Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life

Review Quotes:
[A] colorful, informative book . . . Planet Money would make an excellent gift for a high school or college graduate.--Deborah Hopkinson "BookPage"

Review Quotes:
[A]n accessible, nonpartisan survey of economic concepts using real-world examples....This book delivers economic concepts in engaging, digestible bites.-- "Library Journal (starred review)"

Review Quotes:
Readers, from the economically curious to the Financial Times devotee, will find these stories illuminating and engaging.-- "Booklist (starred review)"

Review Quotes:
An entertaining new guide to economics.--Tim Harford "Financial Times"

Publisher Marketing:

Hello, and welcome to Planet Money! Millions of listeners trust the world's leading economics podcast to explain the mysterious inner workings of the global economy and the forces that affect nearly every decision we make. Through expert research and delightful stories the Planet Money hosts help everyone see the world like an economist.

For their first-ever book, longtime contributor Alex Mayyasi and the hosts of NPR's Planet Money present brand new stories and insights gathered from more than a decade of reporting that reveal ways AI might help you or replace you, demystify dating markets, and show how pro sports' "dumbest" contract holds the secret to building wealth. Taking readers on adventures to a smartphone factory in Patagonia, a raisin cartel in California, and an Indigenous reserve in Canada that might just have a solution for the housing crisis, Planet Money shows how economics shapes our world, and how we can harness key principles to make our own lives a little richer.

Review Citations:

• Library Journal 03/01/2026 pg. 111 (EAN 9781324078777, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
• Booklist 03/01/2026 (EAN 9781324078777, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Contributor Bio:Mayyasi, Alex
Alex Mayyasi is the host of the new podcast Gastronomics, about the business of food, and a longtime contributor to Planet Money whose writing has been published in The Atlantic, Smithsonian, and Washington Post. A former editor of Priceonomics, he launched Gastro Obscura, which won two James Beard Awards and published the New York Times best-selling book Gastro Obscura. He lives in Colorado.

Contributor Bio:Hosts of Npr's Planet Money
Planet Money has won multiple Peabody, Murrow, and duPont-Columbia Awards for its innovative audio storytelling. Planet Money's cohosts include Amanda Aronczyk, Erika Beras, Mary Childs, Nick Fountain, Sarah Gonzalez, Jeff Guo, Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, Adrian Ma, Kenny Malone, Wailin Wong, and Darian Woods.

Contributor Bio:Goldmark, Alex
Alex Goldmark is the Executive Producer of NPR's Planet Money.