Book of the Week: The New Map

1. Quick Overview

Author: Daniel Yergin
Published: September 15, 2020
Reading Level: General interest to professional
Why it’s worth reading: A big-picture guide to how energy, climate, and geopolitics collide.

2. What It’s About

Yergin explains how energy systems shape global power, and how shifts in supply, technology, and policy ripple into everything else. The book covers the shale revolution, the rise of new energy competitors, and the growing pressure of climate goals, while showing how these forces interact rather than move in a straight line. 

It is useful for engineers because it gives context for why projects succeed or stall. Electrification, renewables, storage, pipelines, and critical minerals all exist inside politics, markets, and national security. If you want to work in energy or infrastructure, this book helps you see the full system, not just the component you are designing. 

3. Memorable Moment or Takeaway

Energy decisions are engineering decisions plus economics and geopolitics.

4. Where to Find It

Widely available through retailers and libraries. 

5. If You Liked This Book...

• The Grid by Gretchen Bakke

6. If You Want to Go Deeper

Read The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power by Daniel Yergin for a deeper historical foundation of the modern energy world.