The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do BetterThe Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better
Score Modern
What it's about
Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett show that a wide range of social problems, from poor health, mental illness and obesity to violence, drug addiction and teenage births, are all several times more common in more unequal societies, and argue that greater equality benefits everyone.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the best books of the 21st century. It changed debates about inequality.
You'll love it if you liked
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City
Poverty, by AmericaGood to know
It's full of charts and data. Some economists dispute its conclusions.
By the numbers
- Readers55 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics51 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller3 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #741 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #1387 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
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Quick answers
Is The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the best books of the 21st century. It ranks #1,387 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 69.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better about?
Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett show that a wide range of social problems, from poor health, mental illness and obesity to violence, drug addiction and teenage births, are all several times more common in more unequal societies, and argue that greater equality benefits everyone.
How long does it take to read The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better?
About 8 hours (300 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better?
If you liked it, try Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond or Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond.