Ian

8 New Books We Recommend This Week

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Ian Kumekawa’s new book, “Empty Vessel,” promises in its subtitle to tell “the story of the global economy in one barge.” Along those lines, you could think of our recommended books this week as the story of the global economy in one list: Besides Kumekawa’s book, we suggest fiction and nonfiction set in Mexico, Germany, … Read more

Book Review: ‘Empty Vessel,’ by Ian Kumekawa

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EMPTY VESSEL: The Story of the Global Economy in One Barge, by Ian Kumekawa Container ships are designed to be blandly functional. Gigantic metal platforms, they chug along from port to port and are habitually taken for granted — until, that is, they run aground on the jagged rocks of catastrophe. When the pandemic arrived … Read more