has set a new standard for historical scholarship of Latin America. It is also an outstanding political economy, a social and cultural narrative of the highest quality, and perhaps the finest description of primitive capital accumulation since Marx.Rather than chronology, geography, or political successions, Eduardo Galeano has organized the various facets of Latin American history according to the patterns of five centuries of exploitation. Thus he is concerned with gold and silver, cacao and cotton, rubber and coffee, fruit, hides and wool, petroleum, iron, nickel, manganese, copper, aluminum ore, nitrates, and tin. These are the veins which he traces through the body of the entire continent, up to the Rio Grande and throughout the Caribbean, and all the way to their open ends where they empty into the coffers of wealth in the United States and Europe.Weaving fact and imagery into a rich tapestry, Galeano fuses scientific analysis with the passions of a plundered and suffering people. An immense gathering of materials is framed with a vigorous style that never falters in its command of themes. All readers interested in great historical, economic, political, and social writing will find a singular analytical achievement, and an overwhelming narrative that makes history speak, unforgettably.This classic is now further honored by Isabel Allende’s inspiring introduction. Universally recognized as one of the most important writers of our time, Allende once again contributes her talents to literature, to political principles, and to enlightenment. Read more

Now in paperback: the powerful, revelatory New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller, shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Award.An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo’s cobalt mining operation―and the moral implications that affect us all.Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo―because we are all implicated. Read more

Dive into the Cutting-Edge World of Utility-Scale Energy Storage!Unlock the transformative power of utility-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) with The BESS Book! Whether you're a newcomer or a seasoned professional, The BESS Book is the ultimate guide to the rapidly growing field of lithium-ion BESS technology.Dive into this comprehensive guide to:Discover the fundamental principles of lithium-ion BESS technology, engineering, and financeExplore the latest advancements, safety protocols, policy shifts, and market trends driving the global expansion of large battery systemsGain invaluable hands-on insights from real-world projects, from design and construction to operations and maintenanceWith vivid examples, detailed graphics, and expert knowledge, this book provides a thorough overview of the booming energy storage industry. Whether you're looking to advance your career, become a BESS developer, or stay current on the latest trends, The BESS Book is a gateway to knowledge of a clean energy future.Industry Experts Praise for "The BESS Book":"Finally! A battery book for professionals at the frontline of utility-scale BESS projects. The authors cover engineering, financing, supply chain, contracting and construction with the nuance and lingo of today's industry. Game-changing."-Christian Sanchez, P.E., Sr Manager of Development Engineering, AES Renewables.“Comprehensive and insightful! This book is a must-read roadmap for understanding the transformative power of battery energy storage systems.”–Jamie Daggett, Energy Storage Advisor, Ariel Green"The BESS Book deftly chronicles the rapid, exponential advancements in stationary battery storage deployment. This compelling exploration captures a decade of relentless innovation, unexpected challenges, and brilliant successes."-Andrea Hu-Bianco, SVP Engineering, RWE Clean EnergyStart harnessing the power of big batteries for energy storage and join the clean-energy revolution! Read more

A globe-trotting work of relentless investigative reporting, this is the first major book to expose the catastrophic reality of the multi-billion-dollar global garbage trade.                                                                                            Dumps and landfills around the world are overflowing. Disputes about what to do with the millions of tons of garbage generated every day have given rise to waste wars waged almost everywhere you look. Some are border skirmishes. Others hustle trash across thousands of miles and multiple oceans. But no matter the scale, one thing is true about almost all of them: few people have any idea they're happening. Journalist Alexander Clapp spent two years roaming five continents to report deep inside the world of Javanese recycling gangsters, cruise ship dismantlers in the Aegean, Tanzanian plastic pickers, whistle-blowing environmentalists throughout the jungles of Guatemala, and a community of Ghanaian boys who burn Western cellphones and televisions for cents an hour, to tell readers what he has figured out: While some trash gets tossed onto roadsides or buried underground, much of it actually lives a secret hot potato second life, getting shipped, sold, re-sold, or smuggled from one country to another, often with devastating consequences for the poorest nations of the world. Waste Wars is a jaw-dropping exposé of how and why, for the last forty years, our garbage — the stuff we deem so worthless we think nothing of throwing it away — has spawned a massive, globe-spanning, multi-billion-dollar economy, one that offloads our consumption footprints onto distant continents, pristine landscapes, and unsuspecting populations. If the handling of our trash reveals deeper truths about our Western society, what does the globalized business of garbage say about our world today? And what does it say about us? Read more

