Land: How the Hunger for Ownership Shaped the Modern World
by Simon Winchester (Harper, 2021); audiobook read by Simon Winchester (William Collins, 2021)
Sprawling and discursive, with an American focus but chapters on countries with contrasting histories of land theft, ownership, apportioning or reform. Winchester evinces an abiding appreciation of the natural world, calling out the wrongdoings of the past while surveying more optimistic horizons.