Book Bits: 8 August 2026

● United States of Oligarchy: How America’s Wealthiest Ally with Dictators, Weaken the U.S., and Destroy Democracy
Casey Michel
Summary via publisher (Macmillan)
For years, a small group of billionaires has amassed increasing power, steering American politics for their own benefit. Many of these figures are familiar. There’s Elon Musk, who has used his wealth to help place Donald Trump back in the White House. There’s Mark Zuckerberg, who has used his resources to transform America into his own digital playground. There’s Jared Kushner, who has used family connections to gain more political power than he ever dreamed of. There is only one word to describe such extreme levels of wealth, avarice, and political control: Oligarchy.

● Reining in the Bulls: How to Stop Corporate Abuse in an Age of Unbridled Greed
Michael Marx
Summary via publisher (Island Press)
Major corporations exercise enormous control over our lives. They influence how we think, what we buy, who we vote for, and how our society evolves. They are key drivers of the wealth that fuels our economic system, and their power insulates them from strict government regulations and accountability. In this setting, corporate abuses—pollution, toxic and inhumane work environments, defective products—go unchecked. When the government refuses to corral industry’s misdeeds, advocacy groups turn to corporate campaigns to expose and change harmful behavior.

● Untamed Unicorns: Why Startup Finance Is Broken and How to Fix It
Renée M. Jones
Review via Boston College Law School Magazine
Much of what is happening with startup companies, from governance to financing to culture, has Professor Renée Jones concerned. The nationally renowned expert in securities law, who served as director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance from 2021 to 2023, is calling out the danger being posed by rapid deregulation of securities markets.
The term “unicorns” was originally coined to convey just how rare and extraordinary these businesses were, but the startup ecosystem has since changed dramatically. Whereas there were just an estimated 40 such companies in 2013, that number has ballooned to an estimated 1,500 today, a number that also includes so-called “decacorns,” valued at over $10 billion, and even “centicorns,” valued at over $100 billion.

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