A Global Guidebook for Activism in the Age of Climate Chaos and Social InjusticeIn 1994, Patagonia invited representatives from 75 grassroots nonprofit organizations to gather and learn from active experts how to be more effective at what they do. Through this ongoing conference as well as years of funding these organizations, Patagonia has helped thousands of activists make the changes they envision for the world.In 2016, Patagonia publishedTools for Grassroots Activists,a compilation of presentations from the Tools conferences, accompanied by case studies and inspiring essays from environmental leaders.The world since then has changed in profound ways, and so a new set of tools is required for the world we now occupy. Tools to Save Our Home Planet: A Changemaker’s Guidebook captures the wisdom and best advice from activists in the field, creating a resource for any organization hoping to hone core skills.The lessons and examples it shares are as current, diverse, and global as the changemakers working around the world.At a high level, the book’s structure echos an activist’s journey. It begins with self-reflection, essays prompting readers to identify their purpose and clarify their cause. The focus shifts to the inner workings of an organization or campaign—how to create a communications strategy; organize people, and fundraise—before taking an outward look at creating momentum through mobilizing and events, using political tools, collaborating with other people and organizations, and taking legal action. The book culminates with a chapter all about movements: How combining purpose, effective organizations, and momentum can create a tidal wave that can change the world.A go-to resource for driving change, offering anyone who is passionate about environmental and social justice a timely and relevant resource to support their mission-aligned work, this book is intended for both those who are new to taking action and seasoned activists and community organizers who want to learn how others are finding success.The hope is that it will become dog-eared and scribbled in -- a reassuring and resourceful companion to the environmental and environmental justice movements. Read more

"Vaclav Smil is my favorite author."—Bill GatesAn indispensable analysis of how the world really produces and consumes its food—and a scientist's exploration of how we can successfully feed a growing population without killing the planetWe have never had to feed as many people as we do today. And yet, we misunderstand the essentials of where our food really comes from, how our dietary requirements shape us, and why this impacts our planet in drastic ways. As a result, in our economic, political, and everyday choices, we take for granted and fail to prioritize the thing that makes all our lives possible: food.In this ambitious, myth-busting book, Smil investigates many of the burning questions facing the world today: why are some of the world’s biggest food producers also the countries with the most undernourished populations? Why do we waste so much food and how can we solve that? Could the whole planet go vegan and be healthy? Should it? He explores the global history of food production to understand why we farm some animals and not others, why most of the world’s calories come from just a few foodstuffs, and how this might change in the future.How to Feed the World is the data-based, rigorously researched guide that offers solutions to our broken global food system. Read more

#1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER • A “fantastic” (Mark Ruffalo), fiercely argued takedown of neoliberalism that not only defines this slippery concept but connects it to the climate crisis, poverty, and fascism—and shows us how to fight back.“Incisive, illuminating, eye-opening—an unsparing anatomy of the great ideological beast stalking our times, often whispered about and yet never so clearly in view.”—David Wallace-Wells, author of The Uninhabitable EarthNeoliberalism is the dominant ideology of our time. It shapes us in countless ways, yet most of us struggle to articulate what it is. Worse, we have been persuaded to accept this extreme creed as a kind of natural law. In Invisible Doctrine, journalist George Monbiot and filmmaker Peter Hutchison shatter this myth. They show how a fringe philosophy in the 1930s—championing competition as the defining feature of humankind—was systematically hijacked by a group of wealthy elites, determined to guard their fortunes and power. Think tanks, corporations, the media, university departments and politicians were all deployed to promote the idea that people are consumers, rather than citizens.One of the most pernicious effects has been to make our various crises—from climate disasters to economic crashes, from the degradation of public services to rampant child poverty—seem unrelated. In fact, they have all been exacerbated by the “invisible doctrine,” which subordinates democracy to the power of money. Monbiot and Hutchison connect the dots—and trace a direct line from neoliberalism to fascism, which preys on people’s hopelessness and desperation.Speaking out against the fairy tale of capitalism and populist conspiracy theories, Monbiot and Hutchison lay the groundwork for a new politics, one based on truly participatory democracy and “private sufficiency, public luxury”: an inspiring vision that could help bring the neoliberal era to an end. Read more

