HOW INNOVATION WORKS is written by Matt Ridley, a member of the House of Lords and an award-winning author (The Evolution of Everything). His new text actually speaks to the flywheel concept that Dumaine raised in Bezonomics when Ridley points out that "innovation is potentially infinite because even if it runs out of new things to do, it can always find ways to do the same things more quickly or for less energy." Ridley provides an engaging read by illustrating innovation ("turning ideas into practical, reliable and affordable reality") across history and a range of fields (Energy, Public Health, Transport, Food, and so forth). He then explores patterns in those stories and argues that innovation "Flourishes in Freedom" while devoting a chapter each to innovation's Essentials, Economics, and Failures, and finally concluding with sections on Resistance to Innovation and Innovation Famine. This is a very readable text and is full of facts, often amusing stories, and relatable explanations, such as "the genius of the Wright brothers was precisely that they realized they were in an incremental, iterative process and did not expect to build a flying machine at the first attempt." Teachers will appreciate that Ridley emphasizes the value of traits like trial and error and collaboration. Students with interest in the STEM fields will especially enjoy HOW INNOVATION WORKS which received a starred review from Kirkus.