Against the Grain -- James C. Scott

Against the Grain is one of the most exhilarating, genre-defying, wild cards of a book on our shelves at the moment. Prehistory buffs, climate scientists, economists, Paleo-dieters, social justice warriors, libertarians, tax code reformers, anthropologists ---  as well as curious minds of an ilk not covered by such categories ...  all will have reason to find James Scott's reassessment of the earliest proto-states in the Mesopotamian alluvial delta fascinating beyond all expectation. It's the kind of book you'll want to reference in every conversation for months post-reading.