"Informative and inspirational... will have readers rethinking the value of items that appear seemingly worthless. Highly recommended." ― School Library Journal, STARRED ReviewA picture book about what we throw away, and why it might be worth keeping!What if everywhere you looked, you saw something to make? Instead of seeing something broken, you saw something to fix? Instead of seeing something to throw out, you saw something to give away? This is how Nelson Molina sees the world. A former employee for the New York City sanitation department, Nelson saved over 45,000 objects from the garbage to fix and show his community through his museum, Treasures in the Trash.Explore the hidden potential in what we often discard and think differently about consumption, waste, and the impact of small actions. With themes of upcycling, anti-consumerism, love for community, and finding joy, Gifts from the Garbage Truck inspires kids to think creatively and curiously about what they do (and don't) throw away!Often, Nelson came across oddly shaped garbage bags.They clinked and clanked and jingled and jangled.Is there something more than garbage in here? Nelson would wonder. Is there something someone might love?"I knew it!" he'd exclaim, tearing the bag open and discovering a new gift from the trash. Nelson didn't throw the objects into the back of the truck with everything else.He had a better idea. Read more

A blueprint for boosting your activism and building support for the causes you care about, featuring fan-building tactics from the music industry and the voices of today’s most passionate change-makers“This book shines a light on a wealth of new strategies to help reach people in ways that are both authentic and resonant.”—John KerryFrom stadium acts to indie singer-songwriters, musicians have pioneered ways of sparking passion, building awareness, and catalyzing engagement. Now imagine if social movements—from the fight to protect the planet to campaigns promoting global health or LGBTQIA+ rights—had the same fervent support as your favorite artists.Adam Met, climate advocate, educator, and member of the multiplatinum band AJR, gained firsthand experience growing an audience from the ground up as the band progressed from playing in living rooms to selling out arenas. With award-winning journalist Heather Landy, Met shows how to apply fan-building strategies to social movements in exciting, inventive ways. Amplify is a playbook for developing passionate supporters (i.e., fans) utilizing the art and science of engagement, collaboration, and authentic connection, with tactics that will inspire people to carry your message to the world and spur others to act.Amplify’s innovative tool kit will help you find your voice and maximize your impact in the world of social progress to create the change you want to see.This movement-building manifesto includes cutting-edge research and strategies from today’s most effective organizers, engagers, and thinkers, including extensive interviews with • Adam Grant (Wharton professor) on embracing disagreement within a movement• Christiana Figueres (Paris Climate Agreement architect) on finding a path to solutions• Andrew Yang (former U.S. presidential candidate) on becoming the front person for your ideas• David Hogg (March for Our Lives co-founder) on the challenges of building a youth-led movement• Chi Ossé (youngest-ever NYC council member) on working outside the box but within the system• Sue Doster (NYC Pride co-chair) on keeping movements nimble and relevant• Glenn Beck (conservative commentator) on finding common ground• Jim Gaffigan (comedian) on setting and achieving goals• Bill Nye (scientist and entertainer) on communication that connects with people• Ben Folds (musician) on staying in sync with your audience• Jamie Drummond (ONE Campaign co-founder) on the beauty of purposeful compromise• Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo (hip-hop scholar) on the intersection of activism and history• Wendy Laister (Duran Duran manager) on harnessing the energy of live events• Clyde Lawrence and Jordan Cohen (of the band Lawrence) on pressing your argument• MAX (musician) on the power of collaboration• Sam Hollander (songwriter) on aligning different perspectives• Astro Teller (co-founder of Alphabet’s X division) on taking moonshots Read more

