A great masterpiece from a sociologists, Brooke Harrington. An eye-opening account of offshore finance: a secretive system making the rich richer while corroding democracy, capitalism and the environment.

An illuminating, accessible, and compelling look into offshore finance and its disastrous effects. I appreciate the way the author makes a complex topic interesting and understandable - a true expert. This is a must-read primer for anyone interested in global politics, corruption, and some practical steps toward ensuring more equity.

Thank you to W.W. Norton and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

"Offshore" by Brooke Harrington is a fascinating glimpse into the financial activities of the global elite. Through years of research and a focus on the people who keep the system running rather than the elites themselves, Harrington paints a compelling portrait of how offshore financing hurts all nations.

Harrington begins the book with an explanation of the rationales for utilizing offshoring wealth and the mechanisms used to keep immense wealth out of sight. What separates this book from others I have read on the topic is the focus on British colonialism and how its legacy has directly created the offshoring system that we have today. Harrington traces the impacts of the British legal and financial systems on its former colonies, including the United States, and how many vulnerable nations were put in positions of creating financial tax havens in order to keep their countries alive post-colonialism.

Along with walking through the history of offshore finance, Harrington also demonstrates how the wealth placed into tax havens almost always comes at the cost of higher tax burdens and lower quality of public services for actual citizens. Governments become more focused on catering to the uber-wealthy rather than serving their own people and criminality tends to increase.

The book ends on a somewhat positive note and focuses on possible avenues for combatting this system, with an emphasis on the value of public stigma. To that point, books like this one, that can outline the issue in a clear and succinct manner, are incredibly important.

If you are looking for a quick but informative dive into the financial systems that are leading to the rise of populism and appalling levels of global income inequality, "Offshore" is a great place to start.

Thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to review.