“Few people can communicate how the economy actually works better than Kyla Scanlon.”—Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money An illustrated guide to the mad math and terrible terminology of economics, from one of the internet’s favorite financial educators Is our national debt really a threat? What is a “mild” recession, exactly? If you’re worried about your bank account balance, job security, or mortgage rate, what data should you be keeping tabs on? For anyone trying to make sense of disorienting headlines, there’s no better interpreter than Kyla Scanlon. Through her trademark blend of witty illustrations, creative analogies, and insights from behavioral economics, literature, and philosophy, Scanlon breaks down everything you need to know about how money and markets really work. This indispensable handbook reveals the hidden forces driving key economic outcomes, the most common myths to steer clear of, and the dusty, outdated assumptions that constrain our political imagination, offering a bold new path to building a prosperous society that works for everyone.

An analysis of how nineteenth-century women regional writers represent political economic thought WINNER OF THE ELIZABETH AGEE PRIZE IN AMERICAN LITERATURE Readers of late nineteenth-century female American authors are familiar with plots, characters, and households that make a virtue of economizing. Scholars often interpret these scenarios in terms of a mythos of parsimony, frequently accompanied by a sort of elegiac republicanism whereby self-sufficiency and autonomy are put to the service of the greater good—a counterworld to the actual economic conditions of the period. In Kitchen Economics: Women’s Regionalist Fiction and Political Economy, Thomas Strychacz takes a new approach to the question of how female regionalist fictions represent “the economic” by situating them within traditions of classical political economic thought. Offering case studies of key works by Sarah Orne Jewett, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Rose Terry Cooke, and Alice Dunbar-Nelson, this study focuses on three complex cultural fables—the island commonwealth, stadialism (or stage theory), and feeding the body politic—which found formal expression in political economic thought, made their way into endless public debates about the economic turmoil of the late nineteenth century, and informed female authors. These works represent counterparts, not counterworlds, to modernity; and their characteristic stance is captured in the complex trope of feminaeconomica. This approach ultimately leads us to reconsider what we mean by the term “economic,” for the emphasis of contemporary neoclassical economics on economic agents given over to infinite wants and complete self-interest has caused the “sufficiency” and “common good” models of female regionalist authors to be misinterpreted and misvalued. These fictions are nowhere more pertinent to modernity than in their alliance with today’s important alternative economic discourses.

""Ginger What?"" offers a comprehensive exploration of the versatile ginger root, delving into its culinary uses, cultivation methods, and health benefits. This engaging book traces ginger's 5,000-year history from Southeast Asia to its global spread, highlighting its significance in various cuisines and traditional medicine systems. Readers will discover intriguing facts about ginger's botanical characteristics and nutritional profile, as well as its potential in modern cuisine, sustainable agriculture, and healthcare. The book progresses through three main sections, each offering valuable insights. It begins with ginger's role in global culinary traditions, exploring flavor pairings and preservation techniques. The cultivation section provides detailed information on soil requirements, planting methods, and harvesting, appealing to gardening enthusiasts. Finally, the medicinal properties of ginger are examined, discussing both traditional uses and modern research findings. Throughout, ""Ginger What?"" balances scientific accuracy with practical advice, making it accessible to a general audience while still offering depth for those seeking detailed information. By combining elements of cooking and gardening literature with botanical study and herbal remedies, this book offers a unique, interdisciplinary approach to understanding ginger. It empowers readers to harness the full potential of this aromatic rhizome in their own lives, whether through cooking, growing, or exploring its health benefits.