In this radically optimistic climate change book, find yourself empowered to achieve sustainable living across every facet of your life—the personal, the professional, and the political."Never has decisive action on climate and environment been more important. This book will help citizens all across America understand that while no one can do everything, everyone can do something—and offers a myriad of ways they can get started too."—Dr. Trista Patterson, Time100 Climate Leader, 2023, and co-founder of Playing for the PlanetUsing a science-based framework to unearth the top ten things anyone can do to make a meaningful difference, Charlie Sellars takes readers from overwhelmed to empowered in the face of the climate crisis.What We Can Do provides a practical, data-based approach to guide readers toward environmental impact across three key aspects of their lives: their daily choices, their careers, and their communities. This climate change book reminds readers they have far more power than they realize to make a meaningful difference on climate change.Charlie Sellars pulls insight from his experience as a director of sustainability at Microsoft, which has underlined its commitment to be a green business with a pledge to become carbon negative, water positive, and zero waste by 2030 while protecting ecosystems. He also serves on the governing body of the iMasons Climate Accord, an industry coalition united to decarbonize digital infrastructure.Inside this sustainable living book, you will learn how to:Harness environmental science to make more sustainable decisions using the "Make It, Move It, Lose It, Use It" impact framework.Turn your job into a sustainability job, no matter what you do for a living.Unleash the power of your voice at the ballot box and in your local community.This refreshingly optimistic environmental book for adults and recent graduates makes for a great climate change gift, like Hannah Ritchie's Not the End of the World and Katharine Hayhoe's Saving Us.Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something. It's not too late to defeat the climate crisis, and What We Can Do will show you how."What We Can Do brings cutting-edge sustainability techniques used by chief sustainability officers into the hands and context of everyday individuals. The result? A book that finally empowers readers to maximize their impact across every facet of their lives" —Ann Tracy, chief sustainability officer, Colgate-Palmolive Read more

THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE • AN ECONOMIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • Sand, salt, iron, copper, oil, and lithium. These fundamental materials have created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and greed for thousands of years. Without them, our modern world would not exist, and the battle to control them will determine our future. • Finalist for the Financial Times and Schroders Business Book of the Year AwardThe fiber-optic cables that weave the World Wide Web, the copper veins of our electric grids, the silicon chips and lithium batteries that power our phones and cars: though it can feel like we now live in a weightless world of information—what Ed Conway calls “the ethereal world”—our twenty-first-century lives are still very much rooted in the material.In fact, we dug more stuff out of the earth in 2017 than in all of human history before 1950. For every ton of fossil fuels, we extract six tons of other materials, from sand to stone to wood to metal. And in Material World, Conway embarks on an epic journey across continents, cultures, and epochs to reveal the underpinnings of modern life on Earth—traveling from the sweltering depths of the deepest mine in Europe to spotless silicon chip factories in Taiwan to the eerie green pools where lithium originates.Material World is a celebration of the humans and the human networks, the miraculous processes and the little-known companies, that combine to turn raw materials into things of wonder. This is the story of human civilization from an entirely new perspective: the ground up. Read more

• New York Times bestseller •The 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, based on meticulous research by leading scientists and policymakers around the world“At this point in time, the Drawdown book is exactly what is needed; a credible, conservative solution-by-solution narrative that we can do it. Reading it is an effective inoculation against the widespread perception of doom that humanity cannot and will not solve the climate crisis. Reported by-effects include increased determination and a sense of grounded hope.” —Per Espen Stoknes, Author, What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming “There’s been no real way for ordinary people to get an understanding of what they can do and what impact it can have. There remains no single, comprehensive, reliable compendium of carbon-reduction solutions across sectors. At least until now. . . . The public is hungry for this kind of practical wisdom.” —David Roberts, Vox“This is the ideal environmental sciences textbook—only it is too interesting and inspiring to be called a textbook.” —Peter Kareiva, Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLAIn the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here—some are well known; some you may have never heard of. They range from clean energy to educating girls in lower-income countries to land use practices that pull carbon out of the air. The solutions exist, are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are currently enacting them with skill and determination. If deployed collectively on a global scale over the next thirty years, they represent a credible path forward, not just to slow the earth’s warming but to reach drawdown, that point in time when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and begin to decline. These measures promise cascading benefits to human health, security, prosperity, and well-being—giving us every reason to see this planetary crisis as an opportunity to create a just and livable world. Read more

"A poetic and remarkably fertile exploration of the relationship between human beings and the natural environment."—Pankaj Mishra, The Guardian"I'm very grateful to have this book."—Ursula K. Le GuinThe acclaimed and award-winning book about what a rare mushroom can teach us about sustaining life on a fragile planetA Flavorwire and Times Higher Education Book of the YearMatsutake is the most valuable mushroom in the world—and a weed that grows in human-disturbed forests across the northern hemisphere. Through its ability to nurture trees, matsutake helps forests to grow in daunting places. It is also an edible delicacy in Japan, where it sometimes commands astronomical prices. In all its contradictions, matsutake offers insights into areas far beyond just mushrooms and addresses a crucial question: what manages to live in the ruins we have made? A tale of diversity within our damaged landscapes, The Mushroom at the End of the World follows one of the strangest commodity chains of our times to explore the unexpected corners of capitalism. Here, we witness the varied and peculiar worlds of matsutake commerce: the worlds of Japanese gourmets, capitalist traders, Hmong jungle fighters, industrial forests, Yi Chinese goat herders, Finnish nature guides, and more. These companions also lead us into fungal ecologies and forest histories to better understand the promise of cohabitation in a time of massive human destruction.By investigating one of the world's most sought-after fungi, The Mushroom at the End of the World presents an original examination into the relation between capitalist destruction and collaborative survival within multispecies landscapes, the prerequisite for continuing life on earth. Read more

