Quick Read

New York Times columnist Krugman crunches data and cruises through history to locate the origins of rising income inequality. "The Shrill One," as he's been dubbed by friend and foe, gives issues like the decline of unions and free trade their due. But Krugman believes income inequality is largely a political issue. For more than a generation, he argues, Republicans have used race-based electoral strategies to pursue economic policies that helped the rich. Today, though, demographics and economic winds favor the Democrats. An oversimplification? Sure. But Krugman's command of economic data and eagerness to dispense with politesse make for a compelling read.

Capitalism has enriched many, but is the world better off? Reich, Labor secretary under President Bill Clinton, explains how turbocharged global moneymaking is endangering democracy. He says low prices and consumer choice have also increased wage inequity and global warming. But he doesn't blame Wal-Mart. "We shouldn't expect companies to be virtuous," he says. Rather, he wants politicians to "throw some sand in the wheels of capitalism," by taxing international mergers, levying a carbon tax and spending more on early childhood education and health care.

Until recently, nobody knew who was the blogger behind "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs"—a dead-on Web parody of the inner mind of Apple's charismatic CEO. Part of the fun was guessing the identity of the author, who seemed to know the inside scoop at One Infinite Loop. Then Forbes editor Dan Lyons was exposed, and some of the fun was gone. Now comes his novel. "Options" has some of the blog's panache but not its crackling immediacy. And since it's crafted like a novel (with fleshed out fictional characters who are mixed in with actual big shots like Larry Ellison), it falls short in verisimilitude. But it is the real voice of Fake Steve, and that's something.