These books explain our world with much-needed clarity, exposing how marvels such as skyscrapers, computer chips, and the global supply chain are put together

Modern society has been shaped by, and depends on, many complex, interlocked systems.

But even the most tech-savvy person might struggle to get a handle on every detail.

The books in the list explain our world with much-needed clarity, exposing how marvels such as skyscrapers, computer chips, and the global supply chain are put together.

The Way Things Work is a classic children’s reference book, full of lavish color illustrations laying out fundamental scientific concepts.

Tim Wu's book centers on five technologies that have transformed the way we share information: telephones, radio, film, TV, and the internet.

Arriving Today is a vivid and occasionally outrage-inducing look at the systems involved in getting us our stuff.

In 2018 and 2019 , 346 people died in two crashes of malfunctioning Boeing 737 MAX 8 planes.

Peter Robison ’s investigation into the tragedies asks: How did one of the most respected engineering companies in America produce such fatally flawed aircraft? Robison places the blame squarely on the corporate culture that arose after a merger in the late 1990s .