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The powerful ways the metals we need to fuel technology and energy are spawning environmental havoc, political upheaval, and rising violence — and how we can do better.An Australian millionaire’s plan to mine the ocean floor. Nigerian garbage pickers risking their lives to salvage e-waste. A Bill Gates-backed entrepreneur harnessing AI to find metals in the Arctic. These people and millions more are part of the intensifying competition to find and extract the minerals essential for two crucial technologies: the internet and renewable energy. In Power Metal, Vince Beiser explores the Achilles’ heel of “green power” and digital technology – that manufacturing computers, cell phones, electric cars, and other technologies demand skyrocketing amounts of lithium, copper, cobalt, and other materials. Around the world, businesses and governments are scrambling for new places and new ways to get those metals, at enormous cost to people and the planet. Beiser crisscrossed the world to talk to the people involved and report on the damage this race is inflicting, the ways it could get worse, and how we can minimize the damage. Power Metal is a compelling glimpse into this disturbing yet potentially promising new world. Read more

The revelatory Pulitzer Prize finalist for General Nonfiction, New York Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller, shortlisted for the Financial Times Best Business Book of the Year Award.An unflinching investigation reveals the human rights abuses behind the Congo’s cobalt mining operation―and the moral implications that affect us all.Cobalt Red is the searing, first-ever exposé of the immense toll taken on the people and environment of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by cobalt mining, as told through the testimonies of the Congolese people themselves. Activist and researcher Siddharth Kara has traveled deep into cobalt territory to document the testimonies of the people living, working, and dying for cobalt. To uncover the truth about brutal mining practices, Kara investigated militia-controlled mining areas, traced the supply chain of child-mined cobalt from toxic pit to consumer-facing tech giants, and gathered shocking testimonies of people who endure immense suffering and even die mining cobalt.Cobalt is an essential component to every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today, the batteries that power our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Roughly 75 percent of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, often by peasants and children in sub-human conditions. Billions of people in the world cannot conduct their daily lives without participating in a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo. In this stark and crucial book, Kara argues that we must all care about what is happening in the Congo―because we are all implicated. Read more

NATIONAL BESTSELLER2022 Winner of the Golden Poppy Award for Nonfiction (California Independent Booksellers Alliance)A revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California’s largest utility company that led to countless wildfires — including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise — and the human cost of infrastructure failurePacific Gas and Electric was a legacy company built by innovators and visionaries, establishing California as a desirable home and economic powerhouse. In California Burning, Wall Street Journal reporter and Pulitzer finalist Katherine Blunt examines how that legacy fell apart—unraveling a long history of deadly failures in which Pacific Gas and Electric endangered millions of Northern Californians, through criminal neglect of its infrastructure. As PG&E prioritized profits and politics, power lines went unchecked—until a rusted hook purchased for 56 cents in 1921 split in two, sparking the deadliest wildfire in California history.Beginning with PG&E’s public reckoning after the Paradise fire, Blunt chronicles the evolution of PG&E’s shareholder base, from innovators who built some of California's first long-distance power lines to aggressive investors keen on reaping dividends. Following key players through pivotal decisions and legal battles, California Burning reveals the forces that shaped the plight of PG&E: deregulation and market-gaming led by Enron Corp., an unyielding push for renewable energy, and a swift increase in wildfire risk throughout the West, while regulators and lawmakers pushed their own agendas.California Burning is a deeply reported, character-driven narrative, the story of a disaster expanding into a much bigger exploration of accountability. It’s an American tragedy that serves as a cautionary tale for utilities across the nation—especially as climate change makes aging infrastructure more vulnerable, with potentially fatal consequences. Read more